At Hidden Falls (Angel's Bay Novel) (34 page)

Charlotte hung up the phone, thrilled with the news Joe had just delivered. Annie was fine and was on her way home—thank God! The nightmare was over. She walked down the hall and opened the door to the baby’s room. He was fast asleep in his crib. “She’s coming back, sweetie,” she whispered. “Your mother is coming home.” As she said the words, she felt a little pang at the knowledge that things would change, that she would no longer be his primary caregiver. But that was silly. She had a career to get back to, and he needed Annie, not her.

The doorbell rang, and she ran down the hall to answer it. Expecting Annie or Joe, she was surprised to see Steve and Tory Baker. She knew in that instant what they were going to say, and she felt a jolt of disappointment that Steve had cheated on Tory. She’d thought he was a good man, but the way he’d treated Tory, Annie, and the baby was shameful. She noted his black eye and suspected that someone else had taken him to task for his behavior.

“I need to talk to you, Charlotte,” Steve said. “About the baby. Can we come in?”

“Of course. You have great timing. Joe just called and said that Annie is on her way home, and she’s fine.”

“Thank heavens,” Tory said with genuine relief. “What happened to her?”

“I don’t know any details, just that it had something to do with her father. Sit down.” She gestured toward the living-room couch.

“Where is the baby?” Tory asked, her gaze flying around the room.

“He’s asleep in the other room.”

“I’m sorry I got so upset the other day,” Tory said. “It was a shock to see the baby and realize . . .” Her voice trailed away. “Anyway, that’s not why we came here.”

Charlotte took a seat in the chair across from them. “Do you want to wait until Annie gets here?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Steve said heavily. “You might as well know now. I’m the father of the child.” He drew in a deep breath, as if he couldn’t believe he’d finally said it. “Annie was working for Myra’s cleaning service. She used to clean my office late at night after everyone went home. I ran into her one day, and we started talking. She was a sweet young girl who looked up to me. One night, things went farther than they should have.”

“You don’t have to tell me this,” Charlotte interrupted, seeing the pain in Tory’s eyes. “This is between you and Tory and Annie.”

“You’ve been taking care of the baby, and you have a right to know,” he said. “I should have confessed a long time ago, but Annie getting pregnant when Tory couldn’t seemed like the worst possible irony. I couldn’t bear the thought of telling Tory, so I didn’t. Annie said she would give the baby up. I thought it would be to someone who didn’t live in Angel’s Bay, but then Andrew started talking to everyone, and I knew that the adoption couldn’t go through without my signature.”

“So you cooked up a clever plan,” Charlotte said, unable to hide the snark in her voice. Steve Baker had taken advantage of a young, innocent girl; he didn’t deserve forgiveness. And he didn’t deserve Tory.

“I thought it was a win for everyone,” he explained. “Tory would get her baby. Annie could have her life back, and I could fulfill my fatherly responsibilities.”

“Don’t you want to see him?” Tory interrupted her husband. “We’ve been sitting here for several minutes, and you haven’t even asked how your son is or if you could see him.”

A pulse beat rapidly in his jaw. “I—I don’t know the right thing to do. What’s going to hurt you more, if I want to see my son or if I don’t?”

“Do you want to see him?” Charlotte asked. “He’s a beautiful little boy. I know, because I’ve been holding him and feeding him and comforting him while his mother was missing and his father wasn’t interested.”

Steve stared back at her. “I’ve wanted a kid as much as Tory has. But I wanted my son to be with her.” He turned his pleading gaze on his wife.

“Well, we don’t always get what we want,” Tory said sharply.

A clatter of voices and footsteps on the porch interrupted their conversation. Charlotte got up to open the door, Steve and Tory on her heels.

The first person she saw was an exhausted, weepy Annie. “Oh, honey,” she said, pulling her into her arms. “Thank God you’re all right.”

Annie hugged her back, so tightly Charlotte could feel every bone in her body. She didn’t see any signs of physical injury, but she suspected there were many emotional scars.

“My father took me off the street,” Annie said. “He told me that since the baby was born, he needed me to come home. I didn’t want to go, Charlotte, but he didn’t give me a choice. I was scared, and there was no one around.”

