Meant to Be (RightMatch.com Trilogy) (18 page)

“I finished medical school in May. I spent an extra six months there because I had to take a leave of absence for a while.”

“Did you have complications with the delivery I didn’t know about?”

“No, the respite was for mental distress.”

He waited.

“I had bad post-partum depression.”

“I’m sorry.” He had to hang on here, be calm and cool so she wouldn’t really think she could get Ellie. “That’s not uncommon though, is it?”

She gripped the mug she held like a lifeline. “It’s not uncommon, but the malady can be debilitating. Especially when you don’t even have a baby to show for it.”

Because she seemed fragile, and despite how he was churning inside, he had to be kind to the woman who’d born his daughter. “Jo, you didn’t want her.”

“I know. And I tried to keep my word. I just never got over the depression. I went into therapy and started taking an antidepressant, but I was never the same again.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

She tossed back her head in a gesture she’d affected in the past when she was trying to be strong. “I’m not going to be a doctor. I’m finishing up the requirements to be a Physician’s Assistant. I only have the test to take.”

“Wow.” It was all he could think of to say.

“And…” She lifted her hand where a diamond sparkled from her fourth finger. “I’m engaged. To a great guy. He and my therapist are the ones who convinced me to come and see you.”

Now, a vise gripped his heart. “Johanna, you signed a legal and binding document giving up all rights to Ellie.”

She bit her lip. “I know. But Bob and I consulted an attorney. He thinks we can get the legalities reversed by claiming I was under duress with the pregnancy and the responsibility of med school.”

Stunned, Cole asked,
“Do you honestly think I’d give her back to you?”

“I guess I thought maybe you’d be tired of her.”

Could she know him so little? What had he been doing with a woman who had no idea who he was? “You thought wrong, then. Ellie’s the center of my life and I’ll do anything to keep her.”

Again the raised chin. “And I’ll do anything I can to get her back.”

There had to be a way out of this. Cole had always been good at getting what he wanted. “Look, Johanna, how do you even know you want her now? How do you know you’re not just feeling guilty?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m sure of one thing. I can never be happy without her.”

Think, Cole, think.
He remembered when they’d entered into the agreement, he’d gone to see Spence. His oldest brother knew the best attorney in the city for family law and Cole had hired him. Marcus Ingles had dug up several court cases where the parents who signed their rights away could
not
get the baby back.

“I know you think you have legal grounds to stand on, but so do I.” He told her about the opposition research he’d done.

“I’m aware of that. I still think I can get her back.
My
attorney thinks so, too.” Cole’s heart went cold this time. “Ellie doesn’t know you. She’s outgoing and friendly, but it would be a terrible blow for her to lose the only constant in her life.”

“I can make up for it.”

“Think of Ellie’s best interests.”

“I did that already and it didn’t work out for me.”

“Parents sacrifice for their child.”

“Then give her to me.”

Maybe there was some compromise to be made here. “Why didn’t you ask for visitation rights instead, Johanna? That would be more logical.”

“Bob lives in Ohio. I’m getting a job there. I need her with me.”

Cole stood. “Well, you can’t have her. I’ll never, ever let her go.”

Without looking back, Cole strode out of the restaurant. Not once in his life had he been this close to hysteria. Wild things raced through his head: taking Ellie and fleeing to South America, hiring a hit man on Johanna, trying to pay the boyfriend off.

When he got to his car, he drove out of the parking lot but didn’t even go a block before he had to stop. He pulled into an empty church lot, went to the farthest side, which was deserted, and turned off the engine.

Then Cole put his head down onto the wheel and wept.

Chapter 13

The day after the christening, Beth entered Second Chances with a light heart. She was getting married in two weeks and she couldn’t be happier. Everything seemed to be going right for the first time since Peter had died. He would have been glad she’d found joy again.

“Hey there, girlfriend,” the manager, Carolyn, called out from her office. “You definitely look up. Come in and spill. I have a whole ten minutes free before another meeting.”

