Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Maggie
I don’t know what I expected to happen last night, but it wasn’t that we would come back to his place and sleep. Just sleep. Lachlan held me in his arms all night long, and this morning he made me breakfast. The lines are blurred, and I, for one, am okay with that. We haven’t really spoken about how things are changing between us, but it’s there.
“The guys will be here soon,” he tells me as we finish cleaning the kitchen.
“Oh, so you should probably take me home,” I tell him.
“Why would I take you home?”
“Do you want them to know that I spent the night?” I hold my breath, waiting for his answer.
“Do you not want them to know that you spent the night?” he volleys back to me.
I don’t have to think about my answer. “I don’t care if they know.”
He nods. “Good.”
“I’m still in yesterday’s clothes,” I remind him.
“They didn’t see you, and we’re just going to be packing, anyway. You’re not going to be doing much because you’re carrying precious cargo,” he tells me.
My belly flips and I gasp, because it wasn’t my belly and his words that was the reason. It was the baby. “Oh my god, Lachlan!” I say excitedly as tears spring to my eyes. My hands go to my belly as I try to feel from the outside too.
“What?” He’s next to me in an instant, his eyes full of concern and panic. “Are you hurt? Is it the baby? Talk to me, Mags.” His voice quivers.
“I felt him. I felt the baby move.”
“What?” The panic and concern are gone and replaced with wonder. “You felt him?”
I nod, smiling. I take his hands, place them on my belly, and we wait. “There. Did you feel that?”
“No,” he says. He leans down and presses a kiss to my stomach. “Sean, it’s Daddy, you need to take it easy on your momma in there,” he tells our son. He glances up at me. “The book I read said that he can hear me. That babies can recognize voices when they’re born.”
“I read that too,” I tell him.
“I can’t wait to meet you,” he tells my belly again. When he looks up, his blue eyes are blazing. I lean down and kiss him. This moment, it’s so special and I’m glad I was here with him when it happened.
“If I keep kissing you, I’m never going to get moved,” he murmurs against my lips.
“What’s another week?” I ask, going in for another kiss. This is something we do freely now. We kiss all the time, and it’s getting harder and harder to hide my true feelings for him.
“I want to be there and be settled.” He nips at my bottom lip before standing.
“Fine. Where do we start?” I ask.
“Well, I was hoping you could help me pack, but you’re not allowed to lift a finger. I’ll have boxes made up for you and you can just add things to them. When they’re full, let me know and I’ll move it out of the way and get you another one.”
“Yes, sir.” I salute him.
“Mags.” His tone is warning, and I smile cheekily.
“Lachlan?”
He points his index finger at me as he takes a few steps back. “You, my beautiful girl, are trouble.” He winks, then turns to head to the garage to grab boxes he’s been collecting since his offer was accepted on the house. I dry the dishes he just washed and lay them out on the counter to pack.
“What are those boxes?” I point to the corner of the living room when he’s back in the house.
“On the nights I couldn’t sleep, I started packing. Mostly dishes. I only kept out what I thought I might need.”
I start opening cabinets, and sure enough, most of them are bare. “Wow, you’ve got a nice head start.”
“I do. I think we might be able to get this all done today.”
“Today?” My eyes widen.
“Yeah, I’m donating most of the furniture. The new stuff we picked out is being delivered today.”
“How are they going to get in?”
“I have to meet them there at noon.”
“Why don’t you take me home so I can shower and get dressed, and I can go over and wait for them? Maybe you can bring those.” I point to the boxes in the corner of the living room. “I can start unpacking for you.”
“I don’t want you lifting.”
“I won’t be. You can spread the boxes out on the floor, so I can access each one, and I’ll unpack slowly, I promise. Let me help you.”
He studies me for a minute, and I know he’s going to tell me no. Reaching for my cell phone that’s on the counter, I hit Brogan’s contact, putting the call on speaker.
