Jacqueline Diamond - The Surprise Triplets

Dear Reader Dear Reader Dear Reader Title Page About the Author Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Extract Copyright , Welcome to Safe Harbor, and please don’t worry if you haven’t read all—or any—of the previous books, because each stands alone. Each also presents unique challenges to me as a writer. When I sketched the storyline for this book, I had no idea how much research the writing would entail. Some of it was already in my files, such as background on embryo transfers and multiple pregnancies. And I had some experience in court matters, having helped cover several trials for the Associated Press and having served on a jury. However, I soon realized I needed to understand the special needs of children whose parents are sent to prison; how to arrange for such a child’s guardianship so she doesn’t end up in the foster care system, and how the sentencing would unfold in a courtroom. I’m grateful for the internet, a gold mine of information. When the internet doesn’t suffice, however, I seek out experts to interview. Luckily, I have a friend who’s a Superior Court judge and who explained to me what goes on when a sentence is handed down, as in the case of Edmond’s sister. My goal is to weave in the background so smoothly that it supports rather than interferes with the emotions of the story. I hope I’ve succeeded. Happy reading! Best, Jacqueline Diamond

Title Page The Surprise Triplets Jacqueline Diamond www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author ABOUT THE AUTHOR About the Author Dedication Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Extract Copyright Medical themes feature prominently among JACQUELINE DIAMOND’S more than 95 published novels, especially her Safe Harbor Medical miniseries for Mills & Boon American Romance. Delivered at home by her physician father—the only doctor in their small Texas town—Jackie moved with her parents and brother to Louisville, Kentucky, and later Nashville, Tennessee. She developed an interest in fertility issues after successfully undergoing treatment to have her two sons, now in their twenties. Her books include Regency romances, romantic intrigues, romantic comedies and mysteries. A former Associated Press reporter and columnist, she lives with her husband of thirty-five years in Orange County, California, where she’s active in Romance Writers of America. You can see an overview of the Safe Harbor Medical miniseries at www.jacquelinediamond.com and say hello to Jackie at her Facebook page, JacquelineDiamondAuthor .

Dedication For Kevin and Renée Brown, two very special friends

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The man and woman sitting in front of Melissa Everhart’s desk held hands as if about to jump off a cliff together. In a sense, that was what they were doing.

Be careful what you wish for, she wanted to caution them. But in her role as Safe Harbor Medical Center’s in vitro fertilization and egg donor coordinator, she was already providing them with full information. Any further warning would be an unprofessional insertion of her personal concerns.

“Most people who hire a surrogate and can’t provide their own eggs prefer to use a separate egg donor,” she was explaining.

“Why bring in a third party?” The woman, Bev Landry, an accountant in her early forties, projected a professional image in her tailored gray suit with a rose-colored silk blouse. Only the clenched hands in her lap betrayed her nervousness as she and her husband embarked on an expensive and by-no-means-guaranteed quest to have a child via surrogacy. An ovarian cancer survivor, she had tried to adopt without success.

Bev longed for a baby with all her heart. Melissa understood that yearning because she’d shared it.

“I’m not a lawyer, but I can tell you that while surrogates—or gestational carriers, as they’re termed—sign away their rights to the baby, it’s still safer legally and emotionally if there’s no genetic link,” Melissa informed her.

“That brings up the issue of legalities...” Bev’s husband, Mick, a rough-hewn building contractor, leaned forward aggressively. It was, Melissa judged, merely his way of taking control of a scary situation. “What protection do we have when we commission—if that’s the right word—a child?”

“We’re fortunate that California leads the world in safeguarding your rights,” she said. “I have several documents here on the subject, including new laws and court decisions favoring the designated parents.”

Mick glanced at the documents she handed him, then set them aside for later. “Thanks. And I’ll be the biological father, after all.”

“That’s right. Now let’s talk about how you would select your egg donor and your surrogate.” Although the hospital’s brochures covered all aspects of its fertility program, the information could be overwhelming. It was Melissa’s job to steer clients through the process.

If she deemed it advisable, she could also refer them to the hospital’s psychologist. And, starting today, she could offer them a free session with the hospital’s new consulting family attorney. Who just happened to be her ex-husband.

Her throat tightened. A year ago, without explanation, her ex-husband Edmond had given up a high-paying position in Los Angeles to join a tiny law firm here in Safe Harbor. Then, a month or so ago, he’d applied for a consulting job at the hospital. Despite her reservations, when the administrator had asked Melissa whether bringing Edmond on board in a part-time position would pose problems for her, she’d said no.

His new job meant they might occasionally have to work together, but since their divorce three years ago, they’d remained on civil terms. She respected Edmond’s abilities and had always found him easy to confer with.

Except on one issue. Edmond had vehemently opposed having children. Initially, Melissa hadn’t wanted them, either, but she’d changed her mind during their five-year marriage. As her thirtieth birthday approached, her longing for little ones to love had intensified to the point that she could no longer ignore it.

Hesitantly, she’d brought up with her husband the possibility of having kids. Edmond hadn’t taken it well, and to her shock, he’d then gone out and had a vasectomy without consulting her. Stunned by this high-handed maneuver and devastated that he thought so little of her needs, Melissa had left him.

The man she’d believed was her true love had turned out to be fatally flawed. Unfortunately, her post-divorce attempts at finding another Mr. Right had led nowhere.

Now she was going it alone, she reflected as her hand drifted to her abdomen, where it felt as if she had a watermelon strapped to her midsection. No telling how Edmond would react when he saw her condition. But then, he’d made his choice, and she’d made hers.