Matchmakers Box Set: Matchmakers, Encore, Finding Hope (14 page)

She remembered the comment he’d made about adopting Carissa. Would Carissa really want that?

Every word she’d said about having and wanting a relationship with a mother was flooding through Sophia’s head.

They had a theme to paint their toenails OPI colors and watch movies. If she moved back, they could have it all. They could
be
a family. Carissa could still go to school and have a mother. She could be Carissa’s mother! David could keep traveling, and Carissa would have someone at home to take care of her.

She could still play. Her career as a professional cellist didn’t have to end. She’d traveled the world. Maybe it was time to settle down and play for the symphony or even a local orchestra. Maybe she could teach.

And she and David could finally be together.

Sophia dropped her fork to her plate, snapping her from her trance.

“Are you okay?” David reached for her hand.

She nodded. After all the years of heartache, it seemed too good to be true. She couldn’t tell him. Not yet. “I think I should get back and practice before we go to Mary Alice and Jeremy’s for dinner.”

They began their walk back to the house, hand in hand. Their route took them past Cherry Street, and Sophia knew David had guided her that direction on purpose.

When he headed toward the block with the house they had shared, she stopped on the corner.

“Don’t do this,” she pleaded.

“Do what?” David gathered her in his arms and pulled her close to him.

“My head is spinning with all the things going on in it. Do we really need to walk down memory lane? Literally?”

“I didn’t realize it would bother you.” His eyes were sad. She hadn’t meant to hurt him. But she’d barely had a chance to get used to the idea that they might be a family again. What if she was wrong? She didn’t want to build up his hopes for nothing.

“I’m sorry.” She took his hands in hers and took a cleansing breath. “I’ve already been down this street twice. It’s hard enough to see it, but to know it’s empty and…”

“What do you mean it’s empty?”

Her eyes shifted to his. He didn’t know.

“The house…it’s empty and for sale.”

The darkness in his eyes deepened. He’d said it himself—he wasn’t sure about the house they were building. Sophia knew the moment he had the thought that they could move back to Cherry Street.

“Let’s just go home.” She laced her arm though his.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

The word
home
echoed in the silence between them.

The moment they walked through the door of her grandmother’s house, Sophia went straight for the study while David raced up the stairs to his room two at a time.

She dug through her purse and searched for Sally’s card. She was sure she’d tucked it in there just in case she decided she might want to look at the house again.

Finally, she dumped the contents on the desk and frantically pawed through the items. She found the card tucked between the pages of her date book. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed.

“Good morning. This is Sally Foster.” The cheerful voice on the other end sent a bolt of panic racing through Sophia.

“Sally, this is Sophia Burkhalter, I met—”

“Sophia! Oh, my husband was so impressed when I told him I showed you a house the other day.”

“Well, thank you, but—”

“So, what did you think? It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, and I—”

“It’s very popular, too.”

“It is?” Sophia’s voice dipped.

“Well, yes. The people who looked at it the same day as you and your daughter…” Sophia bit back the correction. “They’ve been back twice, and I think they’ll make an offer. And I just got off the phone with another gentleman who says he’d like to see the house for him and his daughter. He’s lived in the neighborhood and would like to move back.” Sally’s voice was too chipper, and Sophia knew for sure that man was David.

“You’re showing him the house then?”

“Yes. I’m on my way over there right now, in fact. He seemed very anxious.”

“I’ll bet he did.” Sophia heard the front door slam. Her heart pounded in her chest. But what if David wasn’t the man Sally had spoken to? What if someone else bought that house…bought her and David’s home?

“Sally, I’ll be staying in the Kansas City area, and I’d like to buy the house.”

CHAPTER TEN

David stood outside the house he and Sophia had shared. The rose bushes he’d planted in front of the porch still held the blooms on them in the late summer heat. He smiled. He’d planted them on the anniversary of having the house for a year. Sophia had had a tree planted in the yard to honor her parents. It was much larger now, and in another ten years, it could hold a tree house. Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if together they could make it their home again, but this time with a family.

