The Reluctant Fiancée (The Taylor Triplets Book 3) Read online

  Her heart soared with hope. Maybe the last piece of their puzzle would finally be solved. “Yes, may I call you Allison?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m so sorry I never got to meet you.”

  “Your mother was very private, but I should’ve come to visit. She did invite me on several occasions. Then, when she’d died, I simply couldn’t face it.”

  That explained the no-show for the funeral, but what about all the rest? How should she bring up the main reason? Why hadn’t they come up with a plan before making the call? Eva dipped her head eagerly, subtly urging Brynne on. Lacy popped an encouraging thumbs-up, eyes bright.

  “The thing is, Allison, when Mom died, she left me with a lot of questions, and I was hoping you could fill me in.”

  “Oh, I imagine so. What would you like to know?”

  Relief washed through Brynne. “There are so many questions. I’ll try to keep them down to just a few, but I sincerely hope I can call you again sometime, too.”

  “That would be fine with me. I’d like that.”

  Wonderful! Lacy mouthed.

  “My mother’s best friend said we arrived in Utah from California when I was three years old. Do you know where we lived before that? Was it with my grandparents?”

  “Oh no, honey. Not your grandparents. You lived with me.”

  “You? For three years?”

  “More like four for your mother.”

  “In case you’re wondering, we know Mom was a surrogate.” Oops, she kept using we—would that make her aunt shut down?

  “Okay. Yes. She was a surrogate. It was her way of setting out on her own. But the surrogacy didn’t turn out like she’d planned.”

  Eva held up three fingers to emphasize the issue of three babies instead of one. Brynne took a breath, deciding to spit out the rest. “Some researching has been done, and I know I’m one of the triplets born that day. And, well, amazing as it sounds, we’ve found each other.”

  “You have?” The shock came through the speaker.

  “Yes, and now my sisters and I are trying to figure out why we were separated at birth.”

  A long sigh ensued and clued them in how heavy on her heart the subject must have been. “So, you know,” Allison said in a doleful tone.

  “Only that we were separated, not why. But yes, we have found each other. Which is a completely different and huge story, but it’s as though fate brought us all together.”

  “You should know that your sweet and dear mother was special, Brynne, very special. All she wanted was a chance for a new start. Your grandparents disowned her, and she had nowhere to go, so she came to me. I’m your maternal great-aunt, your grandmother’s only sibling.”

  The quiet hesitation prompted Brynne to go first. “Why would they disown her?” She glanced at her sisters, who were holding hands and watching expectantly. Brynne was already sure she knew why. “I know that Mom was a lesbian.”

  The heavy inhale answered the question concerning Allison’s pregnant pause. “Yes, and when she came out to her parents, they disowned her.”

  Brynne’s heart broke again for her mother. Rory had told her they’d disowned her. Now it hammered the point home. No wonder she’d never told Brynne, when her own parents wanted nothing to do with her for being gay. “And that’s why she moved in with you?”

  “Yes, she was eighteen and lost. Didn’t have a clue what to do with her life. I don’t think she’d even had a girlfriend yet. And college, without a support system seemed overwhelming to her. She got a job in the local Borders bookstore. She loved that job, too.”

  Now it made sense why Mom had always wanted to own a bookstore, or so she’d said.

  “She wanted to set out on her own but didn’t have a clue how to go about that, either. She’d obviously figured out she couldn’t go far on a store clerk’s salary. Then one day, she tells me she’d done some research on surrogacy, read a book about it from the store and thought she’d be perfect for it. But knew she had to wait until she was twenty-one.”

  Wow, Eva mouthed. Her mother, in all likelihood had been a virgin who was impregnated. With triplets. The thought was mind-boggling. All Brynne wanted was to have her mother there to hug and hold and cry with. Wow, what a life she’d had. And what secrets she’d kept.

  “And did you know about the closed adoption?”

