A Match Made by Baby. Karen Smith Rose

almost explained exactly what had happened that night when he’d been twenty-one, stupid and in love. However, he considered the possibility that Kaitlyn might not even believe him.

      He’d shaken off the bad-boy rep after one of his science profs had truly captured his attention. He’d become interested in earning a graduate degree in something that mattered and a life that could take him away from Fawn Grove, from a broken family, from an accident that had changed his life more than his girlfriend’s. Sherry hadn’t hesitated one instant when he’d stepped up and said he’d been driving. A career in law had been her sole goal. That’s why he’d accepted the blame. So she wouldn’t lose her dream.

      Adam had paid a fine, done community service and worked hard to make sure every hospital bill was paid, missing a semester of college. His father had made sure Sherry had received the best care. She’d come out of the whole thing without a spleen, with a broken leg and the aftereffects of a concussion.

      Before the police and paramedics arrived, she’d promised Adam she’d never drink and drive again. He knew he’d never let anyone drink and drive again if he could help it. But the whole true story had never come out. He’d taken the blame. His reputation hadn’t been a big deal. Hers had.

      But telling all that to Kaitlyn...

      It just seemed a waste.

      He set Erica’s carrier on the kitchen table in Tina’s cramped apartment as they looked around. This apartment didn’t look much different than his condo had yesterday. There was a pile of laundry on the sofa that looked clean, one next to it that looked dirty. Dishes and mugs were strewn about as well as a few baby bottles. There was one bedroom and he and Kaitlyn both peeked into it, their shoulders brushing.

      Kaitlyn’s gaze met his, and he thought he saw regret there. Regret that she’d told him she knew his background?

      He moved back toward his niece.

      “This looks as if she left impulsively,” Kaitlyn said.

      He understood why she’d say that. The bed was unmade. Tina’s clothes were scattered here and there along with more of the baby’s. There wasn’t an inch of the apartment that didn’t look like bedlam. The way the inside of Tina’s mind was working?

      “This isn’t her. She’s not like this. Tina’s as neat as a pin. I used to kid her, because even when she was little, she kept her clothes color-coordinated in her closet. When she came to see me at college, she packed her suitcase the same way.”

      “Adam, you’ve experienced firsthand how a baby can turn your life upside down. That obviously happened to Tina. One day she had a life without a child. The next day, she was a mom with twenty-four-hour responsibility...a lifelong responsibility. That can be scary and earth-shattering, and altogether overwhelming.”

      When Adam didn’t respond, she asked, “What does Tina do? For work, I mean.”

      “She’s a paralegal. She told me her boss was giving her three months maternity leave. Apparently she had enough money saved between what Jade left her and my father’s gifts.”

      “So she has to find day care she can trust.”

      “Yes.”

      “Do you know if she has a best friend, if she’s friends with anyone at work?”

      “When she graduated and got this job, she mentioned it was a small law firm and everyone else was older. I think she lost contact with most of her high school friends. Many of them went on to four-year colleges.”

      “Has she lived here since her mother died?”

      “She and Jade shared an apartment. My dad subsidized it until Tina got a job, then she insisted she wanted to be on her own. She wouldn’t take my help, either. She’s a responsible young adult, Kaitlyn. That’s why none of this makes any sense.”

      Kaitlyn gently touched his arm. He felt that touch in every fiber of his being.

      “It does make sense,” she explained. “In a world of hormones and after-pregnancy feelings. But she has to want help for you to be able to give it.”

      “Or for The Mommy Club to give it,” he muttered. “Can you watch Erica for a few minutes while I search through Tina’s desk in her bedroom? Maybe I can find a clue as to where she’s gone.”

      “Sure, I can. Or if you need help, I can just bring her in.”

      “I’ve got this,” he said with that determined note Kaitlyn recognized. He didn’t want to need anyone else.

      She wandered about Tina’s apartment, very different from Adam’s. There were lots of pictures standing about, mostly of Tina and of a woman who Kaitlyn guessed was her mom. There were also photos of Tina and a younger Adam, photos of Tina and Adam with a man whom Kaitlyn assumed might be his father and Tina’s stepfather.

      There was already a photo of a newborn Erica propped beside the TV. Some hospitals provided those photos, but Tina had gone to the trouble of framing it and setting it in a prominent place. Not something an uncaring mom would do.

      When Erica began fussing a little, Kaitlyn scooped her from the pink leopard lining of the car seat and carried her into the kitchen. She couldn’t resist holding a baby. Doing it was always bittersweet. Yet she looked forward to the day when she might have her own child in her arms.