Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
S he twisted in her seat, glanced around the half-empty café, and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on her back. Then, she turned back around and gestured to the waitress, who wore a green-and-black uniform and had her dark hair tied up in a ponytail. With a smile, Charlotte ordered a latte with half-and-half milk and a shot of caramel syrup.
Once the waitress disappeared through the double doors of the café, Charlotte took her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts. She stopped at Addison’s name, and her fingers hovered there. It had been two days since the pregnancy test that changed everything, and ever since then, it had been a flurry of activity, including a series of blood tests ordered by Dr. Reese.
With her scan looming on the horizon, Charlotte was still struggling to wrap her head around it all.
A part of her hadn’t expected the procedure to work the first time around.
Another part of her was relieved to know everything was in working order.
You’re the one who wanted to make a change. Couldn’t get a cat or take up pottery or an art class or something, could you?
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t considered those options.
Thanks to Savannah, she’d spent days scouring the internet, but nothing had jumped out at her or sparked the slightest bit of interest. While Charlotte was terrified about what came next, she wanted to go back to being excited and embracing her decision with open arms.
Otherwise, it was going to be a long nine months.
Libby appeared across the street; a hand lifted to her eyes. She scanned the street and smiled when she saw Charlotte wave at her. Then, she joined the throngs of people coming out of the Falmouth Hospital Thrift Shop. At the entrance to Cape Code Bagel, Libby stopped to take her phone out and frowned at it.
Charlotte pushed her chair back and stood to hug her. “Hi, is everything okay? You look a little frazzled.”
Libby sank into the chair opposite her and ran a hand over her face. “Annie’s at home by herself, and I know I’ve left her by herself before, but this is different.”
Charlotte leaned sideways in her seat and gestured to the waitress. “How so?”
Libby tucked an errant lock of hair behind her ear. “I waited for her outside of school the other day. I know I shouldn’t have, but I just couldn’t help myself. I needed to know that she was okay.”
Oh, Libby. Oh, no.
Why hadn’t Libby called her?
Why hadn’t she tried to find another way?
In her experience, spying on kids Annie’s age never ended well, no matter the intentions, and she hated the thought that Libby had set herself up for failure.
Libby hadn’t just set herself up for it; she’d raced in, waving both arms.
But no matter how badly Charlotte felt for her, she knew she couldn’t tell Libby how badly she’d screwed up.
Not if she wanted to make her feel better.
Charlotte lifted the mug to her lips and took a sip. “So, what happened?”
“She went to the library, and when she came out, she was hugging this guy… He looked like an absolute creep, and when I followed him, he met up with other similar-looking creeps.” Libby’s lower lip trembled, and she buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as Charlotte pushed her chair closer and placed a hand on Libby’s lap. “I’m afraid she’s fallen in with the wrong crowd. The guy looks like he belongs to a gang or something. I don’t know what to do.”
Charlotte’s stomach clenched, and her heart dropped. “Annie is a good kid. I’m sure whatever this is, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Libby sniffed and dropped her hands. “What will I do if it isn’t?”
Charlotte frowned. “You’ll sit her down and talk to her. Have you tried getting her to tell you the truth?”
Libby ran a hand over her face. “Yeah, but it was no use. She won’t tell me a thing. I’m sorry I’m dumping all of this on you. I just didn’t know who else to talk to.”
Charlotte squeezed Libby’s hand. “Don’t apologize, please. I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to talk to me.”
Even if she had no idea how to help. Or where to start.
Charlotte was trying to wrap her head around the fact she was carrying a baby, so what did she know about a sullen and troubled teenager?
Other than dealing with them in the classroom, she didn’t have the first clue how the real world worked.
Or what kind of advice to give Libby to make her feel better.
All she could do was take comfort in the fact Annie had a loving and fiercely protective guardian who wanted to do right by her, and who would stop at nothing to keep her safe. At least Annie had that.
Instinctively, Charlotte’s hand went to her stomach, and she cupped it, thinking of how lucky the baby was.
With parents like Addison and Mason, the baby wasn’t going to want for anything.
You have nothing to worry about. It’s just Savannah getting inside your head; that’s all. You want this, remember? You did the research, and you took a few days to think about it.
“Honestly, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you.” Libby took a pack of tissues out of her purse and blew her nose. “You’ve made me feel like I’m not such a horrible guardian after all.”
Charlotte shook her head. “Not at all. You’re kind and wise, and you really care about Annie. What more could she possibly want?”
Libby crumpled up the tissue and reached for her mug. “Her own family. She’s got relatives out there, you know. An aunt who lives in Boston with her husband and kids. And I think her uncle’s wife is still alive…”
Charlotte’s chest tightened. “None of them wanted to help when her mom died?”
A shadow fell over Libby’s face. “They wouldn’t even take her in. Can you imagine? But I don’t want to bring it up with her because I know it’s a sensitive topic… I also don’t want her to feel like I’m cutting her off from them.”
