Max reached across the small round table and took her hands in his. “You’re adopting Jill’s baby?”
Raine nodded. “She’s just not at a point in her life where she can care for a baby. At first she mentioned abortion, but, once we talked through everything, she realized that wasn’t the best decision. I may not be financially sound, but I had to try to make this work. You know I’ve always wanted a family.”
“I know,” he whispered. “And you’re Abby’s mom in every way that counts, Raine. Just like Elise is mine.”
A smile spread across her face. “I knew you’d get it. I hesitated on telling you, because I had to wait and see where we were going with this. At first you were just stuck at my house, but now there’s so much more.”
“You don’t need to explain,” he said gruffly. “Adopting Abby is remarkable, Raine.”
“Actually, she’s not legally mine, yet.”
Max stroked his thumbs along the back of her hands. “When will everything be finalized?”
Blowing out a breath, Raine shrugged. “I wish I knew. My attorney can’t figure out what the holdup is, either. I’ve been approved through Social Services with my home visits, background check and everything. All my attorney can figure is that sometimes this process takes longer than others.”
That threw Max for a loop. If everything was complete, what was the problem? He would look into that, because there was no way this adoption shouldn’t go through.
“I’m glad you told me,” Max said. “I’m glad you’re getting this dream of motherhood because you’re amazing at it, Raine.”
A flash of hurt flickered in her eyes, but she offered a quick smile. “There are days I question if I’m doing it right, but I just have to keep moving forward doing the best I can.”
He raised his wine glass. “Then let’s celebrate us, Abby and the newfound life we’ve discovered. We may not know what’s going to happen, but for now we are happy, and I want you to remember this night forever.”
Raine picked up her own glass and clinked it to his. “I’ll never forget any of the time you’ve been back in Lenox, Max. It’s been the best few weeks of my life.”
Max took a long, hard drink of the wine, wishing for something stronger. Hollywood was waiting for him, but the future he’d originally planned sat directly within reach.
No matter how they decided to approach the future, he had a feeling someone would inevitably get hurt. He only prayed to God they survived this time.
Seventeen
Raine had been up all night playing over and over in her head the scenario that would greet her today when finally confronting her parents. She expected denial, defense and even derision, but she would stand her ground and not leave until she had adequate answers. She was owed that much.
Max had been much more understanding, much more supportive than she would’ve been if the roles had been reversed. The thought that her parents had sabotaged her life, her every dream, made her so mad she could hardly control the trembling.
Without knocking, she marched straight through the front door of her childhood home...or, more accurately, museum. The cold, sterile environment was no place to raise a child. As her rubber-soled work boots thunked through the marble foyer, Raine winced inwardly. She was just grateful that Abby had never been forced to spend much time in this place. Approaching her father’s home office, she overheard another familiar male voice. Great. Just who she was not in the mood for.
Raine stepped into the spacious room with the back wall of floor-to-ceiling windows and took in the bright, sunshiny day. This day was about to get very dark, very fast.
“I need to talk to you,” she said, interrupting whatever her father was saying.
She hadn’t heard the specifics of the conversation. She was too overwrought to focus on anything but her past right now.
Marshall turned in the leather club chair he sat in. “Raine,” he said, raising a brow. “You’re looking...natural today.”
Raine laughed, knowing full well he was referring to her farm-girl attire. “I look like this every day, Marshall. I need to speak to my father. You’re excused.”
“Loraine,” her father exclaimed, coming to his feet. The force of his actions sent his office chair rolling back and slamming into the window. “You surely can wait until our meeting is over.”
Raine crossed her arms over her chest. “Oh, it’s over. I need Mother in here, as well.”
Her father shook his head. “I’m sorry, Marshall. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. I’ll call you this afternoon.”
Marshall came to his feet and approached Raine. “I hope everything is okay. Would you like to call me later and talk?”
“Marshall,” she told him, placing a hand on his arm. “I’ve been nice about this, but I’m just not interested in you in that way. We went out once, but that was it for me.”
Marshall’s cheeks reddened. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
More like can’t blame a guy for trying to kiss the ass of her father the mayor, but whatever. She didn’t have time to think or worry about Marshall’s feelings right now.
Raine waited for her father to get off the house intercom. Marshall left, and moments later Raine’s mother swept into the room. The woman always felt the need to make a grand entrance...pearls and all.
“What a lovely surprise...” Her mother’s words trailed off as she raked her eyes over Raine’s wardrobe. “Heaven’s sake, Loraine. Couldn’t you have freshened up before coming out in public?”
“I showered, and my underwear is clean. That’s as fresh as I get,” she defended with a smile. “But I’m not here for you to look down your nose at me and throw insults my way, because you think you’re on another level.”
“Loraine, that’s enough,” her father bellowed from behind his desk. “Whatever foul mood you’re in, we don’t deserve this.”
Raine snickered, moved around the spacious office and flopped down on the oversized leather sofa in the corner. Propping her dirty work boots upon the cushion, she glared back at her father.
“Is that so? Do you really want to get into what the two of you deserve? Because I don’t think you’ll like what I believe is proper punishment for your actions.”
