Willow Brook Road(117)

Mack raked a hand through his hair and regarded Connor with dismay. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t bear the thought of Susie hurting like this ever again.”

“Or this could be the best thing that ever happened,” Connor said and reached into his pocket. He pushed a small square of paper in Mack’s direction.

Mack flipped it over and saw a sweet little face with a tiny bow of a mouth, huge brown eyes and a fluff of dark hair with a pink bow on an elastic ribbon. He drew in a sharp breath and something in his heart turned over.

“This is her?”

Connor nodded.

“She’s beautiful,” Mack whispered, awed by the possibility that she could be his daughter. If he was this taken with her after only a glimpse, how would Susie feel? Could he deny her the right to make this decision for herself, even though it came fraught with peril? “Connor, what am I supposed to do?”

“Take that picture home and talk to your wife,” Connor said quietly. “You know that’s the only real choice you have.”

“Is there any way we can protect ourselves this time?” Mack asked. “Any way to make this decision binding and scrap the waiting period when the mom can suddenly take her from us?”

“I can try, given the circumstances. I can make a strong case for not allowing you to get burned twice, but the law really does give the birth mother a fair amount of protection.”

“Even after she’s proved her immaturity?” Mack said.

“Like I said, I can try.”

Mack touched a finger to that tiny, precious face, then picked up the photo and tucked it into his pocket. He stood up. “I’ll let you know.”

“Don’t wait too long,” Connor warned. “Her attorney wants to move on this, get the baby settled into a good home.”

Mack couldn’t seem to prevent a hint of bitterness from creeping into his voice. “Any home would have to be better than where she is right now.”

“Before you judge the mom too harshly, think about this. She really is trying to do right by her baby. And you and Susie could be the beneficiary of that.”

Mack sighed. “You’re right. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”



At home, while he waited for Susie to get there, Mack opened the door to the nursery Susie had decorated with so much joy and hope just a few months earlier. Unless she’d gone in there when he wasn’t around, it had stood empty ever since she’d slammed the door shut on the day they’d gotten the news that the baby wouldn’t be coming home with them.

And now he was about to ask her to get back onto that emotional roller coaster, even knowing how fragile her recovery was.

He heard the front door open and close, then heard her calling his name.

“Back here,” he called out.

He heard Susie’s footsteps getting closer, then nothing. He turned and saw her at the end of the hall, unable or unwilling to come into the room they’d decorated as a nursery.

“Why are you there?” she asked. “Please do not tell me it’s time to dismantle the nursery, Mack. I know I’ve been struggling, but I’m doing the best I can. I can’t face that room yet.”

“Please,” he said, and held out his hand. “Please, Suze. That’s not what I’m asking, but we do need to talk. I think we need to do it here.”

She hesitated for what seemed like an eternity before finally approaching. Even after she joined him, she kept her back to the room.

“I spoke to Connor earlier,” he said, holding her gaze. “The mom has decided to give her baby up for adoption, after all.”

Susie stared at him, clearly not comprehending. “What does that mean?”

“The baby could be ours, Susie.” He let the thought hang in the air, tried to gauge her reaction, but her expression gave away nothing. “But we have to be willing to take another chance. It doesn’t come with guarantees, though Connor says he’ll try to make it as solid as he can.” He drew the picture out of his pocket and handed it to her.

She reacted then. Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. “Oh, my God,” she whispered, then lifted her eyes to look into his. “She really could be ours, after all? When?”

“As soon as we agree, I think. Connor and I didn’t talk about that. I wasn’t even 100 percent sure I should tell you. I don’t think I could bear it if you got your heart broken again.”

She studied the picture intently, then asked, “How can we say no, Mack?” When she looked up from the picture, her eyes were shining. “This little girl could be ours. Fate’s giving us a second chance.”