Charlotte frowned. “What do you mean?”
Libby set her mug down on the table and blew out a breath. Her eyes darted around the café, taking in the rows of tables set up outside.
Then, she leaned sideways and cleared her throat. “I’ve been considering adoption. I love Annie, and I want to give her a stable home, but I…”
Charlotte reached for Libby’s hand and squeezed. “You don’t want her to feel trapped?”
Libby nodded a little too eagerly. “I want it to be something she wants. Although, at this point, I’m not even sure Annie knows what she wants. What if her family changes their mind, and they come looking for her?”
Charlotte paused, her mind racing to process all of the information. “Well, Annie can decide then if she wants them in her life, and if she doesn’t want to be adopted by you, she’ll tell you.”
Libby shrank, and her eyes fell. “That’s what I’m afraid of. When I took her in, I didn’t know what to expect. Half the time, I’m terrified I’m doing an awful job, but the other half, I just want to take her into my arms and hold her there. It kills me that Annie has no idea how much she means to me.”
Charlotte didn’t realize she was crying until one of her tears fell into the coffee. She blinked, leaned back, and took the packet of tissues from Libby’s outstretched hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cry. I just…”
She felt overwhelmed with emotion at Libby’s words and the kind of impact they were having on her. While she had no idea whether Libby would be able to adopt Annie, she did know the sullen and sad teenager was lucky to have someone like Libby in her life. Incredibly lucky.
Annie’s life was far from normal, and it wasn’t fair that everything had been ripped away from her, but at least she still had someone there, looking out for her.
In that moment, Libby reminded her so much of her own mom that Charlotte felt a renewed sense of appreciation for Emily.
She threw her arms around Libby and pulled her in for an awkward yet warm hug.
Libby patted her back, and her face was red when she pulled away. “Are you okay?”
Charlotte blew away an errant lock of hair. “I’m sorry. My emotions are all over the place ever since…you know.”
Libby’s lips lifted into a gentle smile. She patted Charlotte’s hands. “I understand. I remember it being overwhelming.”
Charlotte blinked back tears. “I don’t mean to bring up painful memories for you.”
Libby frowned and pushed her chair closer. “This is meant to be a happy time for you, Charlotte. You don’t have to apologize.”
Charlotte blew out a shaky breath. “I know it’s meant to be this special time or whatever, but it doesn’t feel that way. I just have this pit in the center of my stomach, like things are going to go wrong.”
And she couldn’t shake the feeling she was always going to be one step behind.
“Savannah—my sister—she told me I was crazy, that I’d never even been in a committed relationship, like that somehow means I can’t carry a baby. But personally, I think it has nothing to do with it, or at least I thought I didn’t, but now…now that it’s real…”
“You’re doubting whether or not you made the right decision?”
Charlotte leaned back in her chair, and her stomach tightened. “When I first thought of doing this, it was because I wanted to do something different, something that would give my life meaning, and then I realized, what better way to do that than to help out a good friend?”
Libby gestured to the waitress and ordered two bagels. “I think that’s as good a reason as any. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help a friend.”
Charlotte glanced around and then lowered her voice. “Yeah, I don’t know… and then there’s the whole Patrick thing. We only had that one disastrous date, but what if things end up going well? How is he going to fit into all of this?”
Would he even fit anywhere, or was she going to have to give him up?
Sweat broke out across the back of her neck and face at the mere thought.
Libby pursed her lips. “I think you should take it one day at a time. If things get serious with Patrick, you’ll have to talk to him then. As for your sister, I think she’s just being protective and a little too logical about all of this. You can’t expect her to understand where you’re coming from.”
When Libby’s phone rang, slicing through the air, she rose to her feet. With a frown, she wandered away and pressed the phone to her ear. A short while later, she returned to the table, pulled out her wallet, and handed Charlotte a few bills. Charlotte waved her away and gave her a quick hug.
Libby covered the phone with her hand. “I’m so sorry. Annie needs me at home. Something about being stuck in the bathroom. We’ll reschedule.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Charlotte sat back down and watched her leave. She was finishing up her latte when she spotted her mom’s cousin, Angie, across the street. Angie worked as a chef at the Herring Cove Inn with her mother and often bragged about how much she loved the single life. Charlotte always wondered if she was trying too hard to hide her real feelings.
Before she could dwell on it further, Angie crossed the street, spotted her, and ran over. Angie looped her arm through Charlotte’s, and the two of them walked to Decadent Treats with the warmth of the sun on their backs.
Angie kept up a steady stream of conversation, which reminded Charlotte of all the things she’d have to give up because of the pregnancy.
All semblance of her old life was going to drift away until it vanished altogether.
But Charlotte wanted to believe it was all going to be worth seeing the smile on Addison’s face and knowing she had put it there.
It had to be.