Her mother let out her signature dramatic sigh. “For heaven’s sake, Loraine, I don’t have time for whatever game you’re playing. If you have something to say, just say it. I have a luncheon to get ready for.”
“Oh, yes. We wouldn’t want family to come before your precious tea and cucumber sandwiches.”
Her father rounded his desk, opened his mouth, but Raine held up her hand. “No. For once you two will be quiet, and I’ll do the talking. And you may want to sit because this could be a while.”
Her parents exchanged worried looks and came to sit in the matching wingback chairs opposite the sofa Raine sat on.
“It’s apparent you’re upset,” her father stated. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
Rage bubbled in her, and she clasped her hands in her lap to control the trembling. “Ironically, I’ve never felt like this.”
In all the scenarios in her mind she’d created over the past few days, nothing truly prepared her for this moment of confronting them about the past. She needed to keep the anger in the forefront because if she allowed that sharp, piercing hurt to come into play, she’d break down and cry.
“I’ll give you guys one chance to tell me the truth about what happened when Max left for L.A. And after all this time, I believe one chance is quite generous on my part.”
When both of them widened their eyes in response, she felt that sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. A little thread of generosity within her had hoped that her parents hadn’t been that cruel, that they hadn’t purposely altered her future, decimating her dreams.
But the silence in the room was deafening...and heart wrenching.
“We did what we thought was best,” her mother stated, straightening her shoulders. “You were too young to be that serious.”
“Was I now?” Raine eased forward on the couch and glared across the space between them. “How many times did he call, Mother? How soon after he left did he try to send for me?”
Her mother shrugged. “I don’t recall, Loraine. It was so long ago, I’d nearly forgotten the matter.”
Tears burned her throat, but Raine willed herself to remain strong. “So let me get this straight. You’d forgotten the matter like it was a trip to the grocery store? This was my life you destroyed. Do you not care? Did you even care when I was crying myself to sleep night after night—or when I discovered I was pregnant? Did it ever dawn on you to tell me the truth?”
“No.”
Her father’s quick answer had Raine gasping. Who were these people? She’d known that they’d never been supportive but to be this heartless and cruel? The thought of ever treating Abby in such a manner was purely sickening.
Raine came to her feet. “I just want to know why. Not that it matters, but why would you purposely do this to me?”
“Because Max was chasing a dream, and the odds were against him of making anything of himself,” his father said. “We wanted more for our little girl. Don’t you understand?”
Raine laughed, though she was on the verge of tears. “What I understand is you two thought you could run my life. You thought taking away my money would make me see your way. Well, I hate to tell you, I couldn’t care less about your precious money or your idiotic expectations for my life.”
“You’ll understand better when Abby gets older,” her mother insisted. “You’ll want what’s best for her, too.”
“Yes, I will,” Raine agreed. “But even though I’ll try to shelter her, I will let her make her own mistakes—and I won’t stand in the way of her dreams. Maybe if you two had an ounce of what I felt for Max, you would’ve been pleased to see your child so happy and in love.”
“You weren’t in love, Raine,” her father chimed in. “You two were in lust. You liked each other because you felt a connection and got a kick out of being rebellious together. And you thought fleeing to the other side of the country would secure your little fantasy.”
“No, we understood each other,” she countered. “We confided in each other because we knew how important the other’s dreams were, and we didn’t stifle each other.”
“He left you pregnant, Loraine.” Her mother came to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest. “He was off living that dream, while you were here degrading yourself.”
“How dare you?” Raine asked, her voice menacingly low. “Max had no clue my condition, or I assure you, he would’ve been here.”
Now her father rose, sighing and shaking his head. “You think Max Ford would’ve given up his dream of living in L.A. and becoming an actor to stay here and play house?”
Raine leveled her gaze with him and gritted her teeth. “I know he would’ve. He loved me. And he more than anyone knows the consequences of coming from a broken and unloving home.”
“You’re still naive if you believe he’s back for you,” her mother said. “He’s only here for his mother, and then he’s gone again. Don’t set yourself up for more heartache, Loraine. You have Abby to think about now.”
“I know how to raise my daughter.”
“She’s not yours, honey,” her mother said softly, as if that would ease the hurt of the words.
“She is mine. I am legally adopting her. She’s mine in every sense of the word as soon as the judge signs off.”
Anger still high and tension mounting heavily between them, Raine knew this conversation was going nowhere. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected when she’d come in here. Denial and defensiveness, of course. Perhaps some antagonism, too. But a part of her had really hoped for an apology. Not that it would’ve changed matters, but Raine wanted to think that her parents cared.
Now she knew for sure they only cared about their image. God forbid she taint their social standing by being unwed, pregnant, with no boyfriend in sight.
But there was still a little girl inside her that had held on to that slender thread of hope that they would accept her for who she was, and not how her actions or aspirations could drive their social standings.
“Now that I know the truth, I doubt you’ll be seeing much of me,” she told them.
“You’re just angry because it’s fresh.” Her father started toward her with his hands extended. “Don’t say things you don’t mean now.”