Under Your Skin by Shannyn Schroeder Page B

somewhere. She was starting to come back, though. After a few weeks in her family’s house, surrounded by her brothers and helping with their dad, she had started to feel normal again.
    â€œYou’ll probably think of more questions, so feel free to give me a call. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
    â€œUnless you can make this decision for me, no.”
    Teagan smiled. “You’ll be okay.”
    Norah wanted to believe that. Teagan paid for her coffee and left a tip on the table. Norah walked outside into the glaring sun. Teagan had given her plenty to think about. Could she give her baby to someone else and not be consumed with guilt? She wasn’t sure she had the strength to walk away, but in her gut, she felt like it was the right decision.
    * * *
    Norah sat on the front steps waiting for Jimmy. He didn’t spend many nights at home these days, but he said he’d be here when she called. He was like that. She regretted not calling him in the spring or even the beginning of summer when she left Aunt Bridget’s.
    Although she hadn’t made a definitive decision, after talking with Teagan, she felt like adoption would be a good choice. She couldn’t say she’d bonded with this baby because she’d spent most of the pregnancy in denial and fear, but she loved it on a gut level. It was something she would never be able to explain.
    She wanted what was best for the baby and she didn’t think she was it, especially as a single mother. Yeah, Jimmy would help, but it wasn’t fair to him. Tommy and Sean would mean to help, but they wouldn’t really. It wasn’t in their nature.
    A huge part of her felt like a total shit for even considering it. She’d spent years feeling abandoned by her family. They’d sent her off to live with Aunt Bridget when she was just starting puberty at a time she needed her family most. She blamed Jimmy for that. They fought about it often over the years and while she understood why Jimmy had done it, old resentments still bubbled up from time to time.
    Now she realized that Jimmy was only a couple of years younger than she was now and he’d been responsible for all of them for a long time. Who could blame him for sending her away?
    The sun was sinking off to the left, still hot enough to warm her legs and make her wonder if she’d end up with a weird burn pattern. Her ass numbed on the concrete, so she shifted her position and leaned back on her elbows. Closing her eyes, she listened to her neighborhood. Kids down the block were running through a sprinkler. Some houses had windows open and she heard the noises of dinner being made and TVs blaring. Rush hour traffic hummed in the distance.
    The sounds of Chicago weren’t that much different than those of Boston, yet it felt different here. A shadow shifted in front of her and she opened her eyes.
    â€œHey, squirt.”
    She laughed at Kevin’s use of the nickname. “Not so little these days,” she said, rubbing her belly.
    He dropped a laundry bag at her feet.
    â€œI know you don’t think I’m washing your smelly clothes.”
    He shook his head. “Machines are still busted at my building. This is better than a Laundromat. There’s free beer.”
    He sat beside her. She waited for whatever he planned to lob at her.
    â€œI want this guy’s name, Norah. We’ve given you time and space, but the games have to end. This guy has a responsibility here.”
    â€œI know, but it’s not your problem to handle. I’m taking care of it.” She saw the barely controlled anger in his eyes. “I appreciate your concern. I know you’re worried about me, but I’m okay.”
    At least she told herself that daily, willing it to be true.
    Kevin jumped up. “This is bullshit. I’m going to call Aunt Bridget. I don’t know why Jimmy hasn’t already done that.”
    Norah shaded her eyes from the sun