Beth hadn’t told anyone here about her involvement with Cole, though she’d been tempted to confide in Carolyn, whom she considered a friend. But she’d been skittish because, if she was honest with herself, she’d been afraid their relationship might not work out. There was so much turmoil initially. Thank God that was over. “Sure, I’m about ten minutes early for hotline, too.”

“What’s that you have there?” Carolyn nodded to the Tupperware container she held. “Smells heavenly.”

“I baked for the staff. There’s enough for the residents, too.” She opened the box, revealing luscious brownies covered with chocolate chips. “They’re sinful.” She set them on Carolyn’s desk. “Have one.”

“Join me.”

“Why not?”

Taking one, Beth bit into it, and the taste of the creamy treat filled Beth’s senses. “Yummy!”

“So, are we celebrating something with these?”

“In a sense.”

Carolyn eyed her. “I’ve had a feeling something was going on with you the past couple of months, but you didn’t say anything and I didn’t want to pry.”

Beth blurted out, “I’m getting married, Carolyn, in two weeks.”

“Holy shit! This is a big deal.”

“It is.” Briefly, she filled Carolyn in on her whirlwind romance with Cole.

“I’m glad this worked out for you. I hate those sites in general, because they’re rife with domestic violence. We get several calls a week from women who met their abusers online.”

“Really? I’ve never gotten a call like that in the years I’ve worked here.” She wondered if she
had
received any, would she have passed up on the chance to meet Cole.

“Lucky you. Predators’ favorite hunting ground is women looking for Mr. Right.”

Beth frowned. “Cole’s had a bad experience with a predator on his site. I think it’s been addressed, though.”

“I’m happy for you, Beth. You’ve always had this pervasive sadness about you. Not now, though.”

Beth studied her friend. “You seem sad—or tired—today, Carolyn. What’s going on with you?”

“I had a meeting early this morning with the town council. They’re making serious cutbacks in their funding, across the board. Basically, Second Chances might not be able to afford the rent on this place after the first of the year.”

“Oh, no. That’s terrible.”

“Money’s always a problem. I just never thought…” She glanced out the window and shook her head. “I dedicated my entire adult life to this place. I can’t imagine losing it.”

“I’m sorry. Are there any private funds available?”

Carolyn focused on her again. “Not a lot. You don’t know any millionaires looking for tax deductions, do you?”

Beth thought of Cole’s brother, Spence. “Do venture capitalist firms ever make contributions?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

“Cole’s brother is a hotshot businessman in Rockland. Maybe I can ask him about funding.”

“No offense, but those guys are usually sharks out to make money, not give it away.”

“Spence is a nice guy, too. Cole said his firm has a fundraiser for ALS every year because his stepdad died of the disease. I think it’s worth a try to ask.”

“Go for it, even if it’s a long shot. We need a miracle here.”

Beth smiled to herself. Miracles abounded these days, Cole had told her when he’d discussed his family. Maybe Second Chances could catch some of the fairy dust.

o0o

The day after the christening, Cole stared over at Marcus Ingles, terrified of what the man might say. He liked and trusted the guy who’d taken care of the paperwork for Ellie, but Cole couldn’t see clearly enough this morning to keep his anxiety from getting in the way. He wished like hell Beth was with him, or even one of his brothers, but he hadn’t told a soul about Johanna’s demands. He still couldn’t believe what had happened and voicing his concerns seemed to make the threat more real. Besides, Beth had come to care for Ellie and he didn’t want to worry her.

I can’t imagine my life without her now.

What if she canceled the wedding because he lost his daughter?

“Cole, did you hear me?” Marcus frowned, probably at Cole’s distraction. “There’s a slim-to-none chance that Johanna Carlson will be able to take Ellie away from you completely.”

“Completely?”

“The law is vague on whether she’ll be able to get visitation or partial custody.”

“Oh, God. I could lose Ellie for big chunks of time?” That couldn’t happen, either. It just couldn’t. He tried to tell himself he should be soothed by the gist of Marcus’s words, but he couldn’t believe it.

“It’s a
possibility
. I’ll let you see for yourself.” He pressed a button on the computer off to his right and a printer spat out some paper. Handing the sheaf to him, Marcus said, “This is the wording of the New York State law. Read it, then we’ll talk.”