  “Yes. The couple who wanted a baby—the man donated the sperm. But then she found out it was a multiple pregnancy, and she briefly thought about ending it when the sperm donor said he’d only bargained for one baby, couldn’t afford taking more. But that couple wanted their baby so badly, and she was cleared healthwise to carry the multiple birth. She couldn’t go through with ending it. Though I don’t believe she’d told them there were three fetuses. Then the thought of separating the babies broke her heart, but her only other choice was to keep them herself, and both legally—because the sperm-donor father had his rights—and financially, she couldn’t do that. It simply wasn’t possible. So, with her back against the wall, she got the father to agree, and she scrambled to find two more families. But in the end she only found one. And since she’d only disclosed a multiple birth, not triplets, he must have thought she only carried twins. She never corrected him. Still separating twins was just as bad, but the adopting parents agreed to that stipulation. One baby each.”

  Silence hung in the air as everyone took in the burden and choice Jessica Taylor had had to make while so young. And the guilt the two adopting families must have carried. “Then she decided to keep me, the third baby?”

  “It was a very difficult decision, and truthfully, she didn’t have a choice. Not at all her plan when she’d agreed to carry a baby for someone else. But with the money she got, she could start a new life somewhere away from everything she needed to leave behind. Dear Jessica wasn’t ready for the next issue, either.”

  She didn’t have a choice. Brynne felt a sudden sense of not being wanted by her mother, though growing up, she’d never experienced a trace of that.

  “There was another issue besides separating triplets?”

  Another long sigh came through the speaker. “Being pregnant, carrying the babies, feeling them grow and move...she fell in love with her babies.” Allison’s words broke up, and she went quiet again, except for sniffing and throat clearing, while she found her voice. “The thought of giving any of you up broke her heart.”

  Brynne’s eyes filled as deep sorrow invaded her. She glanced at her sisters, who reflected her reaction perfectly. They reached for each other’s hands and all took a moment to recover. They didn’t have to verbalize their longing and yearning all their lives for something they couldn’t explain. They’d grown and developed together in the same amniotic sac—until they’d been separated. Oh, how her mother must have wondered every day of her life about the other babies.

  “I wish Mom was here so we could thank her.”

  “She gave you life, but it was at great personal cost.”

  “I’ve always loved Mom, and now I think my sisters can forgive her and love her, too.” With tears streaming down her cheeks, Lacy wholeheartedly nodded, while Eva looked on in agreement, though obviously overcome with the realization.

  “Why did she live with you so long?” Brynne asked after several more seconds of silence.

  “Poor child didn’t know a thing about taking care of a baby and couldn’t very well set off with a newborn. That’s why she stayed with me after the delivery and saved up more money, while I helped with childcare. You were such a sweet baby, and I loved helping to raise you.”

  Brynne could imagine the smile in her words. Though it hurt thinking her aunt had never seen her after they’d left. And worse yet, Brynne had no memory of her.

  “Such beautiful red hair, and the cutest smile.”

  Banishing judgment of any kind, Brynne took a moment to apprecia
te the gentle compliment. All the love and good intentions had only caused disconnection in three babies. Thankfully they’d found each other and could wipe that slate clean. But they’d never make up for their lost time.

  “How did she choose who to keep?” Eva, always to the point, broke in. Allison probably couldn’t even tell it was a different person.

  “From what I was told, Jessica decided the firstborn would go to the Winters couple, since they started the whole thing, and the second born to the single lady, Ms. Bridget DeLongpre. Whoever came out last would be hers. But please know she agonized over and cried buckets making that decision.”

  “I understand.” Brynne could only answer for herself, but looking at her sisters’ sympathetic expressions, she knew they agreed.

  “The thing was, you, Brynne, were breech.”

  It seemed to be a life pattern, resisting, even while being born.

  She also knew what that meant. “That explains why my delivery time was an hour after Eva’s.”

  “Yes, after all that labor and delivering two healthy girls, she had to have an emergency C-section.”

