Page 89 of Infinite
I look at Carolina with a small smile and she nods imperceptibly.
“Wendy,” I say with a shaky voice. “I suffered an unimaginable loss about five months ago. I had a miscarriage with complications, which left me unable to ever have a child. It nearly destroyed me. I’m telling you this because I do understand. More than anyone. You see, all I’ve ever wanted was to be a mother, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do if it meant I could have that back. There is no one in this industry who will work as hard to be successful as I will.”
Tears fill her eyes as she gets to her feet. “Thank you.”
Carolina takes my hand in hers on the table and squeezes, her voice is barely audible. “I’m proud of you.”
When Carolina rises and walks to Wendy and Byron, I feel raw and exposed, but in a good way. My chest may be tight, but I’m so glad I said it.
Then a hand touches my shoulder. I look up, expecting to see Carolina, but it’s Wendy. “Thank you for telling me that.”
“I didn’t do it to gain your trust, I wanted you to know that I truly do understand.”
“You know, for a long time, I didn’t think we could ever have children. I had accepted it, or at least told myself that I did, and then I saw the look in Byron’s eyes one day as we passed a park. He didn’t say anything, but there was this . . . hope . . . and I thought I might break apart. I became obsessed with having a baby again, and now I worry . . .”
I try not to picture Quinn. I shove all the emotions that threaten to bubble up aside, this isn’t about me. Wendy is a patient and I want her to trust me and my team to give her the child she wants.
“You have hope here too, Wendy.”
She nods with a soft smile. “It’s hard to love a man so much that you want to share a child but know you’ll never be the woman to give it to him. I’m terrified that I still won’t be able to even though it’s not my body this time, it’s my egg.”
I stand, feeling as though the floor beneath me is shaky. “It’s incredibly difficult. No matter what you decide, know that we’ll be doing everything we can to give you that hope back.”
Wendy’s eyes brim with unshed tears. “You know, sometimes I wonder if I did something wrong, but then I remember that I’m not alone and none of us did anything wrong. You reminded me of that just now.”
I breathe through my nose to keep from bursting out in a sob.
“No, we’re not alone.”
She looks over to her husband and sighs. “And you know what? He couldn’t care less if we ever have a child, it’s me who wants to give it to him because I love him and saw his eyes in the park that day. Byron will love me no matter what the outcome is, but I truly hope we can. He will be a wonderful father.”
I think of Quinn and how he feels the same. He couldn’t care less if it’s just the two of us for the rest of our lives.
I’m the one who wants the full family.
“I’m the same.”
Wendy smiles as though she already knew that. “That’s the funny thing about loving someone. We often make ourselves crazy thinking we know what they really want, when all they want is for us to be happy.”
“Well, to be fair, we usually are right.”
We both chuckle. “I knew I was when I married Byron.”
And I hope one day I’ll be able to say the same thing about Quinn. Yes, I had the ring and then I gave it back, but maybe it’s time to let him know I’ve changed my mind.
30
Quinn
“You’re taking her to dinner?” Liam asks as we’re finishing up a workout.
“It’s a date, not just dinner.”
He puts his hands up with a chuckle. “Sorry, Ladykiller, I forgot you have mad skills to seduce.”
I hate him.
“Whatever, Prettyboy. I’m going to dinner with the plans to propose, but if her day went half as bad as I think it did, I’ll hold off on that.”
