Chapter 11
Lizzie gathered her things into the bag she’d brought out to the pool—sunscreen, e-reader, lip balm, water bottle, towel.
“Where’re you going?” Jared asked from the next lounge where he’d been dozing.
They’d been enjoying a rare day off together when she got the call from Victoria.
She was between weddings at the Chesterfield, and he’d taken the power failure and the subsequent internet outage as a sign that he should take the rest of the day off from managing his portfolio online. “I’m needed in town.”
“You’re needed here.”
Lizzie stopped by his chair to give him a kiss. “I’m needed more there.”
“What’s going on?”
“Victoria Stevens called from the clinic to tell me there’s a new mom with no support of any kind.”
Jared reached up to take her hand. “Are you sure that’s something you should be getting involved in?”
“I’m fine. I swear.” After bending to leave him with another kiss, she walked inside to get ready.
She loved him for asking whether she ought to be going on this mission, especially right now.
Their third round of IVF had recently failed, and they were both still recovering from the disappointment that seemed to get bigger with every subsequent failure.
This one had been particularly devastating for her, mostly because she wasn’t sure she could go through the process again.
It’d been grueling—appointments, procedures, shots, tests—and all for nothing in the end.
Lizzie hadn’t said much to Jared yet about how she was feeling, but she’d hit her limit, for now anyway. He’d been wonderful through it all, supportive, loving, encouraging, optimistic. She couldn’t have asked for anything more from him, but the toll on their emotions had become almost unbearable.
As she took a quick shower and got dressed, she thought about what they’d been through in the last nine months and how they were no closer to having a baby than they’d been at the start.
And what was worse, none of the many specialists they’d consulted could tell them why she was unable to conceive.
If only they knew why, at least it would make some sense. As it was, nothing made sense. By all accounts, they were a perfectly healthy young couple who should’ve been able to conceive without a problem. But that hadn’t happened, and now the realization was setting in that it might never happen.
Which was the reason for Jared’s concern about her getting involved in a situation that involved a newborn.
Hell, she was concerned, too, but she couldn’t bear to know of someone in need of help that she could easily provide.
That’s what she did. She got involved and lent a hand to anyone who needed it.
She’d married a fabulously wealthy man, even though she’d had reservations about how she could continue to be true to herself while being married to someone with his resources.
What she’d since learned was that she could do a lot of good with his money—or as he liked to remind her, their money—and she’d taken full advantage of his willingness to make her happy by investing in things like the Chesterfield Estate and the senior health care facility they’d founded on the island.
The center was now fully occupied with residents who’d be living on the mainland, away from their families, without their facility.
Her life with Jared was wonderful in every possible way, except for their inability to have a baby. She knew she had nothing at all to complain about, but her heart ached, nonetheless.
Her gorgeous husband was waiting for her when she emerged from their master bathroom.
He sat on the bed, bare-chested, his jaw scruffy and his blond hair messy and still damp from a recent dip in the pool.
To look at him in his relaxed state, you’d never guess that he was a self-made billionaire.
But underneath his casual exterior was a sharply intelligent, brilliant, loving man.
“Whatcha looking at?” he asked with a playful grin, even as he gazed at her with concern she recognized from the last few difficult months.
“My sexy husband. That’s allowed, right?”
“Hell yes, that’s allowed.” He held out his hands to her, and she went to him, letting him wrap his arms around her as he pressed his lips to her abdomen. “I need a favor.”
“What’s that?” she asked as she straightened his messy hair.
He looked up at her, his gaze full of love. “This new mom in town who needs help… Let’s give her money and stay out of it otherwise.”
His softly spoken plea went straight to her heart, leaving a lump of emotion in her throat.
She certainly understood what he was asking her and why, and she’d had the same thoughts herself.
“I love you so much for so many reasons,” he said, “but mostly I love your big heart and how giving you are to people in need. But this… This is too much right now, honey.”
“I hear what you’re saying, and I love you for being concerned about me, but I’m okay. And I’m not just saying that. Yes, I’m disappointed and heartbroken that the latest round didn’t work, but I’m trying to accept that it’s just not meant to be for us. At least not now.”
“You’ve been so strong, but the last thing you need is to be involved with a newborn.”
“Maybe it’s just what I need, to see that life goes on even when I’m disappointed and heartbroken. I promise you, if it’s too much for me, I’ll make arrangements for her to have what she needs and come home. I promise.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “All right.” His phone chimed with the tone he’d set for his brother Cooper, a farting noise that always made them laugh, and now was no exception.
“Leave it to Coop to break the tension,” Jared said as he released her to fish the phone out of the pocket of his cargo-style bathing suit.
“What’s he up to?”
As Jared read the text, his eyes widened. “He says he’s coming out on the three o’clock boat so he can be here for Quinn’s wedding. I can tell him this isn’t a good time for us.”
“No, let him come, Jared. He’s always fun to be with, and we could use some comic relief around here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. It’s fine.” She leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll be back in a while.”
“Take care of my sweet Lizzie and her soft heart, you hear me?”
“I will. I promise.”
He gave her another tight hug, let her go and then got up to walk her out to the car. “Drive carefully,” he said as he closed the door on her silver Land Rover.
She waved as she backed out and headed for town, hoping she could handle this mission she was embarking on.