Mr. Parsons choked out, “Dr. Branson, it’s too late to get to know Laurie and Mark... but we’re her family. It’s not too late for us.”
Suddenly, Josh saw Charlie rush across to Mrs. Parsons, and then they were hugging each other and crying. Mr. Parsons looked from the two back to Josh and smiled sheepishly. “Women!” he said.
Josh walked over and shook his hand again. “Call me Josh.”
“Ron,” he smiled. “Call me Ron. And this is my wife, Kay. I can’t tell you how great this is. Kay’s exhausted trying to take care of Chloe and me, too. I’m not much help at all.”
Kay looked over and spoke for the first time. “But we can babysit and watch the kids when you go on trips. I just don’t have the energy to do if full time. Especially since I can’t get Chloe to take a nap.”
“I’ve got a great trick for getting her to take a nap.” Charlie smiled through her tears. “It’s a special book I read while she keeps her eyes closed. It’s like hypnosis. It works every time. I use it on my brothers, too.”
“So you won’t fight me on the adoption?” Josh asked.
“Not at all. As long as we still get to be grandparents.”
“When will I get Chloe?” Josh asked Drew.
“We can probably approve temporary custody on Monday. Having everyone in agreement makes everything pretty simple.” He turned to the Parsons. “I’ll have the proper papers drawn up and faxed to you so you can sign them and send them back. And I’ve got a form for Dr. Branson in my car.”
Josh and Charlie said their goodbyes and followed Drew outside and down the sidewalk, toward his car. “Dr. Branson, you now have an uncontested adoption.”
“So what does that mean?” Josh asked.
“It means you don’t have to be married to adopt Jace and Chloe. So Olivia...” He paused, scrutinizing Charlie, “is off the hook.”
Josh felt his cheeks warming, knowing Drew had recognized their deception. Charlie kept her eyes averted.
“So exactly what was your plan?” Drew asked. “Were you simply pretending to be engaged? Because I would have required proof of the actual marriage.”
“No, we really were getting married... just over two weeks from now.”
“You and the original Olivia? Or you and this new Olivia?”
“Charlie. My name is Charlie.”
“We didn’t know what to do when Charlie and I decided to get married. We didn’t know how to tell you.”
“You could have said, ‘Mr. Warner, there’s been a slight change in the plan since we last met. This is my new fiancée, Charlie.’”
“That’s what my dad said. We were just hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
“I pride myself on my attention to detail. I could hardly forget meeting a girl with eyes like yours—quite beautiful. And Olivia seemed uncomfortable with children or the idea of children, while you appear to be quite the opposite. At any rate, it doesn’t matter now, because the marriage isn’t even necessary for custody. I do hope you’ll eventually get married, Josh, because it would be best for the children. But since you seem to be having a hard time settling on a fiancée, perhaps it’s a good thing there’s no rush.” He reached into his car and pulled out a briefcase. “Here are the papers I need you to sign and notarize. I’ll want them back as soon as possible.”
FOR THE FIRST THIRTY minutes of the return drive, Charlie chattered non-stop about every subject she could think of until she finally ran out of material and they fell into an uncomfortable silence. She knew what he had on his mind—it was the same thing she had on hers. Josh didn’t need to get married anymore. He could be Jace and Chloe’s father without having a wife. He didn’t need her anymore.
“Charlie?” She jumped as Josh shattered the silence.
“Yes?”
“What are you thinking?”
“I don’t know. What are you thinking?”
“I asked you first.”
“Well... I was thinking... I bet you’re glad you haven’t already given me a ring.”
“Does that mean you think we should call off the wedding?”