Matt and Maddie Shep make a very cute couple. Their names are even cute. But their lives are far from cute – in fact, they are both miserable. Married for four years, they want to have a baby, but nothing has worked. Years ago Maddie had one ovary removed for medical reasons, and she knew it would be hard to have a child, but she never dreamed it would be this hard. The disappointment, the emotional strain, and the pressure to conceive are tearing her marriage apart. It seems that all she and Matt can do is talk about why they can’t have a baby. The romance seems to be gone.
Matt is hiding a secret. Years ago, in a moment of temptation, he had a one-night-stand. He repented, served a mission, and did everything he could to live down his past. He saw no reason to tell Maddie about it. It was his past, and he wasn’t that person anymore. He had done everything in his power to live up to their marriage vows and to be a faithful husband. Why hurt her with the truth?
But then his past comes back, with a vengeance. The young woman had gotten pregnant, although she had sworn she wasn’t. She wants Matt to take a blood test to prove he’s the father. She doesn’t care if he wants to be a part of the child’s life; she just wants the child support. Matt is overwhelmed. How could she not have told him? And how is Maddie going to react? He can’t keep the truth from her any longer; it’s staring them in the face, in the form of a little dark-eyed boy named Walter.
Maddie’s reaction will surprise you, as will many elements of this story. Easily one of Josi’s finest novels, you haven’t read LDS fiction until you’ve read “Unsung Lullaby.”
(This book was published in 2006 by Deseret Book.)
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