To Love and Protect

“Fair enough. What are you in the mood for?”

They sat close to each other, their knees touching, their arms bumping. This afternoon was thousands of miles and nearly five years from their last lunch, but there were still similarities: the need to discover everything about him all at once. The sense of there not being enough time. The wanting that lurked just below the surface.

“Liz?”

“Hmm? Oh, lunch. Why don’t you decide for me?”

He placed their order, then smiled at her. “Nervous about tomorrow?”

“A little. I know Natasha is too young to remember me from my first visit. I just hope I don’t scare her. I’ll get to spend some time with her, but she won’t be returning to my hotel with me for a couple of days.”

“You’ll both need to adjust.”

“Me more than her.” She bit her lower lip. “I want to be a good mother.”

“Why would you doubt yourself?”

“Lack of experience.”

“So you’ll learn as you go. Isn’t that what usually happens?”

“I guess.”

What she didn’t say is that many new mothers had assistance from family members. There were other women around who knew what the different cries meant and what to worry about and what was no big deal.

“How old is she?” he asked.

“Four months.”

“Can she do anything? Walk? Talk?”

Liz laughed. “She’s just learning her multiplication tables, but we’re going to have to wait another week until she masters fractions.”

He grinned. “Is that your way of telling me no?”

“Pretty much.”

“I’m not a baby person. I don’t know from timetables.”

“She can hold up her head and will soon be rolling over.”

He leaned closer. “Sounds exciting.”

A wild and potentially insane idea popped into Liz’s head. She tried to let it go and when she couldn’t, she opened her mouth and blurted it out.

“Would you like to come with me tomorrow when I go see Natasha at the orphanage?”

Three

L iz shifted impatiently in the passenger seat of the station wagon. Beside her, Maggie Sullivan navigated the route from the hotel to the orphanage.

“Nervous?” the Portland-based social worker asked cheerfully.

“You bet.”

“There’s no need to be. All that’s going to happen today is that you’ll get a chance to spend some time with Natasha. If the connection is still there and you want to adopt her, then we’ll move forward with the process. If not, you’re free to leave.”

Liz stared at the other woman. “Does anyone ever do that?”

The pretty blonde smiled. “Not usually.”

“I’m ready to bring Natasha home.”

“Then we’ll make that happen.”

Liz hoped so. The foreign adoption process had been long enough to give her plenty of time to be sure of what she was doing. Her only concern lay in being good enough.

Behind her, the couple in the back seat talked quietly to each other. She’d met the Winstons last night at the hotel. Maggie had arranged a private dinner for the prospective parents to all get to know each other. There were eight couples and Liz. As the only single parent, she had found herself feeling slightly out of place.

Too many people going two-by-two, she thought humorously. Once again she found herself swimming against the tide. Of course this time, should she reach the distant shore, she would find David waiting for her at the orphanage.

She smiled as she remembered how shocked he’d been the previous afternoon when she’d asked him to join her. She’d been just as startled when he’d accepted. Did he have any actual interest in Natasha or was he just being polite? Liz wasn’t sure she cared. At this point she would take any moral support she could get, even that reluctantly given. Besides, it wasn’t as if spending time with David was a hardship. Just being in the same room with him was enough to get her hormones dancing and prancing.

They pulled up in front of the orphanage. Liz recognized the three-story gray stone building from her previous visit. This time the skies were clear and there wasn’t any snow on the ground. A few flowers clung to the bushes by the front door and there was a large garden around back.

But Liz didn’t care about the foliage or even the weather. Her concern and apprehension faded as anticipation took its place. After five weeks, she was going to see Natasha again. How much had the baby changed and grown? Would it take long for them to bond?

She bounded out of the car and hurried up the steps. The Winstons were right behind her, trailed by Maggie.

Liz pushed open the front door and stepped into the large foyer. Several people stood in front of the main desk, but Liz’s eyes were drawn to the right, to the man leaning against a wall. When he saw her, David straightened and approached.

Her heart gave a little shimmy. Already breathless with anticipation at the thought of seeing her baby, Liz found herself even more light-headed at the sight of him. Apparently her body really couldn’t take too much excitement.

He walked up, smiled and kissed her cheek.

“Your eyes are glowing,” he told her. “Somehow I don’t think that’s all from seeing me.”

Man, did he look good. A dark suit, pale yellow shirt and a tie. The combination of success and power made her mouth water.

“Some of it is about you,” she said. “Some is about the baby.”

“If I have to come in second, I’ll accept the position if it’s in relationship to your daughter.”

Maggie walked up and joined them. Liz introduced the social worker to David.

“You’re part of the Logan family, aren’t you?” Maggie asked as she shook David’s hand. “I escorted your parents on their last trip to Russia. They’re both wonderful people.”

“Thank you,” David said.