When tears started to roll down Taylor’s cheeks, her grandmother gave her a sympathetic look, but it was Caden, sitting next to her, who attempted to comfort her. Not wanting the Hancocks to hear her crying, she stifled a sniff as her brother’s bigger hand enveloped hers.

  “Is that an option?” his mother asked at length.

  Autumn rubbed her forehead. “Would you be supportive of that?”

  There was another brief pause, but then she said softly, “Yes. Yes, we would.”

  “You’re positive. Would you like some time to talk it over and decide?”

  “No,” she replied immediately. “Can you think of a better way for this to end?”

  Taylor pictured her mother driving her to an abortion clinic—and all that would happen there, if she agreed to it, and felt weak and shaky.

  “Fortunately, I can,” Autumn said.

  Taylor, who’d been staring down at her lap while trying to hold herself together, looked up. Caden seemed surprised, too.

  Jill’s voice came through the phone again. “What is it?”

  “That’s something I need to discuss with my own family, so I’ll have to call you back.”

  “Please text me before you call so I can...so I can find a private spot where we can talk.”

  They were going to try to keep the pregnancy from Oliver’s father, if they could. Taylor didn’t need her to say it. That was obvious.

  “I will,” Autumn said and hung up.

  Caden let go of Taylor’s hand. “So...what are we going to do?”

  Their mother gave him a searching look. “That depends on you.”

  “On me?” he said. “I don’t have anything to do with this.”

  “But I love you, too.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Taylor was wondering the same thing.

  “Quinn has asked us to stay here, where...where he and I can take care of the baby while Taylor goes off to college.”

  “He has?” Taylor wiped the tears from her face. “So we’d keep the baby?”

  “I can’t stand the thought of any other alternative,” her mother said. “Can you?”

  “No,” Taylor admitted. “But if we stay in Sable Beach...” She turned to Caden. “You’d have to change schools, and it might mess up your chances for a scholarship.”

  His eyebrows knitted as he looked from her to their mother and then Mimi. “You all want this,” he said.

  “We can go back to Tampa and wait for you to graduate,” their mother said. “Your goals and happiness matter, too.”

  “But then Taylor would have to face the humiliation of being pregnant, chances are good Oliver’s father will find out and you’d have to take care of the baby alone for the next two years. Maybe you and Quinn wouldn’t be able to outlast the separation.”

  “I feel like I owe you these two years, Caden,” Autumn said, “so I’m willing to go back in spite of everything.”

  Caden’s knee began to jiggle.

  “You don’t have to move,” Taylor said. “It wouldn’t be fair. This is my fault, not yours.”

  His leg stopped moving. “Oh, what the hell,” he said, throwing up his hands. “I guess I can have just as much fun in Sable Beach as Tampa. I’m going to have to leave the friends I have there eventually, anyway.”

  “What about water polo?” Mimi asked.

  “If I’m good enough, I should be able to get a scholarship while going to any high school. And if not, I’ll try to walk on.”

  “Are you sure?” their mother asked. “I don’t want you to regret this.”

  “I’m sure,” he replied. “There’s just one thing.”

  Taylor could tell their mother was trying not to get excited too soon. So was she.

  “What’s that?” Autumn asked tentatively.

  “We have to get our own place before school starts, because I’m not going to spend the next two years sleeping on Mimi’s couch.”

  They all started laughing. “What’s wrong with my couch?” Mimi joked.

  “Agreed,” Autumn told Caden. “The two of you can even help me pick out the house.”

  Taylor felt so much better. But she had a question herself. “Will Quinn be moving in with us?”

  “Would it be okay if he did?” Autumn asked.

  Taylor missed her father. There was no way she could ever love Quinn as much. But she could tell he was a good person. He’d already done a lot for her, and she liked him. She figured that was a start. Besides, she didn’t feel as though she could stand in the way of her mother’s happiness when her mother was doing so much for her. “It’s okay with me.”

  “I’m fine with it, too,” Caden said. “I love you all—don’t get me wrong—but it’ll be nice to have a little more testosterone in the house.”

  Taylor got up and gave her brother a hug. “Thank you,” she said. Then she went around the table to thank her mother and grandmother, and when she saw the relief and happiness on her mother’s face, she loved her brother even more.

  32

  The next few weeks were some of the happiest of Mary’s life. Although Autumn knew about the past, she was so caught up with Quinn that she never broached the subject. It felt wonderful to Mary to know she no longer had something terrible to hide, at least from the person she loved most. She’d also been afraid that, if the truth got out, word would spread quickly through town and she’d have to deal with the curiosity of all the people she knew in Sable Beach, and she didn’t want to talk about the past. Didn’t want to think about it, either. The only way to truly vanquish Jeff and Nora was to cut them out of her life completely.

  So it came as a relief that Drake D. Owens’s visit hadn’t led to anyone else in Sable Beach figuring out that she was Bailey North. To her surprise, life continued much as it always had, except for the excitement surrounding Autumn’s big move.

