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Authors: Susan Mallery
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better life enough?
Liz couldn’t help thinking about Sophia. Where she lived and what she did when she wasn’t helping at the orphanage. Did she really have a family as she said, or was the young girl completely alone?
Liz spent much of the day with Natasha. While the baby slept, she attended a workshop run by Maggie Sullivan. The social worker explained the rest of the adoption process and what Liz and the other adoptive parents could expect for the remainder of their stay in Moscow.
Shortly after four, Liz collected the baby’s few belongings and tucked them into a diaper bag. This was it. Her first night as a parent. She settled the bag over her shoulder, then picked up Natasha and headed for the stairs.
Two other sets of parents stood there with their babies. Liz glanced around for Sophia, but the teenager had disappeared after lunch and hadn’t returned.
One of the babies started to cry. The husband patted its back. The wife glanced at Liz.
“This is really it,” the woman said, looking both excited and scared. “I don’t know if I should do the happy dance or throw up.”
“I’m thinking of both,” Liz admitted.
“Sounds like a plan!”
Two cars pulled up to the curb. As Liz waited to get into the second station wagon for the drive back to the hotel, she looked at the other parents. None of the women with babies in their arms was a single mother like her.
“It’s just you and me, kid,” she whispered to Natasha, who blinked at her. “We’ll be fine.”
She didn’t actually believe the words, but she felt better for saying them. On the short ride to the hotel, she tried to convince herself that everything would be fine.
Once they arrived, she had to unfasten the car seat. Maggie had put it in and now Liz had to deal with the confusing buckles. Natasha began to whimper, then cry. Liz wasn’t sure if the baby was complaining about the wait or wet or hungry. Suddenly she couldn’t remember the last time she’d fed Natasha. Had it been at two or at four?
The information was in the diaper bag, but that wasn’t good enough. As she struggled to lift both car seat and baby from the vehicle while holding on to her purse and the diaper bag, the doubts set in. Natasha’s cries increased in both intensity and volume.
“Hush,” Liz said as she staggered toward the hotel. “It’s okay, honey. You’re okay. I’m right here.”
The news didn’t seem to impress the baby who only cried more.
Her purse started to slip, the diaper bag dropped off her shoulder and hit her forearm with a bone-crushing thud. She couldn’t do everything and open the hotel door at the same time. This was impossible. All of it. She’d been in charge of Natasha for less than thirty minutes and she was already a failure.
Just then the door opened and someone reached for the car seat.
“Looks like you need a couple of extra hands.”
Her heart froze in her chest, her mouth dropped open and she stared unbelievingly into David Logan’s handsome, smiling face.
Five
“W hat are you doing here?” Liz asked, as surprised as she was delighted.
“You’d told me you were bringing Natasha back to the hotel and I thought you might like some moral support.” He held the car seat in one hand and kept the door open with another. “Apparently you just need a pack animal.”
She stepped into the hotel foyer and told herself that the need to blink compulsively was because something was in her eye—not because of emotion—but she knew she was lying. Sure, men could be thoughtful, but no one had ever done anything so wonderful as to show up just when she needed him most. Especially after what had happened the previous night.
“But we…” she began, then glanced around, aware of the other couples with their children.
Maggie walked toward her. “You came in the second car. Did everything go all right?” She smiled. “It must have. You’re here.”
“Barely,” Liz admitted. “I’m already
Liz couldn’t help thinking about Sophia. Where she lived and what she did when she wasn’t helping at the orphanage. Did she really have a family as she said, or was the young girl completely alone?
Liz spent much of the day with Natasha. While the baby slept, she attended a workshop run by Maggie Sullivan. The social worker explained the rest of the adoption process and what Liz and the other adoptive parents could expect for the remainder of their stay in Moscow.
Shortly after four, Liz collected the baby’s few belongings and tucked them into a diaper bag. This was it. Her first night as a parent. She settled the bag over her shoulder, then picked up Natasha and headed for the stairs.
Two other sets of parents stood there with their babies. Liz glanced around for Sophia, but the teenager had disappeared after lunch and hadn’t returned.
One of the babies started to cry. The husband patted its back. The wife glanced at Liz.
“This is really it,” the woman said, looking both excited and scared. “I don’t know if I should do the happy dance or throw up.”
“I’m thinking of both,” Liz admitted.
“Sounds like a plan!”
Two cars pulled up to the curb. As Liz waited to get into the second station wagon for the drive back to the hotel, she looked at the other parents. None of the women with babies in their arms was a single mother like her.
“It’s just you and me, kid,” she whispered to Natasha, who blinked at her. “We’ll be fine.”
She didn’t actually believe the words, but she felt better for saying them. On the short ride to the hotel, she tried to convince herself that everything would be fine.
Once they arrived, she had to unfasten the car seat. Maggie had put it in and now Liz had to deal with the confusing buckles. Natasha began to whimper, then cry. Liz wasn’t sure if the baby was complaining about the wait or wet or hungry. Suddenly she couldn’t remember the last time she’d fed Natasha. Had it been at two or at four?
The information was in the diaper bag, but that wasn’t good enough. As she struggled to lift both car seat and baby from the vehicle while holding on to her purse and the diaper bag, the doubts set in. Natasha’s cries increased in both intensity and volume.
“Hush,” Liz said as she staggered toward the hotel. “It’s okay, honey. You’re okay. I’m right here.”
The news didn’t seem to impress the baby who only cried more.
Her purse started to slip, the diaper bag dropped off her shoulder and hit her forearm with a bone-crushing thud. She couldn’t do everything and open the hotel door at the same time. This was impossible. All of it. She’d been in charge of Natasha for less than thirty minutes and she was already a failure.
Just then the door opened and someone reached for the car seat.
“Looks like you need a couple of extra hands.”
Her heart froze in her chest, her mouth dropped open and she stared unbelievingly into David Logan’s handsome, smiling face.
Five
“W hat are you doing here?” Liz asked, as surprised as she was delighted.
“You’d told me you were bringing Natasha back to the hotel and I thought you might like some moral support.” He held the car seat in one hand and kept the door open with another. “Apparently you just need a pack animal.”
She stepped into the hotel foyer and told herself that the need to blink compulsively was because something was in her eye—not because of emotion—but she knew she was lying. Sure, men could be thoughtful, but no one had ever done anything so wonderful as to show up just when she needed him most. Especially after what had happened the previous night.
“But we…” she began, then glanced around, aware of the other couples with their children.
Maggie walked toward her. “You came in the second car. Did everything go all right?” She smiled. “It must have. You’re here.”
“Barely,” Liz admitted. “I’m already
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