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Could she even have what she wanted? And if not, why not?
“Because you’re not married,” she muttered. She really wanted to take care of babies all day, every day. Gerty’s and Mike’s sure. Even Jane’s and Cord’s. But really, what she wanted more than anything was to be a mother to her own babies.
Since she had no idea when that would happen, the medical foundation seemed like a good idea, but she wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to maintain it. “It feels like a short-term solution to my issues,” she muttered to herself.
Her phone buzzed and chimed, and Opal reached for it, a measure of exhaustion behind both of her eyes.
Meet Spencer Alexander Hammond! her sister-in-law had sent. Immediately following that, the cutest picture of a sleeping newborn with a shock of the Hammond dark hair arrived.
Opal fell in love with the baby immediately, and her tears reared up again. I love him, she sent, the first to respond on the group text. With nimble fingers, she quickly tapped over to a private string with Easton and Allison.
I know your mother is there, Alli, but let me know when she leaves, and I’ll be on the first plane to Raleigh.
And Opal would be. As she got to her feet to go meet Tag for dinner, the sweetest feeling descended on her.
Being a mother is a most noble calling.
She put her hand against the doorjamb and paused, her emotions overcoming her once again. “And there are many ways to be a mother,” she whispered. She could get joy from West, from Allison’s new boy, from Jane’s who was coming, from any number of ways to take care of others who needed her.
Satisfied she wouldn’t break down in tears in front of anyone, she finally left her bedroom. Something had settled inside her with her father’s words, and she entered the kitchen, ready to leave it again.
“Headed out?” Gerty asked from the stovetop. “Or are you eating with us?”
“Headed out,” she said. “Where’s West and Mikey?”
“Oh, Mikey got something for him.” Gerty carried the eyeroll in her voice. “A baby pig. West squealed as loud as it did.” She giggled then, and Opal would’ve liked to have seen that.
The back door opened before she could pull it in, and Carrie and Kyle started to enter. Opal fell back a step to give them room, and she said a quick hello-and-goodbye, and left.
Outside, the farm had come to life with the introduction of spring rain and sunshine. The grass had greened nicely; the chickens had been moved back outside; Tag and Steele had been planting alfalfa for a couple of days now.
The farm wasn’t huge, but they weren’t in a hurry either. Keith had approved their planting plan, and Tag had been like a little boy on Christmas morning when that had happened. Opal smiled to herself as she took in the horses in the pasture across the dirt lane, and she wandered over to the chickens.
She’d kept them alive all winter, and she took a moment to speak to each one as she went by. “I’ll get your eggs tomorrow,” she said. “Okay? So be good layers.”
“There you are,” Tag said from behind her, and Opal turned toward him.
Her whole future opened up at the sight of him, and she smiled widely. “Here I am. I’m not late, am I?”
He still wore his work gloves, so she definitely wasn’t late. “Nope.” He pulled his fingers out of the gloves. “I’ve still got one horse in the ring, and Steele’s finishing up with a field right now. We’ve got to get everything put away for the night, and then I need to shower.”
Opal eased herself into his arms, though he said, “I’m sweaty and gross.”
“Mm, I like it.” She kissed him, glad when he returned the gesture.
A growl emanated from his throat. “You smell fantastic.”
She’d just gotten new body wash in the scent of apples and blossoms, but she didn’t tell him that. Number one, he’d only broken their kiss for the few seconds it took to tell her that, and she didn’t want to stop kissing him to talk.
Eventually, the warbling of the chickens entered her awareness, and Opal remembered Tag had chores to finish still. She could kiss him later.
“Your place?” she asked. “My couch? The stars?”
“Yes to all of it,” he whispered. “I need at least an hour until I’m back to my place.”
“I’ll go get dinner,” she said.
“We’ve got a while until the stars come out,” he said. “If you don’t mind. Otherwise, wait for me, and we can go together.”