“Hey, you,” Brogan answers.
“Hey. What are you doing today?” I ask her.
“Nothing much. Maddox is getting ready to head over to Lachlan’s to help him start moving.”
“Yeah, I’m here now. Listen, how would you feel about babysitting me today?”
“What?” she asks, laughing. “You need a babysitter?”
“Kind of. I want to start helping Lachlan unpack, but he’s worried I’ll lift something or that something will happen if I’m by myself.”
“Oh, that tracks,” she says. “If he’s anything like his friends, he’s got you up on a pedestal.”
“I’m pregnant, not eighty,” I say, irritated. I think he’d keep me wrapped in a bubble if he could.
“Yeah, but my guess is that you and that baby are his entire world. I can’t imagine him being any different from the others. Maddox, I’m sure, will be the same way.”
Lachlan steps around me and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling my back to his chest. He buries his face in my neck.
“Yeah,” I agree. My heart skips a beat as I accept the easy comfort that he so freely offers.
“What time are we doing this?” Brogan asks.
“How about I swing by and pick you up in about an hour? I need to head home to shower.”
“Oh, really ?” she says.
“Yep.” I hold back my smirk, knowing there’s going to be an inquisition. “I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon,” she agrees, and I end the call.
Placing my phone back on the counter, I turn in his arms. “There, I won’t be alone.”
“Good.” He kisses the corner of my mouth. “You and our baby are everything, Maggie. I know it seems over the top, but I can’t help it where the two of you are concerned.”
“It’s nice to know I have someone looking out for me.” It’s nice to know that he cares as much as he does, and I know it’s not just for the baby. He’s proven that time and time again. “Now, take me now so you can get back here and get to work.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He laughs, releasing me, only to grab my hand as we lock up his place, and he takes me to mine.
“We made quick work of that,” I tell Brogan as she breaks down the last box.
“We did. Now, what are we going to do?” The furniture delivery arrived right on time, and all set up, and these boxes are unpacked.
I glance down at my watch. “That only took us a little over an hour. I don’t expect the guys to be here for a while yet. Why don’t we run to the store, and I can stock his fridge, so that’s one less thing he has to worry about.”
“Oh, good idea.”
“I also want to make something for tonight.”
“Perfect. I know Lachlan said we could just order pizza, but I think some snacks, like dips would be nice too.”
“Agreed.” Grabbing my phone, I fire off a text to Lachlan.
Me: We finished unpacking. We’re going to run to the store just in case you get here before we get back.
Lachlan: Thanks for doing that. Be safe.
Me: Will do.
“Ready?” I ask Brogan.
“Yep.” Making sure I have my key on my key ring, I lock the door, and we head to town.
“How was your appointment yesterday?” Brogan asks once we’re in the car.
“Good.”
“Just good?”
“Great,” I admit. “We found out what we’re having. We’re going to tell everyone tonight.”
“Ah, so that’s the rush to have everyone over to the new place.”
“I think it’s a part of it. He’s also really excited to be able to host everyone.”
“Well?”
“I can’t tell you. You’ll have to wait until tonight.”
“Boo.” She laughs. “I get it. I think it’s… I don’t know.” She shrugs.
“I felt the baby move this morning,” I tell her, changing the subject.
“Really? Was it incredible?”
“Yes. I wish Lachlan could have felt it, but at least he was there for the moment.”
“Won’t be long, and he’ll be able to.”
“How are things with you all?” I ask her. “Still trying?”
“Yeah, and I’m late.”
“What? Really?” I glance over at her before turning my eyes back to the road.
“Yeah, just a couple of days. Three to be exact. I haven’t taken a test yet because I don’t want to be disappointed.”
“I understand that. I bought ten and took five of them. After all five came back positive, I stopped and made an appointment with my ob-gyn.”
“Maybe I’ll take one and not tell Maddox yet. He wants this so much. I hate to disappoint him.”
