Chapter 30
Jared found Lizzie in the living room, sitting on the sofa with the baby on her lap. His heart ached as he wished she could have that experience with their baby rather than with a stranger’s child. “Babe.”
She looked up at him, her face the picture of devastation that she quickly tried to hide from him. “Hey.”
“What’re you doing?”
“Holding the baby so Jessie can eat.”
“Cooper was doing that.”
“I’m all right, Jared.”
“No, you’re not, so don’t even try to tell me that. I know better.”
When she didn’t argue with him, she confirmed his suspicions. “Let’s give the baby back to Jessie and go for a ride.”
“Where do you want to go?”
“I’ll show you.” He carefully retrieved the baby and kissed Lizzie’s forehead. “Go get ready.”
“Okay.”
Jared went to the kitchen and transferred the baby to Jessie, who had finished eating.
Then he went to their bedroom to join Lizzie in the shower, certain that some of the water on her face was from tears.
He put his arms around her and held on tight, wishing there was some magic wand he could wave to give her what she wanted so badly.
No words were exchanged as they held each other under the stream of hot water.
A short time later, they left the house in his car for a ride around the island.
The roads were busy that Sunday morning in August, but soon the island would be quiet again.
Jared was ready for that. He, who’d once thrived in the hustle and bustle of New York City, had grown to crave the peaceful quiet of off-season Gansett Island.
They ended up at the Chesterfield, the estate they’d bought and turned into a wedding venue that Lizzie ran. He’d insisted she hire help so she didn’t have to sacrifice every weekend all summer to the business.
“What’re we doing here?”
“I want to show you something.”
“Okay…”
She followed him inside where their dedicated team was preparing for the day’s wedding, which was set for two o’clock. Thankfully, they’d installed a generator when they’d done the renovations, or they’d have been forced to cancel.
“Thank God for the generator, huh?” Jared said.
“Seriously. Imagine having to tell a bride and groom that their big day is canceled due to a power failure.”
“I’d rather not have to think about that.”
He led her up the grand staircase and then up a smaller set of stairs to the third floor. He used a key in the door of the apartment that’d been vacant since his brother Quinn had moved in with Mallory.
“What’re we doing here, Jared?”
“Two things. One, I wanted to get you out of the house, and two, I wanted to remind you that this place is available. We can set up Jessie and the baby here with everything they need and let her live rent-free for as long as necessary.”
Lizzie took a seat on the navy sofa she’d chosen for the apartment. She’d seen to every detail of the renovation personally, turning the outdated estate into a showplace that had brides and grooms waiting up to eighteen months to get married there.
His wife was a sparkling gem, and her sadness wrecked him.
“I’m sorry I brought them home with me.”
He sat next to her. “Please don’t be sorry, sweetheart. I know you can’t help yourself when you see someone who needs help. I love you so much for that.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I thought I could do it, that it wouldn’t be any big deal. But you were right.”
After putting his arm around her, Jared kissed the top of her head. “I can’t bear to see you hurting.”
“I know, and you’ve been so great through all of this. I’ve been thinking it might be time to think about adoption. I’m not saying I’m giving up on having a baby, just that maybe we should explore other options, too.”
“What about surrogacy?”
“I wouldn’t rule that out.”
Jared breathed a sigh of relief, because this was the first time that she’d entertained the possibility of alternative paths to parenthood. Frankly, he wasn't sure if he could handle watching her go through another failed round of IVF.
“Tomorrow, we’ll see what’s involved with all of it and get the ball rolling.
” That was where he excelled—seeing a challenge and finding a way to address it.
The act of doing something—anything—to bring them closer to their dream of being parents would make them both feel better about their failure to conceive. He honestly believed that.
Brushing her hair aside, he placed a kiss on her neck in the place that always made her melt. This time was no different. “So we’ll move Jessie to the apartment?”
“In a day or two, when she’s feeling stronger.”
“That works for me.”