  They spent the majority of their time, when they weren’t at the bookstore, house hunting and had found a darling three-bedroom cottage Autumn hoped to buy. It wasn’t in town; it was set off by itself on the beach about ten minutes away, and it had recently been remodeled with new cupboards and countertops, hardwood floors throughout and windows and doors that faced the sea and opened onto a large deck. Mary could easily imagine sitting on that deck with a glass of wine, enjoying the sunset with her daughter and Quinn, so she hoped Autumn would be able to come to an agreement with the owner. Autumn, the kids—even Quinn—thought it was perfect.

  “Hey, Mimi!” Taylor called breezily as she strolled into the bookstore with Sierra at her side.

  “Hi, honey. What are the two of you up to today?” Mary had been expecting Autumn, but she hadn’t shown up yet.

  “Nothing much.”

  “Where’s your mother?” Laurie asked. “I’m excited to show her Chris’s new painting.”

  “She’s going to be late today. That’s why we’re here,” Taylor explained. “She asked us to come by and see if you needed help with anything, because she’s busy negotiating on the house.”

  Mary felt a surge of anticipation. “How’s it going?”

  “They didn’t accept her first offer, but they seem open to working something out.”

  “I hope she can get it,” Laurie said before trundling into the back.

  Sierra asked if she could use the restroom and, as soon as she and Laurie were both gone, Mary lowered her voice. “Any word from Oliver and his family?” Autumn had been talking about getting back to them this morning.

  “None. After breakfast, Mom texted them to say that I wasn’t going to get an abortion, but that we would allow Oliver to walk away as if there had never been a baby. Once he turns eighteen, he can decide if he wants to sign over his parental rights or make up past child support and be part of the baby’s life.”

  “And? How did they respond?”

  “Mrs. Hancock wrote back, ‘Okay,’ and left it at that. I think they’re relieved his life can go on as planned, and they won’t have to tell his father.”

  “His father sounds like a real piece of work,” Laurie said.

  The unexpected intrusion of her voice startled Mary. She hadn’t realized her best friend had come right back.

  “Yeah,” Taylor said with a sigh. “I’m glad he’s not my father.”

  Laurie stuck a handful of new pens in the drawer. “Where’s Caden today?”

  “He went over to register for school.”

  “By himself?” Mary said. “I would’ve gone over with him.”

  “Mom offered, too, but he was with the twins. They wanted to do it on their own.”

  “I see.”

  Taylor glanced around the store. “I’m really glad we’re staying here.” Her grandmother and aunt Laurie had promised that both she and Sierra could help with the coffee shop when it opened, so they were looking forward to that.

  “But... You sound a little hesitant. Why?”

  “It feels strange that I won’t be going to school with everyone else, I guess.”

  “I’m sorry that phase of your life is over a bit too soon,” Mary said.

  “It’s my own fault, and this is the best way things could’ve worked out, so I’m grateful for that.”

  “Quinn played a big role in your moving here, you know,” she pointed out.

  “Yeah, but I feel weird where he’s concerned, too.” Taylor frowned as though she knew she should leave it there but needed to tell someone what she was feeling. “Part of me wants to hate him, Mimi.”

  “I’m glad you don’t,” Mary said. “That would make everything so much harder on your mother.”

  “I know. And he’s a cool guy. It’s not that. I just feel like a traitor to my dad.”

  It would be hard to see someone move in and take her father’s place. “I suppose that’s natural.”

  “It is?”

  Sierra came out of the bathroom, and they let the conversation go. “Let’s get some ice cream,” Sierra said, and they left the shop as a customer came in.

  While Laurie helped Ann Mathewson, who was looking for a regional cookbook she wanted to send as a gift, Mary took out her phone and read her latest text exchange with Nora. She’d written, asking for Tammy’s phone number, and Nora had given it to her. No doubt she’d done so hoping to curry favor with them both, but after saving Tammy’s number in her contacts, Mary had blocked Nora.

  She’d been thinking about reaching out to Autumn’s half sister ever since she’d visited Nashville. But with so much going on, she’d put it off. How was Tammy doing? Did she need friendship, support? Was it too late to offer her those things?

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Mary blinked and looked over at Laurie. Ann Mathewson was already gone? She’d been so lost in her own thoughts that what was going on around her hadn’t even registered. “I’m considering reaching out to Tammy.”

  “Now?” Laurie squawked. “Just when everything is so nice for you? Why would you risk it?”

  Mary considered that for several seconds. Then she said, “Because I’m finally at a point in my life where I can.”

  * * *

  After letting herself and Quinn inside the empty house using the Realtor’s lockbox, Autumn twirled around in the living room. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” she said. “I’m buying this house and moving home—it’s actually going to work out.”

  Quinn, who’d come to see the place with her for the third time—but the first since she’d gone into contract—caught her hand and pulled her up against him. “I can’t believe it, either. But I can’t tell you how glad I am that you are.”

  “It’s scary to be this happy, isn’t it?” she asked as she slipped her arms around his neck and looked up into his eyes. “It terrifies me. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  He pecked her lips. “Everything’s going to be fine. Stop worrying.”

