push him back. As I walk away, I throw him a grin over my shoulder. “I’ll have Gray do it for me.”
I plop down on the couch and pull up Mom’s number on my phone. She answers on the sixth ring.
“Sorry,” she greets breathlessly. “I left my phone upstairs while I was doing the laundry.”
“Has Dad put in the laundry shoot yet?”
“He’s actually working on it now.” Just as she says this, there’s a loud bang in the background, followed by a low muttered curse. “Not around the kids, Douglas,” she reprimands. “And that’s exactly why I told you to hire someone to do it.” I can just imagine her rolling her eyes. “I swear your dad is as hardheaded as they come. This is the second finger he’s smashed with a hammer today.”
“Eh. Take it easy on him. You know how much he hates hiring help. And you know he won’t admit he needs it. I think it’s a trait all men have.”
“No truer words have been spoken,” she says with a laugh. “Now,” she huffs out a breath, “tell me what Dr. Becker said.”
“Not much really. My blood work came back fine, which is good. He has me going in for an MRI scan.”
“That sounds serious.”
“I guess maybe it could be, but it could also be nothing. Dr. Becker doesn’t seem to be too concerned yet.”
“What else did he say? He didn’t have any suggestions on what it could be?”
I tuck the phone between my ear and shoulder and fold the small throw blanket. “With my symptoms, it sounds like it could be neurological. We went over my family medical history again, but I didn’t have anything new to tell him. It’s pretty much a waiting game at the moment.”
“Crap,” Mom mutters. “I didn’t think to tell you.”
I sit up straighter on the couch. “Tell me what?”
“Umm… well….” She clears her throat. “This is hard to tell you. Your grandparents, that is, my parents, weren’t my birth parents.”
“What?” I squeak. “What are you talking about?”
“I was adopted,” she answers quietly.
“No, you weren’t. You would have told me.”
“There was really no reason to tell you. To me, it wasn’t a big deal, so it’s not something I think about. I was adopted when I was a day old. In my heart, Linda and Robert Henderson were my parents, so I never even thought about trying to find the people who created me. The only thing I know is it was a closed adoption.”
“Wow,” I breathe. “This is… surprising. You actually look like nanna and papa.”
She laughs lightly. “I know. It’s strange, isn’t it? I always felt it was a sign that they were meant to be my biological parents. It’s not something I purposely try to hide. I just never talk about it because it’s never been a cause of concern for me.”
“I still can’t believe it,” I marvel. “So, there’s nothing you could tell me about them? Any illness or ailments in their families?”
I hear her exhale. “No. And with it being a closed adoption, I don’t think we would be granted access to find out.”
“Hmm… I’ll let Dr. Becker know. I’m sure it won’t make a difference anyway.”
“When do you go for your scans?”
“I’m waiting on Lena to call with an appointment, but probably tomorrow. I go back Monday for the results.”
“Okay. Well, I don’t need to tell you to call me as soon as you hear something.”
“I know, Mom. You’ll be my first call.” I get up from the couch. “I gotta let you go. I’ve got to put dinner in the slow cooker, so it’ll be done when the kids get home.”
“Actually, I was going to tell you I’m kidnapping them for the night. Gemma and I have mani-pedi plans. She wants to dress my nails up unicorn style—whatever that means.” She finishes with a laugh.
“You two have fun.” I pull the roast from the fridge. I’m setting it on the counter when I feel strong arms wrap around me from behind. I smile and lean into the warm embrace. “I’ll call you tomorrow about getting the kids.”
“Love you, Mols.”
“Love you too.”
As soon as I set the phone down, I’m turned around by my waist and hoisted up on the counter. Lincoln wedges his hips between my legs.
“Did I just hear that the kids are gone for the night?”
I slap my palms against his backside and yank him closer. Our mouths are only a centimeter apart. “Yep.”
Reaching around, he grabs my wrists and pulls my