Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Lachlan
My eyes slowly blink open, and I smile when I see Maggie curled up next to me. Her arm rests over my chest, and her leg is tossed over mine. I could definitely get used to waking up like this. I was shocked when she asked for me to stay last night, and even more so when she agreed to let me hold her. It would have been pure torture to sleep next to her and not be able to feel her warmth in my arms.
She starts to stir, and I can feel the moment she’s fully awake. Her body stiffens slightly, and I trace my hand gently up her spine until she relaxes her body back into mine.
“Morning, Momma.” I smile, because I could really get used to waking up like this.
“Good morning. Thank you for staying,” she rasps, her voice still laced with sleep.
“No place I’d rather be.” She starts to move, and I wrap my arm around her, holding her close. “Where are you going?” I keep my tone light.
“I’m crowding you.”
“You’re not crowding me. I’m holding you, Maggie. There’s a difference.”
She lifts her head to smile at me. “I need to pee too,” she says.
“Fine,” I grumble. “I’ll do the same and meet you back here in five.” She furrows her brow. “We’re snuggling, Mags. Five minutes.” I bop my fingers against her nose, and she starts to laugh, when panic crosses her face.
“Don’t make me laugh.” She scrambles from the bed, her baby bump pressing against my T-shirt. I don’t take my eyes off her until she disappears behind the bathroom door. Only then do I climb out of bed and go to the bathroom down the hall. I detour to the kitchen and start a pot of coffee. I know she still likes her one small cup a day.
I grab a new bottle of water for both of us, go back to her room, and perch on the side of the bed, downing my water in one go. “What do you want to eat for breakfast?” I ask her when she steps out of the bathroom.
“Um, I don’t know. I might just make some eggs and toast or something.”
I think about it, but then I have a better idea. “Get dressed. We’re going to my parents' for breakfast.”
“We are? Was this planned and I forgot?” She wrinkles her nose as if she’s trying to remember and can’t.
“No. It wasn’t planned, but it’s about to be.”
Leaning over, I grab my cell phone from the nightstand, unplug it from the charger, and call my mom. She answers on the first ring. “Hey, Mom,” I greet.
“Lachlan, what’s wrong?” she asks immediately, making me laugh.
“Nothing is wrong, but I’m craving some of your homemade buttermilk pancakes and some bacon.”
She laughs. “What time?”
“An hour?”
“We’ll be ready. Oh, and, Lachlan, bring Maggie.”
“I was planning on it. In fact, I’m bringing two guests, and no, the baby does not count, so technically, I’m bringing three guests.”
“Sounds good. Drive safe. I’ll see you in an hour.” I end the call and smile at Maggie.
“You just randomly call your mom on a Sunday morning and invite yourself to breakfast?” she asks in disbelief.
“Yeah. And I’m bringing you, peanut, and Grandma Doris.” Speaking of Grandma Doris, I dial her number, and this time, I put the call on speaker.
“Lachlan? Did we have plans today?” she asks.
“We didn’t, but now we do. Maggie and I will be there to get you in about a half an hour. We’re going to my parents' for breakfast.”
“Oh, dear, well, I’ll be ready,” she assures me. “See you soon.” I end the call, and toss my cell to the bed.
“You called my grandmother.”
“I did.”
“Why did she think she forgot plans with you today?”
Well, damn, I didn’t think this one through. “No reason.”
“Lachlan.” She tries out her mom voice as she crosses her arms over her chest. I bite my cheek to keep from smiling. She’s going to be such an amazing mom. Not just because she’s perfected the “talk now” look, but because she’s amazing, and our kid gets to have that every day.
“Okay, I’ve been there a couple of times since we told her about the baby.”
Her mouth falls open in shock. “You’ve been to see my grandma?”
“I have.”
“Why?”
“Well, when we were there, I noticed the faucet in the bathroom was leaking and there were a couple of boards on the porch that were loose, and I didn’t want her to fall, so on my day off a few weeks ago, I gathered everything I needed, picked up some lunch, and spent the afternoon with her.”
“You spent the afternoon with her?” she asks. “You fixed things at her house?” Her voice cracks.
“I’m sorry. I should have told you, but I wanted to help, and I thought if I told you, that you would think it was just because of the baby that I felt obligated or something. That’s not it at all. I wanted to help her.”
“You wanted to help her?” she asks, wiping the tears that are coating her cheeks.
“I did.” I nod. I start to stand because I can’t see her cry, but instead, she starts to take slow, steady steps toward me. I decide to stay put and see what she’s going to do.
“Is that all?” she asks once she’s standing toe to toe with me where I sit on the edge of her bed.
“Um, no. I might have taken my dad with me one day too. The back porch needed some new shingles, and he helped.”
