Mischief Bay Collection, An Anthology by Susan Mallery

Author:Susan Mallery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2019-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Hayley stood in the small, empty bedroom. The walls were painted a pale yellow, with white trim. They’d replaced the carpeting with hardwood because it was easier to keep clean without harsh chemicals. She’d been four months along when she’d miscarried the first time so they hadn’t had time to get serious about buying furniture. There was only the empty room and the painted walls.

She crossed to the closet and opened the door. There weren’t any baby clothes, no stacks of impossibly small linens. No miniature blankets or sheets. Just an old scrapbook—the one her mother had put together for her.

Now she got it down and walked to the patch of sunlight in the corner and sank to the floor. She sat cross-legged, the book resting on her legs.

She and Rob had talked endlessly about their baby those first few months. They’d debated names and talked about the merits of different types of cribs. They’d touched tiny bootees and had tried to imagine the glory of holding a child of their own.

All that had ended with the first unexpected cramps.

She’d been at work when the miscarriage had started. At first she’d thought she was having some kind of stomach flu. But when she’d gone to the bathroom, there had been spotting. The spotting had turned into a flood of blood and by the time she’d gotten to her gynecologist’s office, the baby was already gone.

She remembered the devastation. How Rob had held her and they’d cried together. It had taken weeks for the emptiness to go away. Her parents had still been alive then and her mom had come to stay with her. She’d miscarried before, so she understood how horrible it was. How people said foolish things like “Oh, it happens to everyone,” or “It’s nature’s way of taking care of a problem.”

Fuck that, Hayley had thought. She didn’t want to think her baby had been a problem. It hadn’t been. Her baby had died. And it didn’t happen to everyone. It didn’t happen to most women. She didn’t want platitudes, she wanted revenge.

Her mom had promised it would get better and although Hayley and Rob hadn’t believed her, over time, the wound had scabbed up. It had never gone away, but they’d been able to move forward. To try again. It was only after the second miscarriage that they’d started to realize something else was going on.

Now on that hard floor, with the sun warming her back, she opened the scrapbook and saw the announcement of her birth. Well, not her birth, exactly. The announcement of her going home with her parents. There was a picture of her dad holding her, then one of her mom doing the same. There were a few handwritten notes about what they’d each been feeling. And a letter from her mom.

My Dearest Hayley,

There are no words to describe my joy in bringing you home. It’s been ten days and I still can’t believe you’re here and you’re ours. Every night I wake up two and three times to check on you.

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