The Good Enough Husband (29 page)

“I’m listening, Hannah.” He
was
listening. He was
listening
.

She didn’t want him to hang up. They were building a conne
ction slowly, step by step. She was sure of it. “The record company pays nine cents for every copy of the song sold on an album or CD, or whatever. Then, a producer or promoter pays when the song is performed. Now there’s money for downloading on iTunes and other sites, but none of that existed when we were teenagers.”

“So if you sell a million albums…”

“Then you get about ninety thousand dollars.”

“Jesus. How many sold?”

“I think about ten million copies.”

Ben did a quick calculation in his head. “That’s almost a mi
llion dollars.”

“Thereabouts.”

“Did your dad give you the money?”

“As a teenager? You’ve got to be kidding me. I got nothing. It was one thing he and Mor could agree upon. He bought an apar
tment that we co-own. We also share the royalty payments.”

“Mor?” he asked.

“My mom. It’s the Danish word for mother.”

“Have you sold any other songs?” He was curious, interested. Like in the beginning.

“A few, though nothing as popular as that.”

“Like what? Have I heard them?”

Hannah named one or two others he might have heard of.

“Jesus.” His voice held incredulity. “Why did you stop writing? You seem to have a knack for it.”

“Michael didn’t think the music business was compatible with a family.”

He hated hearing that name. It twisted his gut almost as much as Marty did. But Hannah’s past would never go away. It would always be right there staring him in the face.

“I have to go now, Hannah.” He placed the phone back in the cradle.

***

“When will your divorce from Michael be final?”

“After the baby is born.” Ben’s sigh carried over North Amer
ica, the Atlantic, Northern Europe, but she felt almost like his breath was there on her cheek, whooshing past her ear. “You of all people know there’s a six month waiting period in California. And my lawyer tells me that no court will grant a divorce to a pregnant woman.”

“Is the baby mine?”

“Yes, Ben.”

“Has your husband agreed to relinquish parental rights?”

“I haven’t talked to Michael since New York.”

The hope burgeoning in Hannah’s heart bubbled over. “Does that mean you’ll take me back? That we can all be one family?”

“I’m not there, Hannah. But you’re probably having my baby, and that’s not a lifelong commitment I’m willing to share.”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Goodbye, Hannah.”

***

It was three long days before Michael answered any of her calls.

“What do you want? I thought we’d agreed to talk through lawyers. Are you stalking
me
now?”

“We don’t need to spend seven hundred dollars to have this conversation. What I have to ask you is personal.”

“Go on.”

Her heart sped up, and a sick feeling started low in her belly. She used her spare hand to rub at the sweat on her upper lip. “Will you give up paternal rights?” In the silence, she could hear faint noise in the background. Michael sounded like he was on the patio in their, no his, backyard. “Michael?”

“So this is it, then? Five years, and poof, it’s over.”

“It’s been over for a long time, Michael.”

“A couple of months isn’t a long time, Hannah.”

“I left in September.”

“But you didn’t tell me you were
leaving
, remember? Excuse me for needing a moment to catch up.”

Hannah took a deep breath. This was quickly going to devolve into another argument if she didn’t nip it, now. “Are you willing to give up your parental rights before the baby is born? Grady says it’ll get us divorced after the six month mark, rather than waiting until July.”

“And you can’t wait to get me out of your life, can you Hannah?”

“I need to be divorced from you, Michael. We need to stop hurting each other. There’s no other way.”

“Is he going to step up to the plate? Be a father to your kid, no matter what?”

“I think so.”

***

Hannah Keesling’s name and a nine-four-nine number lit up on the little green screen. Cursing himself, Ben picked up before the second ring could finish.

“You’re back in California?” he said in lieu of greeting.

“This is Michael Keesling, Hannah’s husband.” Ben’s hand balled up involuntarily, while a similar ball of anger settled into his gut. He looked at his hand and relaxed it. What was he angry about? Michael had probably been as much of a victim as he’d been. Could he blame the guy for going a little nuts when his wife waltzed off? “Are you there?”

He unclenched his jaw to answer. “Yes, I’m here.”

“Hannah called me.” Ben was silent again. Once Michael re
alized there wasn’t going to be much back and forth, he continued. “She wants me to relinquish any parental rights I may have to her unborn child.”

Michael had said her, and not our. “Is the baby yours?”

Long pause. “No. There’s really no chance of that. I’m sure Hannah’s told you all about that.”

A tiny prick of joy burst through Ben. He chastised himself s
ilently for the uncharitable delight he’d briefly taken in another man’s tragedy.

“She didn’t give me any details.”

Michael laughed ruefully. “She’s like the blood-brain barrier, little passes through. I’ve loved Hannah a long time, longer than you’ve known her.” His sigh was long and exasperated. “Despite all that, she chose you. I’m not going to let her child be raised without a father, no matter what happens. So I’ll give up my right to custody to this baby, but only if you’re going to step up to the plate.” An ultimatum, from her husband. This had to beat all. “You’re very silent, Ben Cooper. Are you going to man up, or what?”

“I…” he faltered.

“If you don’t love her enough, say it. She’s an easy woman to love, but a hard woman to live with. I know. She has a lot of flaws. She’s judgmental, and obviously unfaithful. I’m willing to forgive all of that. I’m going to be a father to her child. And I’ll fight like hell to stay her husband if you can’t do this. I have Hannah, and all the time in the world. So you let me know what you decide.”