  “Oh, poor Mom!”

  What her dear mother must have gone through. Brynne knew firsthand Jessica’s C-section scar had been gnarly due to the emergency, not a tidy bikini cut. Nope, it was a classic, right down the middle of her abdomen. That was most likely due to the need for a rapid delivery. Being third, Brynne had probably been showing signs of distress, due to the feetfirst position. Natural delivery in that situation was dangerous, especially after her mother had probably been laboring for hours and hours.

  All Mom had ever told her was she’d been breech. Now she knew the whole story.

  Things finally made sense. Their mother had been in a tight spot—she’d been abandoned by her parents, rejected for admitting who she was. Then, trying something positive to give herself a future without depending on anyone, she was thrown another curveball. Triplets!

  At an age when Brynne was still trying to decide what specialty in nursing she wanted to train for, her mother had had to decide the fate of three babies.

  Chapter Eleven

  After Brynne introduced Eva and Lacy to Aunt Allison, with her sisters making plans to meet the woman in Santa Barbara once they’d returned home, she ended the call. Her heart still pounded. To be honest, Brynne felt a bit left out with them all living within a short distance of each other and her up there in Utah.

  Flabbergasted wasn’t a strong enough word to describe their reaction to hearing their mother’s tragic story, but they’d bonded tighter as a result. Having never imagined what actual sisterhood would be like, she fought the resentment creeping in. Her sisters were growing on her, and so was anger about her mother’s decision to split them up. Though Brynne had forgiveness in her heart about Mom separating them, beginning to understand the horrible predicament she’d found herself in, Brynne wasn’t sure Lacy and Eva had come that far. Maybe after meeting Aunt Allison, they’d come around.

  If they’d known what a strong woman and good mother Jessica Taylor had been, would they forgive her or be more upset? Even if they didn’t forgive Mom, Brynne would understand why. Being closest, Brynne grasped Jessica’s situation. She couldn’t fault her mother for making the call on such a tough issue at twenty-one.

  It finally sank in. Her life had changed and expanded in less than a week. She wasn’t alone like she’d been feeling since her mother had died, either. She had sisters to depend on. Her own family.

  Of course, Paul had been inviting her into his family since their first date. He’d also been outspoken about wanting his own. She’d been willing to compromise while Mom was alive. Now, with Rory and her sisters as backup, did she really have a reason not to?

  “We have to check out on Saturday,” Eva said, snapping Brynne out of her thoughts.

  Reality hit her hard. They’d be leaving soon, and she’d only just discovered them.

  “Zack’s going to pick up the rental RV tomorrow afternoon,” Lacy said.

  “I see. Gosh, you got here so suddenly, now I can’t believe you’re already leaving.” Was this really happening? They’d arrived without warning and would leave without Brynne being the least bit prepared. She was only now starting to get to know them, and soon they’d be gone.

  “It stinks, doesn’t it? Why don’t you fly down for a couple days when we meet Aunt Allison?” Lacy continued.

  “I guess that’s a possibility.” More things to consider, more changes to grasp.

  “It won’t be the same without the three of us.”

  Nothing ever would be again.

  “That’s why I was thinking of us girls having a girls only party tomorrow night,” Eva said, waggling her perfectly shaped brows and looking ridiculous.

  Brynne’s brows scrunched down at the prodding, even while she held back her laugh. Sometimes Eva did the most absurd things, and because it seemed so out of character, it always made Brynne crack up. “Isn’t an ‘all girls’ party for kids in their twenties?”

  “Is it Utah or nursing that has made you so stuck in all these ways?” Eva seemed impatient, staring her down with those big, questioning, perfectly outlined eyes.

  Brynne realized she absolutely could be a dud and was bordering on winning the title of least happy sister. “Okay, sounds fun. What do you have in mind?”

  “We’ll think of something,” Lacy said, her eyes glinting mischievously. “Just leave it to us.”