“No, Brogan, you could never be a disappointment to him. He loves you, baby or no baby.”
“I know. I guess I really want it too. He’s given me so much, and I just want to give him everything he’s ever dreamed of.”
“He has that. A baby would just be icing on the cake.” My heart goes out to her. I know how badly they both want this. I know they’ll have a family of their own one day. It couldn’t happen to a better couple.
“Thanks, Maggie.”
When we get back to the house, Legend’s, Maddox’s, and Lachlan’s trucks are all in the driveway. My car is barely in Park before the three of them appear and start carrying in bags.
“Gotta admit, it’s nice to not have to lug all of that in,” Brogan says.
“I’d have to agree.” By the time we make it inside, they’re already unloading all the groceries and laying them on the counter. “I can put those away. Go back to whatever you were doing,” I tell the guys.
“We’re taking a break. We have all three trucks unloaded. All that’s left is the furniture to donate, and I have a company coming Monday to pick it up.”
“I think I had them put all the new stuff where you wanted it,” I tell him. “You might want to make sure before the guys leave.”
“It’s perfect, and they’ll be back.”
“I’m going to head home and shower. We’ll be back at seven, right?” Legend asks.
“Yeah, that’ll give Roman and Forrest time to get home and chill a little before heading over. Thanks for your help.”
“Sounds good, and anytime. See you in a little while.” Legend waves and walks out the front door.
“Mags, I think we’re a little past these,” Lachlan says.
I turn to see what he’s talking about and see the pregnancy test I tossed in the cart for Brogan, just in case.
“It doesn’t hurt to have one on hand,” I say, my face heating. I don’t want to out my friend in front of her husband.
“Is that for me?” Brogan asks quietly.
I nod.
“For you?” Maddox asks.
“I’m late,” Brogan blurts.
“Late,” Maddox repeats. “So, what do we do?” he asks. His eyes are full of hope, and his voice wavers.
“I have to pee on that stick Lachlan is holding. I’m sure it’s nothing. Just stress.”
“It might be something, and it might be nothing. Either way, I’m going to be right next to you when you find out.” He takes the test from Lachlan’s hand and slides his arm around Brogan’s waist. “We’ll see you guys later. Maggie, thanks for this.” He holds up the pregnancy test as they head toward the door.
“I hope she’s not mad at me,” I say, worrying my bottom lip.
“She’s not mad. She’s the one who spoke up. That was a good thing you did for her.”
“She’s my friend. They both want this so badly.”
“It will happen for them. Who knows, maybe they’ll be announcing some news tonight like we are. Speaking of news, I called Pastry Heaven and had them make us cupcakes with a blue center. She worked me in, thankfully. They have white icing with blue and pink sprinkles, and I got white cake and chocolate.”
“Really? I love that. The kids are going to love it too.”
“Won’t be long, and our son will be a part of that group.”
His words fill me with joy, excitement, and most of all, love. For him and for our son.
“It will be here before we know it,” he adds.
I smile. “Thank you for all of this. I’ll give you some money.”
“You’re welcome, and no, you won’t. You take such good care of us,” he says, rubbing my belly. “I wanted to do this for you.”
I look into his eyes willing him to understand how much all of his support means to me.
“Fine, I’ll pay you like this.” He steps forward, wraps his arms around my waist, and kisses me. Just as with every kiss and every touch, fire ignites between us. Lachlan lifts me to sit on the counter, knocking over some of the food in the process, but he doesn’t stop kissing me. His palms rest against my cheeks, my legs wrap around his waist, and we’re as close as we can get with my belly between us. He takes his time, tasting me, and I let him because I crave his kisses, crave his touch.
“Thank you, Mags.” He slows the kiss, then rests his forehead against mine.
“You’re welcome.” He runs his hands up and down my back, before finally pulling away. I miss the heat of his body next to mine and his touch instantly.