Carissa was young yet. She needed a family. She needed her father, and dammit, she needed a mother. Sophia was only thirty-six. She could still have children. The children she’d desperately wanted. They could adopt an entire houseful if she wanted. God, he wanted to give it all to her. He wanted to give the world to both of them.

A car pulled up behind him. Must be the real estate agent, he thought. He turned and waited for the driver to exit, but the warm smile that he’d held on his lips faded when Mandy slid out of the car. The muscles in the back of his neck knotted.

“What in the hell are you doing here?”

“I followed you from that old lady’s house.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Heat was rising in his cheeks, and his heart was racing. Just looking at the woman made him want to break something. He shoved his hands into his pockets and clenched them into fists.

Mandy stood silently for a moment behind the car door. She raised her chin.

David looked at her more closely. She’d cleaned up. He could see that she was clean and sober, but not healthy. Her blonde hair, pulled back in a ponytail, was dull. Her skin was pale, and her blue eyes were sunken. She looked sick, fragile, and old, but, for the first time, not strung out.

“Mandy, I asked you, what the hell…”

“David, I want to see my daughter.”

“
My
daughter. You gave her up,” he reminded her fiercely.

“I want to make sure she’s okay.”

“She’s fine.” His retort was short and quick. “What the hell—”

“I need you.” Her voice trembled.

“You left. You don’t need me. I don’t have anything to offer…”

She moved from behind the car door, revealing her swollen belly, and he felt his jaw drop open.

“Yes, I’m pregnant.” She ran her hands over her stomach.

He stood silently for a moment, trying to breathe through his anger. “Congratulations?” The word was snide and dripping in disdain for the woman before him.

“I need your help.”

“I’m not some stupid, twenty-two-year-old fool you can con with a baby. Go tell your story to whoever knocked you up this time.” He turned from her, hoping she’d get back in her car and drive away.

“David.” She reached for his arm. “I’m eight months pregnant. I’m much too far along for an abortion, and that wasn’t what I wanted anyway.”

“Oh, you wanted this baby because the father would support all your habits?”

“Dammit, David, listen! I’m dying. Having this baby will probably kill me.”

“Oh, and after all the stellar things you’ve done to me and Carissa, I’m supposed to believe you?”

“Yes.” She laid her hand on his chest.

“Mandy, I have things I need to do.” He watched as another car pulled up behind Mandy’s, and a professionally dressed blonde stepped from the car and headed his way.

“Mr. Kendal?” She reached out her hand.

“Yes.”

“I’m Sally Foster, and you must be Mr. Kendal’s fiancée?” She extended her hand and shook Mandy’s. “Oh, congratulations on your baby. This will be the perfect house for the two of you. Let’s go in, shall we?” She started up the steps.

David’s gaze darted to Mandy, whose eyes had widened.

“C’mon, darling, let’s go.” She seized David’s arm and followed Sally up the steps.

He clenched his jaw and shoved his other hand deeper in his pocket.

Sally walked them through the house, giving details as she’d been trained to do. Neither David nor Mandy told her they had lived in the house together years earlier.

“Now this room will be of interest to you both.” Sally smiled her glossy smile as she walked them to the nursery. David felt his heart slam into his chest. The pink walls and fairy murals made sweat surface on his brow. Sally talked around them, but David didn’t hear her.

“Well, I’ll let the two of you look around. I’ll wait for you out front.” She flashed her smile and left the room.

“Oh, David, the house is still so cute,” Mandy gushed. “I always did like this house. I never could see why you sold it. We should have...”

“What the hell, I repeat, what the hell are you doing here?” He spun toward her, looking her square in the eye.

“Why did she think I was your fiancée? She said that like she knew you had one, like she was expecting her to be here with you.”

“Mandy, it’s no business of yours.”

“It is…” she paused and crossed her arms atop her belly, “because I need to know all about it if you’re going to raise this baby!”

His eyes were wide as he looked at her in disbelief. He scrubbed his hands over his face and paced the room before finding the calm he needed in order to look at her again.