“You’re safe now,” Charlotte said, hugging her again. Over Annie’s shoulder, she could see Joe approaching the porch. Nick, Isabella, and a teenager she thought was Nick’s daughter were also there. She let Annie go and said, “I don’t know why you’re all here, but come in, please.”

As she stepped back to let the group enter, Annie’s gaze fell on Steve. Her jaw dropped, and she looked from Steve to Tory in panic.

“He told us he’s the father,” Charlotte cut in.

“You all know?” Annie asked in bemusement.

“Let’s all sit down,” Charlotte suggested.

As the others moved into the living room, Annie hesitated. “Can I see him?”

“Of course you can, honey,” Charlotte said immediately. “He’s been missing you like crazy.”

“I don’t know if he’ll recognize me now. I’ve been gone so long,” Annie said uncertainly. “I don’t want to scare him.”

“You couldn’t possibly do that. You’re his mother.”

“We were only together a couple of days.”

“You were together for nine months. He knows your scent, your voice, your touch. It’s going to be fine.” When Annie didn’t look convinced, she added, “Tell you what. You sit down in the living room, and I’ll bring him to you.”

Charlotte hurried down the hall. The baby was just waking up. He blinked at her, and his mouth moved into what she was sure was a smile. Her heart split in two. She was really going to miss mothering him. Even though they might continue living in the same house, depending on what decisions Annie made, it would be different now. But that’s the way it should be.

“Your mommy is back, little guy,” she said as she picked him up. His warm weight in her arms made her heart ache. “But you and I are going to be friends forever. Deal?” She pressed her lips to his forehead and inhaled the sweet scent of baby as she sniffed back a tear. This moment wasn’t about her.

She quickly changed his diaper and took him down the hall. The group was amazingly silent, considering all of the unanswered questions that had to be ringing through everyone’s mind. They were all waiting for her, for the baby, because he was what it was all about.

Annie was sitting in the armchair, and Charlotte put the baby in her arms. “I took really good care of him for you. But he’s been wanting you since the day you left.”

Tears ran down Annie’s cheeks as she stared at her son in wonder. “He’s so big now,” she murmured. The baby reached out and grabbed a strand of Annie’s long blond hair, twisting it with his tiny fingers. “Do you think he knows who I am?”

Charlotte met her questioning gaze. “Absolutely. He cried for hours after you disappeared. He was looking for you.”

Annie’s mouth trembled. “I should have fought harder to get away. I didn’t know what to do. My dad is so strong and so crazy, and I didn’t know what would happen if I didn’t go with him. I thought he might try to hurt the baby—but if he had me, then he’d leave the baby alone.”

Charlotte squatted down in front of her. “You protected him. That’s what mothers do.”

Annie looked past Charlotte to Steve and Tory. “I have to say I’m sorry,” she said, focusing on Tory. “For being with your husband,” she added courageously.

Tory gave a tight nod, as if she couldn’t trust herself to speak.

Annie looked at Steve. “Do you and your wife still want to adopt him?”

Shock turned to wariness on Steve’s face. “I—I don’t know. Tory?”

Tory stiffened, and Charlotte couldn’t imagine the pressure she was feeling. She might finally have the opportunity to raise a baby, but the child would always represent her husband’s infidelity.

Charlotte wasn’t sure she wanted Tory to say yes. Was it fair to put this innocent child in the middle of their embattled marriage? “Annie, you don’t have to do this now,” she said. “You’re exhausted. And everyone has a lot to think about.”

“Charlotte is right,” Tory said, her eyes filled with pain. “You need to think about what you want to do. And you need to talk to Steve about it.” She drew in a shaky but determined breath. “I would love to be a part of your child’s life, Annie, but you love him, and I think you want to be his mother.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be any good.”

“You will be,” Tory assured her. “Because you’re his mom. And I’m not.”

“You’re being so nice to me. I don’t deserve it,” Annie said.

Tory got to her feet. “Whatever happened in the past shouldn’t affect your son. Do what’s best for him, Annie. That’s all I ask of you. Because being a mother is a precious, precious gift. It doesn’t happen for everyone. Don’t throw it away unless you’re really sure that’s what you want.”

Charlotte fought back tears as Tory’s words reminded her of the baby she’d lost so long ago.