  * * *

  Brynne woke early Friday morning. After everything that had happened yesterday, one of the craziest days of her life, she’d gotten a late-night call from a slightly inebriated Paul when he’d gotten home from the pub, telling her he loved her and wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. She’d thanked him politely, hung up, then passed out. There simply wasn’t one more thing she could’ve seen, said or done except sleep.

  Now, at nearly the crack of dawn, her eyes popped open. She’d slept soundly and felt refreshed. A good thing. Her appointment with Regina James wasn’t until nine. Still, she got up and made coffee. There was so much to sort out, and she’d barely had a moment to herself since her sisters had arrived.

  She sat in the dim morning light in the kitchen, waiting for the coffee to finish. With the sound and wondrous scent of brewing, her thoughts ran free. She’d officially be giving up her nursing job today. Most likely having an exit interview. How did that make her feel?

  Sick to her stomach. Sad. Wrong, all wrong. She loved her old job, only tolerated running the bookstore. What the heck was she doing letting her life’s calling go?

  The beep went off on the coffee maker, and she poured herself a cup, having learned over the years of being a nurse to drink it black while on the job. Grab and go, always keep a cup stashed near the bank of computers, her name in pen on the throwaway cup. There, at the electronic charts tables, she’d sip and chart her notes when time allowed. With her patients content, treatments and meds given, she’d always found those moments a reward for working hard and pulling off another shift.

  Taking a drink of hot coffee, she remembered how she’d also gotten used to consuming it lukewarm and cold on the job. Most days were nonstop, and eight years was nothing to sneeze at. Was she really going to give it all up?

  Truth was, she missed being a labor and delivery nurse. She’d loved helping to birth babies, dealing with both healthy and complicated pregnancies and deliveries. It occurred to her that in the last couple of years she’d even assisted with a surrogate pregnancy or two. Wow—she’d had no idea how significant that was to her until now.

  She’d always thought nursing would be the job she’d have for the rest of her working life. Then life changed. Radically.

  Last spring, before her planned but never-to-be wedding, she’d believed she could have it all. The marriage to Paul, the house, the job, the...kids? That had always been t
he one sticky part for her, the kids. Her only experience with babies had been part of a job. A job she loved.

  For Paul, the issue had been how her job often seemed to run her life instead of the other way around. She liked the challenge of finding time together. He always wanted more.

  Funny how as an L&D nurse she’d never truly allowed herself to think about having her own babies. She’d always held the sacred act of giving birth at a safe, professional distance. Not something for her, but for others. It was a job. How many times had she participated in patient births? Too many to count. Her resistance to babies had nothing to do with seeing so many women brave through that sometimes-treacherous thing called labor, either. Well, maybe a little. She’d seen both smooth and horrendous labors. Some enough to make her eyes pop out, leaving her wonder if she could willingly put herself through it.

  Then, not even a week ago, she’d been dragged into the most amazing birth of her life—Lacy’s emergency delivery. And the last couple of times she’d held Johnny, something had stirred inside. For the first time ever, instead of wondering if she’d treat her own kid like a job, she’d felt what could only be described as an inkling of maternal instinct.

  And Paul had sure made it clear how much he wanted children before they’d planned the wedding.

  Wow. Life continued to spin in new directions, which was a challenge for a certified control freak. But it was also an opportunity to choose her path. Make a stand for her life, and with whom she wanted to spend it.

  Maybe it was now or never, as Paul hinted.

  She finished her second cup of coffee and headed off to shower. There, under the full blast of dual showerheads pounding her back, she understood how she’d always assumed giving birth, having a family, that kind of happiness was for other people, not her.

  She lathered and rinsed then washed her hair. Turning her face toward the hot water, the reality of having a baby with Paul, maybe more than one, hit her between the eyes. Could she handle such a thing without Mom as backup? Would Paul be her anchor now? Would she be expected to do all the bending or would he consider a compromise?