specializing in postpartum depression. They were all in-patient facilities within a day’s drive from here.”
“And nothing?”
“It was an exercise in futility. No matter how much I pleaded, privacy laws prevented them from releasing any information. I left the same message for Liv at each place in case she’s there, ‘Just let us know you’re safe.’ I’ll call out-patient facilities today and do the same thing. Other than that, I’m at a loss. This can’t go on indefinitely.” Jade hated to involve the police, but the more time passed, the more concerned she became. She honestly thought Liv would have reached out by now. “One day, okay, I get it. There’s a lot of stress involved with caring for triplets. But we’re going on two days and postpartum depression or not, a text message would have been nice.”
“What happens if she doesn’t come back? Can you legally take them with you to California?”
“I’m not sure.” The same scenario had played through Jade’s head earlier. “If I just leave with them and she returns in a frazzled state, she could accuse me of kidnapping.”
“You don’t think she’d do that, do you?”
“Yesterday, I didn’t. Today, I’m realizing there’s a lot I didn’t know about my sister. Before I can leave with them, I would have to report Liv missing and the kids would go in the system. They’ll probably have to evaluate me and my home in LA before releasing them to me. I’m Liv’s only relative so I hope that counts for something, but I can’t be a hundred percent certain the girls won’t go in foster care. I need to contact an attorney.”
“I can put together some names, if you’d like.” Maddie eased Mackenzie into her bouncy chair.
“Thanks, but I’ll call the one Liv used to set up the donor paperwork.”
“You know who she used?”
“Ah.” Jade froze. Her brain short-circuited as she tried to cover her slip. Liv had wanted everyone to believe she used two anonymous donors. “She mentioned someone a few times. I’m assuming she has the name and number in her office. I’m sure I’ll recognize it when I see it.”
Maddie nodded, seemingly unconcerned. “Before I forget, today’s garbage day. Monday, as well.”
“That was on my list of questions to ask you.” She’d made many lists in between phone calls, ranging from to-dos to how-tos. There was satisfaction in checking off a task as she went about her day. “Would you mind watching the girls for a few minutes while I get it together?”
“Sure, I don’t have to be to work until nine o’clock so I have time. Take a shower and get yourself cleaned up, including whatever that black mark is on your cheek.”
“Black mark?” Jade walked into the small half bath off the kitchen and flipped on the light. “Are you kidding me?” She had a three-inch-long black permanent marker streak starting at the corner of her mouth going toward her ear. “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me.”
Jade had taken such a quick shower last night while Wes had watched the girls, she hadn’t bothered to look in the mirror.
“He was here for quite a while.” Maddie’s voice lilted with implication.
Jade rolled her eyes. Maddie must have seen his truck in the driveway. “We were just comparing notes, and he watched the kids long enough for me to shower and change.”
“Apparently it wasn’t long enough. You have some time, go do what you have to do.”
Jade ran upstairs and grabbed the bathroom garbage along with the bag from the Diaper Genie.
“I never thought to ask what you do for a living,” Jade said as she returned to the kitchen and lifted the lid off the trash can alongside the counter.
“I’m a court reporter. It’s nowhere near as glamorous as your job. I can only imagine what it’s like meeting all those celebrities.”
Jade inwardly laughed. Her job was far from glamorous. “I don’t just have celebrity clients, but they are the majority of my business. And let me tell you, those happy smiles you see plastered on the pages of magazines aren’t always real. Underneath they have the same fears and concerns as the rest of us. Sometimes I feel sorry for them. Every move they make, especially when it comes to their wedding, gets photographed and scrutinized. I can’t even begin to tell you the lengths we have to go to sometimes just to get a client to a venue. It can be a logistical nightmare. Some days seem like they’ll never end, but I wouldn’t trade it in for the world.”
How was she going to run a business and care for Mackenzie, Hadley and Audra? She never wanted kids and now she had three. No. She squared her shoulders and tied the garbage bag closed. She had to stay positive. Liv would come back and everything would be fine. Jade opened the back door off the mudroom and almost tripped over three car seats sitting on the top step.
“Okay, we need to find a better place for these.”
“Oh my God!” Maddie jumped up. “Those are from Liv’s car. When did she put them there?”
“I have no idea.” Jade moved one aside and ran down the steps into the yard, hoping to find her sister.
“They are a little damp from the morning dew,” Maddie said. “They’ve been out here for a while.”
Jade wanted to collapse in the grass and cry. Where are you, Liv? She took a deep breath and plodded back up the stairs to the mudroom. “I don’t think I opened this door yesterday. Did you?”
“I did when I put the garbage in the can. That was sometime in the early afternoon. It had to have been after that.”
“Then she came back.” Jade’s heart rose to her throat. “But when?”
Jade closed her eyes and hoped it wasn’t when she and Wes had fed the girls in the kitchen last night. Liv would have had a clear view of them from the steps. Seeing the biological parents together with their children was the last thing her sister needed. She just prayed it hadn’t pushed Liv further over the edge.
* * *
WES HAD THOUGHT the worst mistake of his life had been the day he miscalculated Crazy Town’s spin direction and damn near died when the bull tossed and trampled him. He’d changed his mind when Liv told him the embryo transfer had been a success. It still hadn’t compared to the mistake he made last night.
There had been an uncontrollable force driving him to Liv’s house. He’d gone and done the one thing he’d sworn he never would. And now that he’d met his daughters, he couldn’t get their tiny cherub faces out of his head. His heart couldn’t handle seeing them again knowing they weren’t his to keep. Not that he wanted to keep them. Just the opposite. The sooner he got out of town, the better.
He’d spent most of the night down at the stables to avoid Garrett’s countless questions about Jade and her emergency. He wished Jade had just called and left a message instead of talking to his brother. Then again, if she hadn’t stalked him at the ranch, he never would have spoken with her and she knew it.
His phone rang, and he was almost afraid to check the display. It was half past nine and it could be anyone, from his management team to one of his
