Read Online The Offering by Angela Hunt - Free Book Online Page B

right here and now. These are duplicates of files I have in the office, so don’t worry if you spill something on the pages. But they are confidential documents, so I must ask you not to leave them in a public place or show them to anyone but your husband. Read through all the enclosed information, consider the applications carefully, and come back whenever you’re ready to name your choice. Whoever you pick, I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic to hear that their long wait is finally coming to an end. Your decision may be the best Christmas present one of these couples has ever had.”
    I picked up the three folders and put them in a large envelope Natasha slid across her desk. I wasn’t sure Gideon would care about looking through the information, but maybe this would help him feel more involved. After all, this process would affect our entire family.
    â€œThank you,” I said, my voice hoarse. “I will guard these with my life.”
    â€œI don’t think we have to go that far.” Natasha’s smile deepened. “I had a good feeling about you the first time we talked, so I went ahead and prepared a contract—you’ll find it in the envelope. Read it over carefully, consult with a lawyer if you like, discuss everything with your husband. And when you’re ready to proceed, call the office to set up another appointment. Take as long as you need, but don’t forget that these couples have been waiting a long time.The sooner you make your decision, the sooner we can begin, and the sooner you will receive your initial payment. The payout details are on a sheet in the envelope along with the contract.”
    I smiled. Charity was a marvelous thing, but so was an additional paycheck.
----
    Because I got caught in heavy traffic on the Howard Frankland Bridge, the sun had set by the time I walked through our front door. A blanket of stillness lay over the house, an unusual quiet that alarmed me at first. But as I tiptoed through the living room and neared the hallway, I heard the rumble of Gideon’s baritone and followed it to the threshold of Marilee’s bedroom.
    â€œI’m sorry your throat hurts,” I heard him say. “And I’m going to ask God to make you feel better.”
    â€œCan you ask God to help Auntie Amelia, too?”
    â€œSomething wrong with Auntie Amelia?”
    â€œUh-huh. She read Curious George to me the other day, but in the middle she started cryin’. And that’s not a sad story, Daddy.”
    I leaned against the wall outside Marilee’s bedroom and wondered what had bothered Amelia. She seemed perfectly fine when I talked to her Saturday night at Mama Isa’s, so why would she cry while reading Marilee’s story? Maybe she got something in her eye and Marilee misinterpreted those tears. . . .
    I folded my arms and waited in the hallway as Gideon prayed for Amelia and for Marilee’s sore throat. Without looking, I knew he was kneeling by our daughter’s bedside, his big, strong hands clasped over hers. In a moment he would pull up the covers and tuck them under her chin, then he would turn on the ceiling fan and wish her a good night. . . .
    â€œSleep tight, precious,” I heard him say, right on schedule. “I love you.”
    â€œDaddy?”
    â€œWhat?”
    â€œI’ll meet you by the river.”
    A moment of surprised silence followed, then Gideon replied in the way he’d answered me so many times before. “I’ll be waiting for you under the tree, baby girl.”
----
    Later that evening, I pulled Gideon from the talking heads on ESPN and led him to the kitchen table, which I’d covered with the three folders and the contract from the Surrogacy Center.
    â€œWhat’s this?” A frown line creased his forehead. “This had better not be bad news from the IRS.”
    I tweaked his nose. “These are folders from prospective parents. We get