Tory walked over to the baby, touched his forehead with the tip of her fingers, and gazed down at his face for a long moment. Then she turned back to her husband and said, “You don’t deserve him. But you’d better do right by him now.”

The pulse in Steve’s jaw was beating in triple time as he stood up. “I will do what’s right,” he said, looking from his wife to Annie. “I’ll support you, Annie, and the baby. I should have stepped up a long time ago. But I’ll do better.”

Neither Annie nor Tory looked that inclined to believe him.

“You should go,” Tory told her husband. “I’ll get a ride home from Nick.”

“All right. If that’s what you want.”

After Steve left, Tory turned back to the group. “Now I want to hear what happened, Nick. I got your message last night that Megan had disappeared, and I spoke to Colleen, who said you were out looking for her. But how did you all come to be together? How did you find Annie?”

“Megan went up to Hidden Falls with some friends and ended up getting lost in the woods,” Nick said. “Isabella and I went searching for her, and we found her this morning. Megan had stumbled into the encampment that Annie’s father had set up. There was a bit of a struggle, but we took him down.”

“Isabella tackled him,” Megan put in.

“What?” Joe asked in anger and surprise. “What were you thinking, Izzy?”

“Nick and Megan needed my help. He pulled a gun on them,” Isabella said, “so I had to act. I hit him the way you taught me, Joe. Then Nick did the rest.”

“We were going to search that area later today,” Joe said. “I wish we’d gotten to you sooner, Annie.”

“Joe has been working nonstop on finding you,” Charlotte said. “We were all so worried about you. So what happened while you were with your dad?”

“Not much. We moved a couple of times. He said the enemy would be coming. I cried a lot, and he got mad and hit me a couple of times. He said it was for my own good. I told him I missed my baby.” Annie held the baby in her arms a little bit tighter. “He said I didn’t deserve a child, because of my sins. That the baby would be better off without me and that everyone here just wanted the baby, not me. I was so tired I got confused. I thought he might be right for a while. But deep down, I knew he wasn’t. He’s just a sick person who needs help.”

“We’re going to make sure he gets it,” Joe said quietly. “He served his country. It’s time his country served him. He’s at the hospital now. We need to make sure he’s not a danger to you or anyone else or even to himself.”

“I think your father tried to break into the house a couple of nights ago,” Charlotte said. “Did he tell you that?”

Annie nodded. “He said he would get my things so I’d understand that I was never going back. But he didn’t return with anything.”

“I scared him off,” Charlotte said. “I’m just so happy this is over and that you’re back.”

“We should get going,” Nick said. “Megan’s had a long night. Tory, are you ready?”

Tory started, her gaze still lingering on the baby. “Yes, I’m ready.”

“I am sorry,” Annie said again to Tory. “I didn’t want you to ever find out. You were really nice to me when we met, and I felt so guilty.”

“We all make mistakes,” Tory said with a generosity that Charlotte admired. “The important thing is to do the right thing now.”

“I’ll catch a ride with Joe,” Isabella said, exchanging a quick look with Nick.

Charlotte walked the others to the door. As Nick, Megan, and Tory left, she saw Andrew coming up the walkway. She instinctively pulled the front door shut behind her and met him on the porch.

“What’s going on?” he asked. “Has something happened?”

“Annie’s back. Nick and Isabella found her in the woods.”

“Praise the Lord. Is she all right?”

“She will be. Her father wanted her back with him once the baby was born. Nick and Isabella had to wrestle a gun away from him. Joe is going to make sure that he gets help and doesn’t get near Annie again.”

Andrew nodded. “That’s good. I’m really happy everything has worked out.”

He didn’t look all that happy, Charlotte thought, wondering if he was put out that he hadn’t had more to do with the resolution. But maybe she was reading him wrong.

“What about the adoption?” he asked.

“Steve Baker admitted to being the father. Annie obviously hasn’t had time to make any decisions, but I suspect she’s going to keep the baby. And Steve has promised to provide child support. I’m not sure his marriage to Tory will last, but maybe she’ll find a way to forgive him. She’s a very generous person.”

“As are you.” Andrew gave her a smile. “You went above and beyond the call of duty taking Annie in and mothering her child. You were good at it, too. I wonder if the experience will make you reconsider having your own children.”

She wasn’t quite ready to admit that. “We’ll see.”