Michael hung up before Ben could answer. Not that he did a
nswer, or would answer, or knew what to say. But he did know one thing. Michael was an asshole. How could he say those things about Hannah? She had a lot of flaws? She was hard to live with? Other than her being unfaithful, which wasn’t so much of a flaw, but a blunder, she was damn near perfect, or damn near perfect for him. She was warm, and funny, and beautiful, and as easy as hell to have in his house and his bed. “Fuck.” Cody’s head rose. Had he said any of that aloud?

The phone rang in his hand. He placed it down, staring at it while he shook his head from side to side. Ben didn’t need a repeat
performance with stalker Michael. He looked up when Hannah’s voice poured through the machine in the next room.

“Hi, Ben, it’s Hannah. I guess you’re out now. I called M
ichael. Okay, I’ll try again later.”

Ben strode into the only cell phone store in Garberville, as soon as it opened the next morning. He picked up the first phone he saw on the display pedestal, plunked down his credit card, and signed away two years of his life. He didn’t want to miss another call from Hannah. If she had an emergency or needed to share som
ething about her pregnancy, now she could reach him anytime. The whole trip from his office and back only put his patient schedule behind fifteen minutes.

He poked his head into the lobby of the vet clinic to see how long the line was. Grateful that it was empty, he dialed the string of numbers Hannah had given him in December. Her “hello” was tentative. She sounded like she was in a restaurant. He looked at his watch. It was nine o’clock there, so it was probably a safe guess. He remembered that Europeans tended to eat dinner late.

“It’s Ben,” he said. “I wanted to give you my new number.”

“New?”

“Are you at a restaurant?”

“Hold on,” Hannah said. “I’m out with some of my cousins. I’ve been here two hours and will probably be here two hours more. You have a cell phone?”

“In case you have an emergency.”

“I’m in Denmark.”

“Call me if anything happens with you or the baby.”

“Oh, okay. I have to go back.”

“Goodbye, Hannah.”

***

“Do you want me to stay for her visit?”

“No, Mor, you have work to do. I can do it on my own.” This was something Hannah felt she should do without her mother.

An hour later, the buzzer sounded and Hannah let up a gray-haired woman. The midwife carried a large tote, which she laid in the foyer.

“Would you like coffee or tea?” she asked the woman in D
anish, after introducing herself.

“Tea. Thank you. And I’m Adalena Erichsen.”

While they waited for the kettle, Hannah and Adalena sat at the kitchen table, exchanging pleasantries.

“How are you feeling? You seem big for twelve weeks.”

“I’m very tired. Mor says it will get better in a few weeks. But it’s all I can do to get up, bathe, and eat before I want to lie down again.”

Adalena nodded as if she’d heard it all before.

“Where is the father? You are American? Is he there or here in Denmark?”

“He’s in America…in California,” Hannah clarified, anchoring Ben in a country over two hundred times bigger than Denmark.

“It’s warmer there this time of year,” Adalena said, making small talk. Hannah made tea while the midwife took her medical history, ticking boxes on a paper file. “Were you on any medication during the last year?”

“My doctor prescribed Ambien. I couldn’t sleep.” She gazed out the kitchen window above the wood stove. “I was also taking Clomid.”

“You were having problems conceiving?”

“No, as it turns out. My…former husband was infertile. But in the U.S. drugs are given as a first resort.”

“I’m confused. Your baby’s father is not your husband.”

“No.” Her tone discouraged further discussion.

“Where would you like to do the examination?” Even on this cloudy day light poured through the large windows. “This is a very bright flat, we could do it anywhere you feel comfortable.”

Hannah escorted the midwife to the large bedroom she’d been using. The midwife took a small plastic machine from her bag—the parts attached by what looked like an old-fashioned telephone cord.

“I’m going to do a quick pelvic exam, a breast exam, and listen to the heartbeat, okay?”

Hannah nodded and took off her sweat pants. The pelvic exam was quick and painless. “That didn’t hurt at all.”

“Pelvic exams should never hurt, dear. It’s a matter of knowledge and patience. Lift your shirt, please.”

Hannah complied, acquiescing to the palpitation. “You will have no problem nursing. Your breasts are built for suckling babies with these large nipples.”

“Um, thanks.” Hannah pulled down her shirt over her breasts, embarrassed at Adeline’s frankness. After warming the lotion in her hands, Adalena smoothed the gel on her belly. Then she pressed what looked like a microphone to her belly and held the speaker side to her ear. Hannah heard what sounded like whale calls from a nature documentary. “Hmmm. I’m going to change the batteries.” She rummaged around in her tote and exchanged one nine volt battery for another.

“What is this called?”

“It is a Doppler fetal heart monitor. I am trying to hear the heartbeat of the baby, count the beats per minute, make sure he or she is healthy. Quiet please for a moment, while I try this again.” This examination took longer than the other two. After more than ten minutes of listening, applying more gel, and moving the microphone around and around, she finally looked up at Hannah.

“There are two heartbeats. You are having two babies—twins.”

“Oh,” Hannah said, nonplussed. “I…oh.”

“It happens, you know. With the drugs, the chances are far greater. Put on your pants and we will talk in the living room.” Hannah did as she was told and sat on one couch, facing the mi
dwife on the other.

“So while I do not normally recommend more than two ultr
asounds during pregnancy, I would like to have this confirmed, and to see what position the babies are in.” She pulled off a slip of paper. “Call this clinic and make an appointment. Have them call me with the results.” Hannah was amazed that Adalena could be so businesslike after delivering that news. Gobsmacked, she needed time to acclimate. One baby was a life changer. Two…at the same time was a sea change. She turned to the midwife, who it seemed was still speaking. “We will also need to discuss your birthing options. Have you read the pamphlets the doctor gave you?” Hannah nodded, she had. “Do you think you’d like to give birth here or in the hospital?”