“Your dad helped?” she croaks with a sob.
I can’t take it any longer. I place my hands on her hips, and widen my legs, pulling her even closer. She comes willingly. “I did. I was able to help. We were able to help,” I amend, “and we wanted to do it.”
“I’m at a loss here, Lachlan. I don’t know what to think about this.”
“I’m sorry that I kept it from you. I was going to tell you. I knew you would find out.”
“I talk to her every day and she never said a word.”
“Maybe she assumed I’d told you. That’s on me. I’ll make sure she knows I kept it from you. Please don’t be mad at me.” I’ve never begged a woman for anything, but for this one, I’ll beg every damn day. The thought of her being mad, of me being the reason for that anger, or worse, pain, twists my stomach.
“Mad at you?” Her brow furrows.
Lifting my right hand, I wipe the tears from her cheeks. “That’s why you’re crying, right? You’re mad I didn’t tell you?”
She shakes her head. “I’m not mad at you, Lachlan. I’m floored, flabbergasted, and touched beyond belief. Since losing my dad, no one— It’s just been us.”
“Not anymore.” I want to kiss her. I want to show her with more than my words that she and this baby and Grandma Doris are my family, but I don’t want to push her. “Now, you better get ready. We have to stop at my place so I can change and get a shirt before we pick up Grandma Doris.”
“I can give you this one back,” she tells me.
“Nah, it looks better on you, anyway. Go get ready.” I tap her ass lightly, and she gives me a watery smile.
She rests her palms against my cheeks and leans in, kissing my lips lightly. It’s way too fast, but I’ll take anything she’s willing to give me. “Thank you, Lachlan.”
“Always,” I tell her, and nod for her to get ready. We’ve got pancakes to eat.
“There they are,” my dad says as he opens the door for us.
“Were you missing me, old man?” I tease. He’s never at the door waiting for me to pull in.
“You? No. These beautiful ladies, most definitely.”
“Mom!” I call, laughing. “Dad’s trying to steal my girls.”
My mom steps out of the kitchen with a dish towel slung over her shoulder. “Lachlan Noble, we taught you how to share,” she scolds.
“See,” Dad taunts.
“Mom, this is Grandma Doris. Doris, this is my mom, Amanda.”
“It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you for having us,” Doris tells her.
“Any family of Maggie’s is family of ours,” Mom assures her. “Come on in. The pancakes are ready, and you better get to them before Rodney and Lachlan do.”
“Hey!” Dad and I call out, and the three ladies laugh.
“Maggie, sweetheart, look at you. May I?” Mom asks with tears in her eyes as she stares at Maggie’s baby bump.
“Of course.” Maggie smiles.
Mom reaches out and rubs her belly, which makes Doris do the same. “Come, let’s get you fed. Maggie, when do you have some free time for that shopping trip?” Mom asks her. I don’t hear Maggie’s reply, but I know she’s in good hands.
“Your girls, huh?” Dad smirks.
“I mean, we could be having a boy, but yeah.” I shrug.
“Does she know that?” He nods toward the kitchen.
“I’m working on it.”
“Good.” Dad nods and walks toward the kitchen with me right behind him.
When we reach the dining room, the ladies already have a plate and are digging into their breakfast. I go to Maggie, place my hands on her shoulders, and bend so my lips are next to her ear. “Do you need anything?”
She looks at the side to face me. She’s so close I could kiss her, but I refrain. “No, your mom is taking good care of us.”
“Good.” I can’t help myself when I peck a kiss on her cheek. “What about you, Grandma?” I stand to my full height. “Can I get you anything?”
“Oh, heavens no. This is plenty.” She nods to her plate of pancakes, her side of bacon, and the steaming cup of coffee sitting in front of her.
“Mom?”
“Make yourself a plate, Lachlan. We’re all good here.” She smiles at me, and it’s one of those mom smiles that tells me she can see right through me. I’m not just being nice; I want to be everything that Maggie needs, no matter what that looks like. It's that one look from my mother that lets me know she understands that. I expect a phone call later, unless she talks to Dad first. My conversation with him should clear up any confusion she might have.
Maggie isn’t mine.
But I want her to be.
That’s all they need to know for now.
“Have you kids thought about a nursery theme?” Mom asks.
“Not yet,” I tell her, sitting next to Maggie with my plate piled high. I glance over at Maggie. “I think we want to find out the gender first, before we make any solid plans.”
“Makes sense.” Dad nods.
“Doris, Maggie and I are planning a shopping day soon. We’d love for you to join us,” Mom tells Doris.
“That’s sweet of you, but I don’t get around as well as I used to. I’m glad she has you,” Doris says.
