call her. This was the local adoption agency I’d immediately gotten a good vibe about.
“Hello?”
“Hi Christina, it’s Kate Ryker.”
“Mrs. Ryker, hi, how are you?”
“Good, thank you. Just excited to hear about the good news you mentioned in the message.”
“Yes! I went through the paperwork you sent over, and everything looks really good. I found out in the reference check that your husband is an NHL player?” She phrased it like a question, though she already knew.
“Right. Yes. I thought I listed hockey player as his occupation, did I mess that up on the application?”
She laughed lightly. “Not at all. That’s what you wrote, I just didn’t know you meant … well, anyway, now I know why you left the income section blank.”
“Yeah … honestly, I’m not sure what it is annually. I know what my husband’s contract terms are, but—”
“It’s not something we need. That question is just to make sure you have the resources to care for the child when the adoption goes through. But I imagine that, and the private adoption fees, won’t be an issue for you and your husband.”
“No, it won’t be an issue,” I said. “So what happens now?”
“We can get you through the home-study process quickly. I have two pregnant birth mothers right now that I think you might be interested in learning more about.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m going to have Tracy call you early next week about setting up the home study if that’s okay.”
“That’s great! I’m so happy.”
“Me too. I look forward to working with you, Mrs. Ryker.”
“Thank you so much.”
When I hung up, I jumped out of my chair and squealed. This was finally happening. I had to call Ryke and share the good news. But when I reached for my phone, I remembered the other call I still hadn’t made and dialed another number instead.
“Dr. Chastain’s office, may I help you?”
“Yes, I need to schedule an appointment,” I said. “To get my tubes tied.”
***
I’d been on cloud nine since getting the call from Christina at Cradle of Hope two days ago. When Ryke finished his road trip, we were planning to celebrate over dinner at our favorite downtown restaurant.
I often daydreamed about our baby. Whether it would be a boy or a girl, what we’d name it and how it would feel to rock my own child to sleep. This was probably the excitement most pregnant women felt, and it was enough to keep a smile on my face all day long.
My phone sang out the song that signified a call from Ryke, who was in Nashville for a game tonight. I set down the blanket I’d been folding to answer it.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you,” I said.
“What were you thinking?” His deep, warm voice instantly made me miss him.
“I’m folding up the red and white quilt in the living room and I was thinking about that time we stayed all night on the roof with it,” I said, my voice dreamy from the memory.
“Mmm. That was a great night.”
When we were engaged, we’d had dinner on our rooftop deck one night. I still remembered what we grilled – steak, baked potatoes and sweet peppers. We’d gone through a bottle and a half of champagne, made love under the stars and fallen asleep in the hammock with the quilt wrapped around us.
“I miss you,” I said, curling up in Ryke’s favorite leather recliner in our living room.
“I miss you, too. And I just found out I have to go to Vancouver tomorrow for a meeting about contract negotiations.”
My heart sank. Tomorrow afternoon seemed like a long enough time to wait, but now it would be longer.
“Is it an overnight thing?” I asked.
“Yeah. Come with me. I can connect in Chicago and pick you up.”
I thought about it. “I might. I have to check my work schedule first.”
“Alright. I’m on my way to my pregame skate, so if you can go, look up my itinerary and change it around so we can fly from Chicago to
“Hello?”
“Hi Christina, it’s Kate Ryker.”
“Mrs. Ryker, hi, how are you?”
“Good, thank you. Just excited to hear about the good news you mentioned in the message.”
“Yes! I went through the paperwork you sent over, and everything looks really good. I found out in the reference check that your husband is an NHL player?” She phrased it like a question, though she already knew.
“Right. Yes. I thought I listed hockey player as his occupation, did I mess that up on the application?”
She laughed lightly. “Not at all. That’s what you wrote, I just didn’t know you meant … well, anyway, now I know why you left the income section blank.”
“Yeah … honestly, I’m not sure what it is annually. I know what my husband’s contract terms are, but—”
“It’s not something we need. That question is just to make sure you have the resources to care for the child when the adoption goes through. But I imagine that, and the private adoption fees, won’t be an issue for you and your husband.”
“No, it won’t be an issue,” I said. “So what happens now?”
“We can get you through the home-study process quickly. I have two pregnant birth mothers right now that I think you might be interested in learning more about.”
I couldn’t help the smile that spread across my face. “Really?”
“Yes. I’m going to have Tracy call you early next week about setting up the home study if that’s okay.”
“That’s great! I’m so happy.”
“Me too. I look forward to working with you, Mrs. Ryker.”
“Thank you so much.”
When I hung up, I jumped out of my chair and squealed. This was finally happening. I had to call Ryke and share the good news. But when I reached for my phone, I remembered the other call I still hadn’t made and dialed another number instead.
“Dr. Chastain’s office, may I help you?”
“Yes, I need to schedule an appointment,” I said. “To get my tubes tied.”
***
I’d been on cloud nine since getting the call from Christina at Cradle of Hope two days ago. When Ryke finished his road trip, we were planning to celebrate over dinner at our favorite downtown restaurant.
I often daydreamed about our baby. Whether it would be a boy or a girl, what we’d name it and how it would feel to rock my own child to sleep. This was probably the excitement most pregnant women felt, and it was enough to keep a smile on my face all day long.
My phone sang out the song that signified a call from Ryke, who was in Nashville for a game tonight. I set down the blanket I’d been folding to answer it.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you,” I said.
“What were you thinking?” His deep, warm voice instantly made me miss him.
“I’m folding up the red and white quilt in the living room and I was thinking about that time we stayed all night on the roof with it,” I said, my voice dreamy from the memory.
“Mmm. That was a great night.”
When we were engaged, we’d had dinner on our rooftop deck one night. I still remembered what we grilled – steak, baked potatoes and sweet peppers. We’d gone through a bottle and a half of champagne, made love under the stars and fallen asleep in the hammock with the quilt wrapped around us.
“I miss you,” I said, curling up in Ryke’s favorite leather recliner in our living room.
“I miss you, too. And I just found out I have to go to Vancouver tomorrow for a meeting about contract negotiations.”
My heart sank. Tomorrow afternoon seemed like a long enough time to wait, but now it would be longer.
“Is it an overnight thing?” I asked.
“Yeah. Come with me. I can connect in Chicago and pick you up.”
I thought about it. “I might. I have to check my work schedule first.”
“Alright. I’m on my way to my pregame skate, so if you can go, look up my itinerary and change it around so we can fly from Chicago to
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