“I’m sure I didn’t hear you correctly. Did you say I was going to raise that baby?”

“That’s why I’m here.” She moved toward him, but stopped when he backed away from her. “David, I have a heart condition. They said that giving birth to this baby will kill me.”

“Women with heart conditions give birth all the time.”

“David, I’m different.” She ran her hand over her swollen belly. “I’m clean. I swear I’m clean, but all the years...well, my past is killing me. I couldn’t abort this baby. I didn’t want to. But I won’t live to see her.”

“Her?”

“Yes, it’s a little girl.” She smiled, but David turned from her, unable to look at her.

“Where’s her father?” He looked out the window at the familiar backyard he’d spent many weekends caring for.

“He doesn’t know about her. David, he was a married man that I had a brief affair with. I’m not proud, but now I’m going to have a baby that won’t have anyone when I die.”

David swallowed hard. “Why me? Why not give her up for adoption?”

“Because she’s half of Carissa, too.” The words were carefully chosen to pierce David’s heart, and they did just that. “Please, David, you’ve been such a wonderful father to Carissa. This baby needs a father.” She reached out to him and touched his arm. “I won’t be in the way. I’ll be dead.”

“And that’s supposed to give me comfort?”

She shrugged.

David stood, his eyes still diverted out the window. The air in the room was thick with tension and silence that stretched out for minutes. She’d used Carissa for leverage to get what she wanted before. When it came to Carissa, he’d do anything. And he knew her well enough to know that if she knew she had a sister, she’d want to be part of her life at any cost.

“And if I did this—” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “
If
…what channels would I have to go through?”

“I have you named in my will.”

He shook his head, realizing this must have always been her plan. “I’ll put you on the birth certificate as her father. Please, David, if you’re not part of this, she’ll fall into the wrong hands. I mean, you have to be part of this before she’s born. Because…” she said on a ragged breath and wiped at the tears that streamed from her eyes, “I’m going to be dead by the time she takes her first breath. David, I’m going to die.”

It was more than he could take seeing her cry and her voice shudder. She was baring her soul to him. Her fear was evident in her words and in her eyes. No matter how brave she was trying to be, she was scared of dying. This woman who’d made his life a hell for so many years had also given him Carissa. He gathered her in his arms and pulled her to him.

“David, please give it some thought.” She laughed, wiping her cheeks dry with her fingers. “Quickly.”

David put his hands on her shoulders and took a long, deep, cleansing breath. “I have to discuss this with Carissa.” Though he didn’t know how he’d bring it up to her. Even after saying it, he still wasn’t sure he believed he was considering it.

“Of course.”

“And Sophia,” he added.

“Sophia?” She straightened and pulled from his grip. “The woman downstairs thought I was your fiancée, but your fiancée is Sophia?”

“I’ve asked her.”

“I don’t want to know.” She stalked out of the room and started down the stairs.

“Mandy!” David ran down the front steps as she opened the door to her car.

“Forget I came. Forget I said anything. The state will get her. Maybe they’ll find a nice family for her.” Mandy was sobbing as she climbed into the car and sped away.

Sophia’s fingers were numb. She’d played for four hours, but it was all she could do to keep her mind focused on what lay ahead for her. After all, she’d told Sally Foster on the phone that she wanted the house and made an offer.

She’d done a lot of thinking as she’d practiced. She’d thought about David and his proposal. He’d asked her to wait to give him all of her answers. She’d wait, but she’d made up her mind. At least, she was sure she’d made up her mind. After too many years, she still wanted to be Mrs. David Kendal.

The back door slammed and feet pounded up the stairs. David was home. Sophia wiped down her cello and slid it into its case.

She looked at her watch. They still had hours until dinner at Mary Alice’s. No one else was around. Her pulse tripped. She wanted to be with David.

Slowly, she walked up the stairs. His door was closed. She could see the light from beneath it and could hear his footsteps. She tapped on the door. He didn’t answer right away. Then the door flung open, and he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her into the room, shutting the door behind her.