A Mother's Secrets (Parent Portal 4)

The man stopped, pulled Jamie off the path and leaned back against a guardrail along the back side of it. “Are you serious?”

Grinning, Jamie nodded. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I know that this is the right thing for me to do.”

Tom wasn’t smiling. In fact, his frown was one Jamie had seen the older man use in court a time or two. “I disagree.” Tom shook his head. “Strongly.”

“But...”

“Have you told your mother about this?”

He was thirty-three years old and a successful, respected educator; Jamie most certainly didn’t need his mother’s permission for anything. “No. I’m not planning to tell anyone until the fertilization procedure is successful. Except you. I wanted you to know. I thought you had a right to know.”

He’d hoped to bring some joy to Tom’s life. Had hoped for his support. He was giving Tom the only chance he’d ever have at grandchildren...

“You’re a young man, Jamie. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you. Find a woman. Fall in love. Marry her. And then have a family that belongs to both of you.”

“But...”

Shaking his head, Tom interrupted. “I’m telling you, this is a bad idea.”

So maybe his reservations of moments ago had been warranted. He’d actually expected Tom to be pleased. Once he got over the possible shock of it.

He’d conceded that Tom might think he wasn’t thinking clearly. That he was acting out of grief. Had been prepared to assure him that wasn’t the case.

So... Strike two on the “talking with others” part of his plan.

First Christine and now Tom. But he couldn’t do it without them. Not in the way he envisioned, at any rate.

“My son or daughter, he or she is going to need their grandpa.” He could be as strong as Tom when warranted.

“Let her go, Jamie.”

This was going to be maybe one of the toughest things he’d ever done. He looked Emily’s dad straight in the eye and said, “I have let her go, Tom. This isn’t about hanging on to the past, or seeking comfort due to loss. This is about getting on with the rest of my life. Those embryos are there. And yes, it’s a bit unconventional for me to continue with the plans Emily and I made without her, but it’s the life I want. I had my soul mate. I’m thankful for the years we shared. All twenty-five of them. And while I expect I’ll eventually start dating again, I’m not looking for another life partner. If Emily had been able to get pregnant when we’d first started trying, we’d already have a four-year-old child. And I’d be raising that child on my own.”

Tom was still frowning. Shaking his head. But he no longer looked fierce. At least not to Jamie. “But, son...”

“No, Tom,” Jamie said. “My mind is made up about this. I’d hoped you’d be excited. But at the very least, you had a right to know.”

“I know how hard it is, Jamie. I’ve been there. Remember?” Tom’s green eyes grew moist, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes more pronounced. “When I first lost Daisy...”

Emily’s mother had died from hepatitis when he and Emily were in college.

“I know.” Jamie gave the man a minute, remembering how awful that year had been, for all of them, but mostly for Emily and her father. For a while there Jamie had wondered if either of them would ever be truly happy again. Daisy had been the hub on their wheel. And then he said, “It’s been almost fifteen years and I don’t see you dating again.”

Sure, Tom looked at women. He even went out to dinner on occasion. But never once had he introduced another woman to Jamie or Emily.

Lips pursed, Tom nodded. “I’m not going to change your mind, am I?”

“No, sir.”

“Do you have any idea of the time frame?”

“Not yet.”

Tom started back toward the bar, which was still clearly in view, his bottle almost empty. Jamie dropped his half-full one in the trash as they got close. He had a feeling Tom would be drinking one too many and would need a ride home.

Him. He would be his father-in-law’s designated driver.

Funny how life had a way of turning on a dime.