She stopped and turned, putting her hands flat on his desk. “This is important, Ken, and I don’t understand why you’re reluctant to go over this paperwork with me.”
He set the columnar pad aside and picked up the manila envelope she’d brought in with her. “I’m not reluctant. I just don’t understand what the big deal is.”
“It isn’t a big deal right now, but if something happens to me, it might become a big deal,” Daisy said.
She angled her body and slowly sat in the chair across from him. He pulled out the stack of papers. The first one was titled “Last Will and Testament.” He also saw a notarized statement, a living will, and sealed envelopes addressed to both her parents and his.
“Why are you making such a fuss about this?” he asked. She’d used a purple sticky note to flag a page on the will, so he turned to it. He frowned as he read the words.
In the event of my death before all the adoption paperwork can be finalized, I leave my first-born child to my husband, Kenneth Dixon. He is listed as the father on the birth certificate and is going through the adoption proceedings at the earliest available time. In attachment C, you will find the signed and sealed Voluntary Surrender of Parental Rights received from the child’s natural father.
“Honey, do you really think all this is necessary?” He stood and walked around the desk, sitting in the chair next to hers. When her eyes filled with tears, he wanted to soothe her and make all of her fear go away, but he didn’t know how to.
“Ken, I just feel like this is important,” she said, breathing hard, “Like, I don’t want to wish we had.”
“What do you think is gonna happen?”
She waved his words away like batting at a fly. “If something happens to me, you need to be legally covered to take custody. Too many people know you aren’t the biological father. I don’t want anyone to take advantage of that and take the baby from you.” Her voice ended on a high-pitched hiccup.
His jaw clenched at her words. Despite both of them knowing that he considered this baby completely his, he understood what she meant. “Nothing is going to happen.”
“Will you please just initial and sign, then keep the letters here?”
“Of course.” He took one of her hands in both of his. “What are these letters to our parents?”
She looked at their joined hands and then met his gaze. “The one to my parents is to ensure they understand how I feel about you taking the baby and to appeal to them not to fight it. The one to your parents is to ask them to support you in raising the baby and not try to convince you to give it up.”
He closed his eyes, begging God to keep him from snapping in impatience at his very pregnant, very hormonal, and nearly hysterical wife. She’d had the same dream three nights in a row and hadn’t been the same since the first one.
Finally, he said, “I’ll sign the legal forms. You take them and file them. I’ll keep the envelopes with me. But I won’t need them because nothing is going to happen.”
“One more thing,” she stated. “I also signed a living will, but I want you to hear me. If it comes down to the baby or me, you save that baby. Do you understand?”
He knew a lot could go wrong during childbirth. He also knew that it almost never came down to an even choice between which person survived. Either the child or the mother would have a better chance. If it came down to it, he would make the logical choice. He also didn’t want to lie to his wife. But informing her that he understood her wishes was not really lying. It took him several heartbeats to say, “I understand.”
Immediately, she relaxed, and a smile lit her up as the tears faded away. “It’s such a relief to finish it. Maybe now that I’ve taken care of this, the dream will go away.”
“Yes, now your mind can rest. And so can you.”
She cupped his cheek with her hand. He leaned into her touch, savoring it. “I know you’re tolerating this. I appreciate it, though. I’m an attorney. It’s just that I understand the legalities of what can happen. Now I know what can’t happen.” She stood and handed him a pen. “Sign where I’ve marked, and I’ll go file everything.”
Daisyfollowed Ken into Brad and Valerie’s house. She felt immensely pregnant today, more than ever. Maybe because today marked her due date, and nothing at all gave any indication that she’d go into labor anytime soon.
At least she’d slept for the last week. The second she had all the paperwork filed and legal, her dreams faded, and sleep returned.
She walked into the living room and found Valerie lying in a recliner with her feet up. She had passed her due date almost a full week ago. Her doctor had told her they would consider inducing her if she didn’t deliver today or tomorrow.
“Hi, you.” Daisy perched on the edge of the couch. “How are you?”
Valerie screwed her face up and rubbed her hip. “I will be much better by this time next week. I feel confident about that.”
As they talked, Alex strolled into the room. Daisy had never seen anyone so graceful and poised while pregnant. Alexandra had barely gained any weight, and if she didn’t have such a large stomach, no one could have told she was due in a week. She rubbed the sides of her belly and said, “Brad laid out some breakfast makings for us in the kitchen.”
Brad, Ken, and Jon all prepared to leave. They planned to be in their conference room by seven-thirty. Ken bent and kissed her and said, “This will be the fastest annual meeting in recorded history. I promise.”
“Especially since I’m running it,” Brad said, scrolling through his phone.
From the kitchen, Alex’s cousin Jeremy came into the room. He carried a thick leather book and sat on the corner of the couch. “I got this. You guys go on.”