The paper trembled in Cole’s hand as he read the statute. The first sentence knifed him in the gut. “It says restoration of parental rights could happen if committing custody of the child was based on mental illness.” He swallowed hard. “Her attorney must have shown her this. She’s contending that pregnancy and med school constituted mental illness.”

“Well, that would be difficult to prove. Med school and pregnancy do not induce mental illness.”

“Even if they caused the distress?”

“It would be very hard to prove, Cole.”

That made him feel better. Until he read the
discretion of the courts
section. The judge had three choices: to grant the petition, modify the original order or dismiss the petition from Johanna altogether. Another stipulation was the court could make modifications for six months, then determine final judgment later. He looked up at Marcus. “This looks pretty risky to me.”

“The key words in that document are
what’s in the best interest of the child.
Now, objectively, tell me if any judge is going to decide Johanna’s the better parent than you, that it would be healthy for Ellie to never see you again.”

He buried his hands in his face at the stark words. “Oh, God.”

Marcus rose, circled the desk and leaned against its edge. “Cole, I’ve never seen you like this. In the initial contact we had, you were confident in making a monumental decision. Now you’re, frankly, a wreck.”

“I was
getting
Ellie, then. Now I might lose her.”

“No. It’s my professional opinion that you might have to share her, and that isn’t even a given, unless you agreed. Especially if Johanna’s living in another state.”

Still Cole wasn’t convinced. His heart felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. South America, hit men and bribery were sounding better by the minute.

o0o

Beth got a chance to talk to Spence about funding for the shelter a few days after she’d spoken to Carolyn. She’d called and asked to meet him—without Cole—because she wanted to handle this on her own. He chose a spot for lunch in downtown Rockland.

He was handsome and suave as he approached her table at the Park Pub. The brothers resembled each other, but Spence emanated a polished veneer Cole didn’t possess. He surprised her by leaning over and kissing her cheek. “Hi, Beth.”

“Spence. Thanks for meeting me.”

He sat and zeroed in on her. “Could you tell me right away if this is about Cole? He’s been acting strangely the last few days and I’m worried.”

“No, it’s not, but I’ve had the same vibe from him and asked him about his mood directly. He says nothing’s wrong and that he still wants to marry me, so I’m at a loss.”

Spence laughed heartily. “He’s dying to marry you. It’s got to be something else.”

For the first time since the initial lies that Cole had told her, Beth felt uncomfortable. “I hope he’s not keeping anything from me again.”

“I doubt that, Beth. I think he learned his lesson the first go-around. Joe and I beat him up pretty bad about it.”

She did a double take.

“Figuratively, of course.” He smiled. “So, if this doesn’t concern my brother, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“I’m sure Cole never told you this, but I volunteer at a domestic violence shelter in Honey Lake three times a week.”

Spence rolled his eyes. “Other than intimate details of your relationship, Beth, I probably know everything about you. Cole never shuts up singing your praises. So, yes, I know that.”

“The shelter is in danger of losing their financing. I’d hate to see it close for lack of funds. They do such good work and we’re the only shelter out that way. We often take the overflow from the Rockland shelter, too.”

“Hey, you don’t have to convince me. I think men who batter women should be shot.”

“I’m not quite asking for that. But Cole told me your business has a charitable foundation and one of your causes is ALS. Which I think is wonderful of you to do for Joe. I’m wondering, I guess, if there’s any way you can help raise money for Second Chances.”

“It’s a possibility. Let’s order and you can tell me the details.”

Over chicken Caesar salads, she gave him a rundown on the problems Carolyn had related to her. Spence listened carefully and took a few notes. After she finished, he said, “Tell you what. I’ll contact Carolyn, meet with her and bring it to our board. Then it’s a group decision.” He winked at her. “But I can tell you, I’m a pretty influential member, and we do have money.”

She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “Thanks so much, Spence. I truly appreciate it.”

He squeezed back. “You’re family now, Beth, or will be in a week or two. We use our resources to help each other.”