Chapter 16 - The Uninvited Guest
Three weeks later, the autumn leaves had turned the color of rust and gold, carpeting our lawn in a thick layer of crackling amber. The federal case against Doctor Evans had moved to pre-trial hearings, and our names had officially been cleared of any legal or financial wrongdoing. Lily was sleeping through the night, her crib pushed proudly against the wall of our master bedroom, right where James could reach out and touch her quilt without getting out of bed.
It was a Saturday morning when the front gate clicked open.
I was at the kitchen sink rinsing apples for the boys' football tailgate when I looked out the window and saw a strange car idling by the curb—a nondescript silver sedan with out-of-state plates.
A woman stepped out of the passenger side. She wasn't wearing a trench coat, and she didn't look like a federal agent or a clinic administrator. She looked young—scarcely twenty-two—wearing an oversized knit sweater and canvas sneakers, her hands shoved deep into her pockets as she walked slowly up our front path.
It was the surrogate.
My hand froze on the faucet. Water continued to run over the apples, splashing against the stainless steel basin.
Before I could call out to James, who was in the garage helping Leo tune his bicycle chain, the front doorbell rang. A soft, hesitant chime that didn't sound like a threat, but like a question.
I wiped my hands on a kitchen towel, took a deep breath, and walked down the entryway. My hand hovered over the brass knob for a long moment before I turned it and pulled the door open.
May you like
The young woman stood on the porch, her eyes red-rimmed, looking smaller than she had in the police reports.
"Mrs. Miller?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly in the cool morning air. "My name is Chloe. I... I know I shouldn't be here. The lawyer said I wasn't allowed to contact the family. But I couldn't leave for college without saying one thing to your face."
