Dad By Choice – Marie Ferrarella

Besides, it meant nothing. “I told him his sister was capable of making her own decisions, and I wasn’t getting involved.” Dana sighed. “So you’re not going to see him again?” Abby’s mind strayed to the invitation Kyle had extended. She pressed her lips together, debating whether to say anything. Not to would be a sin of omission, and they’d call her on it if any of them found out. “Well, as a matter of fact—” Katie stopped pushing coleslaw around on her plate and came back to life.

“Aha!” Abby held up a hand before Katie could get off and running. “We both like seafood,” she explained calmly, though admittedly her inward reaction was not quite so calm—but again, that was too silly to talk about. They were all grown women, for heaven’s sake. “He mentioned knowing a restaurant I might like, then suggested taking me there. No big deal.” Obviously, that wasn’t the way her friends saw it.

Katie grinned. “Talking, eating—I call that real progress.” She leaned her chin on her upturned hand and gazed up at Abby, fluttering her lashes. “So, what’ll your firstborn be called?” Abby popped a French fry into her mouth. “How about Snoopy, after my best friends?” Hope laughed. “Works for me.” Abby rolled her eyes. There was no stopping them once they got going. “You are hopeless, all of you.” “Oh no, ever hopeful, Abby,” Hope told her with mock solemnity. “Ever hopeful.” A sudden beeping noise brought an abrupt halt to the conversation and had all of them looking down at their pagers.

“It’s mine,” Abby announced, seeing a familiar number register on the small LCD screen. “Maybe that’s Kyle,” Dana suggested, struggling to keep a straight face, “calling to find out what you’ll be wearing.” Katie grinned. “Tell him plastic wrap, and there’s a prize in it for him if he can peel it off you in under five minutes.”

Shaking her head, Abby rose. “For your information, it’s my mother’s office paging me.” The remaining three groaned in unison. “Better luck next time,” Hope called after her, as Abby began her quest for an unoccupied telephone.

Ellie just walked in on me a few minutes ago and laughed because a woman my age would still be writing in a diary like a teenager. But I must admit there are times when I do feel like a teenager, with things around me whirling out of control. So much to do, so much to keep track of. Especially now that William is gone.

Three years and I still miss him. Despite the ups and downs, the demands on my time, it’s been such a wonderful life so far. William was so good to me, helping me turn this dream of mine into a reality. It’s hard to believe that Maitland Maternity is almost twenty-five years old now, but I’m just about to hold a press conference to announce the gala anniversary party.

Pretty good for a poor girl who was once lost and pregnant herself. R.J. just knocked on my door, so I’d better end here. It’s “show time”! Megan Dear Reader, There’s never a dull moment at Maitland Maternity! This unique and now world-renowned clinic was founded twenty-five years ago by Megan Maitland, widow of William Maitland, of the prominent Austin, Texas, Maitlands. Megan is also matriarch of an impressive family of seven children, many of whom are active participants in the everyday miracles that bring children into the world.

As our series begins, the family is stunned by the unexpected arrival of an unidentified baby at the clinic—unidentified, except for the claim that the child is a Maitland. Who are the parents of this child? Is the claim legitimate? Will the media’s tenacious grip on this news damage the clinic’s reputation? Suddenly, rumors and counterclaims abound. Women claiming to be the child’s mother materialize out of the woodwork! How will Megan get at the truth?

And how will the media circus affect the lives and loves of the Maitland children—Abby, the head of gynecology, Ellie, the hospital administrator, her twin sister, Beth, who runs the day care center, Mitchell, the fertility specialist, R.J., the vice president of operations—even Anna, who has nothing to do with the clinic, and Jake, the black sheep of the family?

Please join us each month over the next year as the mystery of the Maitland baby unravels, bit by enticing bit, and book by captivating book!

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: 348e2ea9e4d5db9a
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 684,953 bytes (0.653 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 224
• Language: English (en)

Reading & Word Statistics

• Estimated Reading Time: 327.84 minutes
• Total Words: 65,568
• Total Characters: 362,181
• Average Words per Page: 292.71
• Average Characters per Page: 1616.88

Most Frequent Words

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