Her stomach turned over in anticipation of Michael’s reaction to her news. She knew he wouldn’t welcome it. It wasn’t that he didn’t love kids; he clearly adored his daughter. But she had broken his heart. Every month, he wrote to her, telling her how much he missed her, asking to get together. The letter was always returned unopened. He gave Ali a Mac PowerBook for her birthday. It was sent back to his office. She refused to accept the new hiking boots he offered, even though Michael had heard she needed a pair. Michael would not want to make himself vulnerable to another little girl.
Christy knew she had to tell him in person. Under the best of circumstances, this wasn’t the kind of news you could casually drop over the phone. “Oh, by the way, honey, we have an eleven-year-old daughter now. Isn’t that super!” No, this was a conversation to have mano-a-mano. Eve, their assistant, would stay with Renata for the weekend. Christy felt awful leaving her alone just one day after they buried Maria, but getting Michael on board was critical. Christy had waited a lifetime to find this man, and she could not risk her marriage over someone else’s child. But she had also made a promise to Maria. She couldn’t renege on that, either. She wouldn’t even have Michael if Maria hadn’t given her the courage to go after him.
The front door opened. Michael walked inside and smiled. Christy’s stomach still dropped at the sight of him, after even a short absence. She was blind to his imperfections, amazed that he had chosen her.
“Come sit by the fire, babe. It’s freezing out there,” Christy said. She had a cup of spiked cocoa waiting for him. I’m a CEO, a new mother, and a damn good wife, she thought, pumping herself up for the pitch. See, a girl can do it all.
Michael wasn’t interested in hot cocoa. He pulled Christy passionately to him, kissing her as though they had been apart for four years, not four days. Christy finally pulled away, burying her face in the hollow between his shoulder and neck. She worried that her husband would whisk her straight to the bedroom. Then what would she do? If she waited until after sex to tell him about Renata, he’d think he was being manipulated. Christy didn’t want that. Her relationship with Michael had always been honest; they’d never played games. But if she told him about Renata now, before they made love, it would ruin his mood for the rest of the trip. Oh, screw it. It didn’t matter when she told him. This was a mood breaker if ever there was one.
“I brought you something, Beegee,” Michael said.
“Honey, I told you to stop buying me gifts. You’re spoiling me.”
“You don’t want to deprive me of that pleasure, do you?” Michael said, making his sad-puppy-dog face. His employees and competitors would be shocked to see this side of him. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulled out a small, exquisitely wrapped package. “Here.”
Christy sat on the sofa to open it. Michael stood by the fire, watching her. The gift was from Sonny’s, a Denver jewelry store that was Michael’s favorite. Inside was a necklace made entirely of diamonds. Christy had never touched anything this beautiful. It looked like something a movie star would wear to the Academy Awards. “Wow,” she said. “Wow.”
“I saw it in Denver and couldn’t resist,” Michael said. “I wanted to cheer you up. Here, let’s see how it looks.” Michael put the necklace on her and then locked the clasp.
“I…I don’t know what to say,” Christy said, feeling nervous.
“Don’t you like it?” Michael asked.
“I love it. I love you for wanting to give it to me. I just…” Christy pulled back. “Michael, there’s something I have to tell you.” She couldn’t put this off any longer.
“You look serious. Is it about that article?”
“No, it’s not that.” Christy had been too preoccupied to think about that. Luckily, Katherine and Rick had handled the board at Monday’s luncheon, making them feel comfortable with their plan to repair the damage caused by Galit’s story. It felt like a year had passed since then. It had been four days.
“Maria died.”
“Our Maria?”
“Yes.”
Michael came and sat next to Christy, rubbing her shoulder. “I’m sorry. I know how much she meant to you. When?”
“Monday. And she did mean a lot to me. I loved her so much. But that’s not even the biggest part of the news.” Christy hesitated, wondering if her perfect world was about to implode. “Did you know she had a granddaughter she cared for?”
“I think I heard her mention that.”
“Yes, her name’s Renata. She’s eleven.”
“That’s a damn shame. Who’s gonna take her now?”
“I am Renata’s godmother.”
“What?”
Christy visibly gulped.
“You’re not thinking of taking her, are you?” Michael looked like he could hardly breathe.
Christy gave Michael her desperate, pleading face. The one that was usually irresistible.
“NO. NO. NO. There’s got to be another family, Christy. There’s no way we can take a child, not with our responsibilities and lifestyle. You promised me, Christy. This is the only thing I really asked you for.”
“Michael, there’s no other family. Why else would Maria have asked me to do this? Renata’s eleven; we just have to get through seven years.”
“Christy, parenthood doesn’t end at eighteen. It never ends. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you had a goddaughter before we were married?” She had never seen Michael angry like this.
“Would it have made a difference?” Christy could see that no matter what the outcome, she had already laid everything on the line. She wished she could take it all back.
“I don’t know, but you should have said something.” Michael looked at Christy with such fury that she recoiled.
“I forgot. I mean, who expects to take a child in when they agree to be a godparent?
