“I think you’re better off,” Vanni said.
“Oh, I’m sure of it. Did you know that I met him while he was in recovery from drug addiction? For a little while, he was wonderful. Sweet and charming and going to meetings every day. By the time we’d been married six weeks, he was back on tour, using again. But I screwed up, Vanni. I signed a prenuptial agreement. A very simple and uncomplicated one—if I remained faithful during our marriage, in the event of divorce I could collect alimony. There was no reason for a promise like that to make me nervous.
“But—his lawyer presented me with bills. Credit cards—credit cards that I didn’t even have! I immediately owed thousands of dollars, tens of thousands. I needed that alimony. To pay my share of his bills.”
“Oh God, the turd! Of course you did,” Vanni said. “You shouldn’t feel guilty about that.”
“I don’t,” she said. She smoothed her hands over her belly. “This happened right before I signed the papers, before the divorce was final. It’s irrelevant that he was already living with another woman.”
“Who’s the father?” Vanni asked as delicately as she could.
“I’m not able to talk about that, Vanni. I’m sorry. It was, in fact, a one-night stand with a complete stranger. A completely lovely, tender stranger. If I wasn’t pregnant, I’d get in touch with him, get to know him better. I could take my time figuring out if he’s really a lovely man—months and months longer than I gave Ross. But now it’s too big a risk,” she said. “He would know he’s the father. And what if he’s not as wonderful as he seemed? Vanni, I don’t really know anything about him except that he was nice to me for one night. Jeez, Ross was nice to me for longer than that and look at what he turned out to be. I just can’t take the chance. I can’t subject the babies to that.”
“Babies?” Vanni asked.
Abby looked down. “I just found out. Twins,” she said.
“Holy cow.”
“I know. That’s why I’m so big already.”
“So—what’s your plan?” Vanni asked.
“I have to hide out somewhere until the babies are at least a few months old. I figure after they’re here, no one on Ross’s legal team can prove I defied the prenup and ask me for the alimony back—but if anyone representing him discovers I’m pregnant, they might be able to subpoena tests to determine when I conceived. It was a little more than a month before the divorce was final—I’m scared to death that can be proven. Vanni, I can’t pay those bills I’m stuck with.”
“Have you asked anyone? Like your OB?”
She nodded. “It’s possible to determine the date of conception from prenatal records. I need to disppear until those bills are paid and I stop accepting the alimony, until the babies are older and Ross’s lawyers lose interest…
“So,” she went on, “I took a year’s unpaid leave from the airline and I’ll look around here for something to rent. My change of address is to my mom’s in Seattle and she’ll collect my mail and send it to me. I put my mom on my account in Seattle, and to keep the trail cold, she’ll wire me cash for my living expenses. Just six more months. Or so.” She got tears in her eyes. “Vanni, I don’t want his money. But I don’t have any other way to pay those bills, to live.”
Vanni reached out and put her hand over Abby’s. “Don’t you dare feel guilty about that! Good God, Abby—he cheated on you, lied to you, used drugs…”
“Yes, but I got pregnant.” She shook her head. “Except for that money I need to cover his bills, I’m going to find a way to give it back to him. Eventually. I don’t want his money. It’s like it’s stained. I just have to get beyond this. Then…”
“And you’re not renting something! You’re going to stay right here with us!”
“Oh, I can’t do that—”
“You’re not staying alone, pregnant with twins! I won’t allow it! Paul won’t allow it! We’re going to get you through this, help you regroup. We have a wonderful nurse midwife—Mel. You met her at Nikki and Joe’s wedding. But there’s also a fantastic OB right down the road in Grace Valley. And recently, a new pediatrician in town. An old friend, actually. So you see, everything is going to work out.”
Abby’s face melted into tears and she leaned into her hands, sobbing. Vanni immediately enfolded her in loving arms. “It’s okay,” she whispered. “No crying! We’re having babies! Wonderful little babies.” Matt crawled over to Abby, pulled himself up on her knees and began to pat her thigh, babbling. “That’s right—we never cry about babies.”