  “I don’t have any right to worry. It’s you that must be worried. I’m so sorry about what’s happening to your mother,” she said, sobering. Beth wasn’t going to make it. Everyone knew that now. They were already talking about hospice. “I’m sorry, Quinn.”

  “It’ll be easier to get through what’s coming with your support. I don’t want her to suffer—I’d rather she pass. I guess it helps a little that we expect to lose our parents at some point. But I’m not sure my father will be able to bounce back.”

  “We’ll be there for him as much as we can. Caden really likes him. I was shocked by how quickly they hit it off.”

  He nuzzled her neck. “It was a good idea to have my folks over for dinner last weekend. Very nice of you.”

  “It was cramped in my mother’s little house, but it was fun. For most of their lives, my kids have had only one grandparent. I think they like the idea of having an experience more like other kids.”

  His smile broadened.

  “What?” she prompted when the look on his face suggested he was holding something back.

  “Nothing.”

  “Say it.”

  “It’ll sound too presumptuous.”

  “Come on. You can tell me anything.”

  He looked slightly abashed when he said, “Fine. I love thinking of my parents as Taylor and Caden’s grandparents. I guess, because your kids are almost adults, I haven’t held out much hope that they’d ever really accept me as a father. But when I saw the way Caden interacted with my dad on Sunday, as if he was so open to giving love and receiving love... I don’t know. It gave me hope.”

  She caught his face in her hands. “It’s wonderful that my kids are important to you. Because you care so much, I know they’ll accept you—if not right away, with time. Who wouldn’t want a man like you as a father?”

  “I hope you’re right.” He rested his forehead against hers. “Can you believe that we’ll soon be taking care of a baby? That blows my mind.” He lowered his voice. “Sometimes I’m so excited about it I can’t sleep.”

  “I wasn’t looking forward to it at first, but thanks to you, I am now,” she admitted.

  “I’ve waited a long time for this.”

  “You got a raw deal with your first marriage.”

  “That doesn’t matter anymore.” His hand moved to the buttons on her blouse. “Should we christen your new place?”

  She closed her eyes as he unhooked her bra and his hand came around to cup her breast, but she still had the presence of mind to correct him. “Our place.”

  “Not yet. I feel terrible that I can’t contribute.”

  “You will. It’s fine.”

  “My dad’s going to start paying me a salary, now that...now that there’s nothing more we can do for my mother. You’ll be putting up the down payment, so I’ll pay the mortgage until I catch up to you.”

  “I’m not concerned about that. I’m just excited we’ll be together—and that we’ll be raising Taylor’s baby.”

  He lifted her chin with one finger. “Autumn?”

  “What?” she said, slightly breathless with anticipation.

  “What do you think about...one day, and it doesn’t have to be soon...having my baby?”

  She ran her thumb over his bottom lip before kissing him tenderly. “I think yes,” she said.

  * * *

  When Autumn took the kids over to The Daily Catch for dinner, she invited Mary to go along, but Mary declined. She was looking for some alone time. Ever since she’d decided to contact Tammy, she’d been waiting for the right moment—when she wasn’t working, when she wasn’t with Caden and Taylor, who had no idea of her background because she and Autumn had decided that it wouldn’t serve any good purpose to tell them, and when she wasn’t with Laurie, who was a loyal friend and great support but always had a strong opinion about everything.

  Mary wanted to do this on her own, and tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity. She had the house to herself, could speak without fear of being overheard. And since everyone had just left, she knew it would be an hour or longer before they came back.

  She carried Caden’s bedding—he was getting lax about moving it himself—into Taylor’s room. Then she sat on the couch and tried to calm her mind.

  What had Tammy turned out like? Would she be happy to hear from Mary? Or would reaching out only bring back memories Tammy would rather forget?

  Maybe Tammy wasn’t ready for this; maybe she’d never be ready for this.

  But Mary wouldn’t know unless she tried...

  Pulling out her phone, she scrolled through her contacts until she came to Tammy’s name. She’d stared at that number so often in the past two weeks that she had it memorized.

  “Here we go,” she murmured and touched the link.

  The phone rang five times before Tammy’s voice mail came on. “This is Tamara King. Please leave a message at the beep, and I’ll return your call as soon as I can.”

  Mary froze. Should she leave a message? Her first inclination was to hang up. But she decided speaking to Tammy’s voice mail might actually be better than speaking to Tammy directly. A message would allow her the chance to decide if she wanted to return the call.

  Perfect.

  “Tammy, this is...this is Bailey North,” Mary said, hurrying to speak before Tammy’s phone could cut her off. “I go by Mary Langford now. I—I know this call has to come as a shock to you. It’s been so long. I’m sorry if...if you’d rather not hear from me. But I feel as though I owe you an apology, and I would love the chance to give it to you, if it wouldn’t be too unwelcome.” After she left her number, she disconnected and sprang to her feet. She had to do something to ease the anxiety that was bringing on a terrible hot flash, so she began to pace around the living room.

  “Whew!” When she could bring herself to stop moving, she set her phone on the side table and fanned her face. “I did it. Now it’s up to her.”