Chapter 9
ABBY
Abby tried to steady her trembling fingers as she refilled Piper’s coffee, ignoring her erratic pulse.
Deep breath. Don’t let her get to you .
She inhaled the earthy steam tendrils curling from the cup, willing her tense muscles to relax.
Miraculously, she filled the mug to the brim without spilling a single drop.
“Thanks,” Piper said stiffly, barely glancing up from the newspaper, as if she’d rather be eating breakfast in a rabid lion’s den than Abby’s dining room.
From the moment Piper and her son sat down to eat that morning, she’d appeared painfully uncomfortable. Abby refrained from reminding the woman she was free to leave anytime she wanted.
“These are really good waffles.” Tyler beamed at her from across the dining room table, oblivious to the sticky maple syrup dripping down his chin.
“I’m so glad you like them.” Abby smiled. She’d made her special Celebration Waffles—so dubbed thanks to the healthy dose of rainbow sprinkles—especially for Tyler. Piper might be a bane, but her son couldn’t be sweeter. How could such a lovely child be the product of such a miserable woman?
“They’re my favorite breakfast food,” Max told Tyler between bites of crispy bacon. “And her Monte Cristo Casserole.”
“What’s that?” Tyler asked.
“It’s like a ham and cheese sandwich and French toast all mushed together.” Tyler looked dubious at his description, so Max added, “It’s really good,” with an air of confidence.
Hiding another smile, Abby rounded the table to top off their orange juices.
Content to take his word for it, Tyler went back to his waffle. He’d flooded each divot with syrup, then topped them with a strawberry slice, exactly like Max. From the moment the boys met, Tyler had taken to Max, as if he craved the attention of another child. In fact, Max didn’t usually dine with the guests, but Tyler had begged for Max to join them. Perhaps against her better judgment, Abby had agreed. To his credit, despite Tyler’s tendency to follow him around like an adoring puppy, Max didn’t seem to mind.
“I get to help cook sometimes,” Max said proudly. “I make really good scrambled eggs, right, Abby?”
“The best.” She affectionately ruffled his shaggy brown hair, ignoring the sharp pang of longing that afflicted her heart whenever Max said her name. It was too soon for him to call her Mom. She knew that. It could take years for Max to reach that comfort level. If he ever did. She knew these things took time. It was normal. Healthy, even. A truth her brain readily accepted, but her heart couldn’t seem to grasp.
Piper shot a quick, curious glance across the table, and Abby realized the woman probably knew as little about her personal life as she knew about hers.
To an outsider, she, Logan, and Max looked like the perfect, uncomplicated family. Logan, the doting husband. Max, the adorable son. Abby, the happy homemaker. They ran a successful business, had a beautiful home, and were surrounded by supportive friends. On the outside, they had it all.
No one knew Abby lay awake most nights, wondering if the boy she’d come to love like a son would one day be ripped from her arms. Or if she had a future with the man who’d stolen her heart while he’d gently mended the broken pieces.
She’d thought maybe Logan had been about to propose yesterday. He’d been so keen for her to open the sugar bowl. And if nervous energy could create electricity, he could’ve powered all of Blessings Bay. In that moment, the joy of anticipation had washed over her, bathing her in pure, unbridled bliss.
Then Piper arrived, blowing up her past and her present.
Instead of celebrating an engagement, she’d spent the morning making phone calls to DNA laboratories and military medical offices, fighting tears as she explained the need for a paternity test. Mortification, grief, and uncertainty had become her constant companions, taking turns as the predominant emotion. She’d barely slept or eaten, concentrating solely on making it through this nightmare, back to the way things used to be before Piper ruined everything.
If Logan had been about to propose, he would try again, wouldn’t he?
She pulled a dishrag from the front pocket of her apron and wiped the dribble of syrup oozing down the crystal dispenser. Would she even want Logan to propose right now, in the midst of this mess?
She cast a sideways glance at Piper, bent over the Blessings Bay Gazette , sipping coffee in between nibbles of buttered toast. A tight coil of resentment wound around Abby’s heart. Did Piper have any idea what she’d done? How many lives she’d impacted? Did she even care?
Piper’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at the screen, and her face immediately paled. “I’ll be right back.” She snatched her cell and abandoned her breakfast, rushing from the room with unsettling swiftness.
Abby’s mind raced with possibilities. Could someone close to Piper be in the hospital and the doctor called with an update? Or maybe Piper herself was unwell and waiting on test results? At the thought, unwanted compassion overshadowed her resentment.
Abby pushed all sympathy-inducing hypothetical scenarios out of her mind. She did not want to feel sorry for this woman.
She sat with the boys while they finished breakfast, waiting for Piper to return. What was taking her so long?
“Can I go to school with Max today?” Tyler asked.
“I don’t think so, sweetheart,” Abby said, her gaze still glued on the door. “You’re not enrolled. And you’re in different grades, so you wouldn’t be in the same class, anyway.”
“I’m in kindergarten. But Mom says I get to have summer break early. She says we’re going on an ad-ven-ture.” He puffed up his chest, proud of himself for enunciating such a big word.
“How fun. And what do you think of your adventure so far?”
“It’s okay.” Tyler shrugged, then grinned at Max. “I like this part the best.”
Abby smiled for Tyler’s benefit, not wanting him to feel unwelcome, despite the pain their presence had caused.
She glanced at the clock. Max would need to leave for school soon. Where was Piper? Abby stood and strode toward the door. Cracking it open, she poked her head into the hallway.
Piper hovered against the wall, hunched over her phone. “I need more time.” Her hushed tone made Abby’s pulse spike. What was she talking about?
“Give me a few more days. Please.” Piper’s plea cracked with desperation, and an icy chill slipped down Abby’s spine. Why did she need more time? What was going on?
Max’s and Tyler’s gleeful chatter carried through the open door, and Piper turned, eyes wide.
Abby whipped backward and yanked the handle.
The door swung shut.
Had Piper seen her?
Her heart raced.
She hadn’t intended to eavesdrop. But from Piper’s panicked expression, she’d overheard something she shouldn’t have.
Only, she had no idea what the cryptic conversation meant.