“Grandma.” Maggie sighs.
Doris reaches over and pats her hand affectionately. “It makes my heart happy that you’re a part of such a loving family.”
“Grandma, I’m not—” Maggie starts, but my dad speaks up and stops whatever it was she was going to say.
“You’re both family now. Soon, we’ll have a little one to add to that list.”
Beneath the table, I reach for Maggie’s hand and squeeze gently. She turns to look at me. “No matter what,” I whisper, and she nods, blinking away her tears.
Dad starts telling a story about how I would beg for bread with sweet sauce when I was little, because I couldn’t say pancake. Everyone laughs at my expense, but I’m okay with it.
“I’m thirty-three and still love the bread with the sweet sauce,” I tell them.
“Maggie, if the baby has a sweet tooth like this one, you’re going to be on constant watch. Lachlan is a terrible influence.”
“What? Me?” I act appalled. “My son or daughter will know the finer things in life, like sugar.” I chuckle.
“Oh, well, you better plan to stay up with them all night when he or she is ready to party at 2:00 a.m. and you both have to work the next day.”
“Okay, so maybe we’ll keep it to the nights where Mom or Dad are off the next day,” I amend. Maggie’s laughing, her shoulders shaking, and I love it. I love how well she fits in with us. How easily she’s already a part of this family.
“You’re going to have to learn to say no to sweets.”
“Wait. Hold up now. I don’t have to say no for me. Right? Mags? Say it isn’t so,” I say dramatically, and her shoulders shake harder as she covers her mouth with her hand.
“You can’t very well eat cupcakes in front of your kid and not give them any,” Dad explains.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get them. I’ll just wait until the baby is asleep. Problem solved.”
“Yeah, until your son or daughter is old enough to know where you hide the goods. I remember when you were five or six, you wanted a Little Debbie cake, but it was so close to bedtime that I told you no. You pouted, but that was all. An hour later, I heard wrappers, and it wasn’t a sound a mouse would make. Besides, it was coming from your room. I snuck into your room to find you under the bed with a flashlight and the entire box. You’d already eaten two by the time I found you.”
That’s how the rest of the morning goes. Mom and Dad share stories from my childhood. Maggie and Doris soak up every detail, even sharing memories from Maggie’s childhood that include her parents.
I watch as they share a sad smile, but it’s a good smile too. It’s nice to talk about loved ones who are no longer with us. It helps keep their memory alive.
“Thank you so much for having us,” Maggie tells my parents an hour later.
“You’re both always welcome here,” Mom tells her. She gives Doris a hug, then Maggie, and finally me. Dad does the same and they walk us to the door, waving us off.
“I could use a nap,” Doris says from her spot in the passenger seat. “That’s more action than I’ve seen in a long time.”
“Grandma!” Maggie hisses out a surprised laugh from the back seat.
“What? I don’t get out that often. This was a nice treat. Get your mind out of the gutter. You’re about to be a mother,” Doris says, barely keeping a straight face. “Lachlan, keep her in line, will you?” Doris asks me.
I glance at Maggie in the rearview mirror and wink. “Sorry, Doris, I can’t say no to her. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to,” I admit.
“My goodness, you sure are something.” She smiles and hums the rest of the short drive back to her place.
We get Doris settled back into her recliner and she’s almost asleep before we’re even out the door.
“Thank you for that. She’s right; she doesn’t get around as well as she used to. This was a treat for her.”
“It was for me and my parents too. We got to know her better.”
“I don’t know how much time I’ll have with her, and today meant everything, Lachlan. Thank you for including her.”
“She’s our family, Maggie.” I wait for some type of reminder or comment about how we’re not technically related, but it never comes. “So, what do you have planned the rest of the day?” I ask her.
“Nothing. I need to go to the grocery store for lunch stuff this week, but other than that, nothing. Why?”
“Well, I was hoping we could go furniture shopping. All of mine is secondhand, and I think with the new house, it’s time to upgrade.”
“Really? All new furniture?” she asks.
“Yeah, I mean, I’ve pretty much saved everything I’ve ever earned and I’ve made a few investments. My house is paid for, so when I sell that after moving into the new place, that will be a big chunk I get back. So, what do you say? Feel like furniture shopping? We can hit the grocery store on the way home for you to get everything you need for the week.”
“On one condition.”
“Name it.” Nothing she could ask me to do for her would have me saying no, especially if it means I get to spend the day with her.
“Mexican for lunch.” She rubs her belly, and something moves inside my chest, almost as if a fist is squeezing my heart.
“Mexican it is.” I turn the truck toward Nashville. Glancing in the rearview mirror, I see the smile spread across my face. It seems to be permanent when the mother of my unborn child is around.