“Let’s put this stuff away. I’ll then run out and get the cupcakes, and we’re going to try out that new mattress and bed. We’re taking a nap.”
Maybe we can test the bed out for something other than napping? I don’t say that though. Instead, I go with light and teasing to hide my desire for him—there’s no time for that right now. “You tired, old man?” I grin. He’s only nine years older than me, so he’s far from an old man, but I still tease him about it. Our age has never come up. We’re just Maggie and Lachlan, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I don’t notice the years between us. Some might think that’s too old, but I don’t notice the age gap when we’re together. It’s just a number on a piece of paper.
“Not tired, but I know you are.” As if his words give my body permission, I yawn.
“A short nap would be nice,” I confess.
“You don’t have to tell me, but did you take the test?” I ask Brogan, keeping my voice low so no one can overhear us.
“I did.” Her blinding smile tells me what her words don’t. “We don’t want to ruin your surprise.”
“Never. If you’re ready to tell everyone, tell them. This baby is a blessing,” I tell her.
“I know you’re supposed to wait until you’re out of your first trimester, but I don’t know if Maddox can keep it quiet that long.”
“Then don’t. Announce it tonight. We’re all here.”
“I don’t want to take away from you and Lachlan.”
“We’re family,” I tell her. “You could never take away. Only enhance.”
“Enhance what?” Maddox asks.
“Our lives.” I smile at him.
“She figured it out,” Brogan tells him.
“We’re not going to say anything tonight, promise.” Maddox holds up his hand.
“I want you to. You’re family, and we’re all here to celebrate new life. Your baby is a part of that.”
“No wonder Lachlan is so smitten,” Maddox teases.
“Smitten?” I laugh.
“Who’s smitten?” Lachlan asks, joining the conversation.
“You are,” Maddox tells him.
“Oh, that’s not new news,” he says, kissing my cheek. “Ready, Mags?”
“Sure, if you are?”
“I’ve been ready.” He turns to the room and calls, “Time for dessert!”
The kids cheer, and everyone else just laughs. They’re all used to Lachlan and his sweet tooth.
“For real, I need everyone in the kitchen. You’re not going to want to miss this.” He’s got my hand in his, tugging me toward the kitchen as he speaks.
“Uncle Lachlan, we love the dessert,” Rayne tells him.
“Of course you do. You’re a very smart girl.”
“Me too,” River says.
“Yes, you too.”
“Me.” Lilly raises her hand.
“All of you. Geniuses, I tell you.” Lachlan bops Lilly on the nose as we pass by Roman, where she’s sitting on her dad’s hip. “All right, here’s the deal. Everyone gets a cupcake.” He nods toward the box on the table. “Everyone has to bite into them at the same time.”
“Hold up!” Emerson raises her hand in the air. “You had a doctor’s appointment yesterday. Did you find out what you’re having?”
“We did,” Lachlan says proudly. “And you all are about to find out as soon as you take a bite of your cupcakes.”
My friends squeal in delight, as do the kids. The guys are grinning and reaching for their cupcakes, just as Lachlan told them to.
“On the count of three. One. Two. Three!” he cheers.
Everyone starts calling out, “Boy!” and their congratulations. I smile up at him. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen sweets in your presence that you didn’t have one.”
“I’m too excited,” he says, pressing his lips to my temple.
“One more thing,” Lachlan says, holding up his hand. “We also have a name. Maggie’s dad’s first name and my dad’s middle name. Sean Alan Noble.”
Hugs and pats on the back start up, and my gaze catches Brogan’s. She looks up at Maddox and the smile that lights up his face is one I see every time Lachlan looks at me. I know he cares about me, but could it be more? Could he be falling just as hard as I am?
“Also,” Maddox speaks up, “with Laggie’s permission.”
I choke on the water I was drinking. “Laggie?” I sputter with laughter.
“Work with me here, Maggie.” Maddox smirks. “As I was saying. With Laggie’s permission, my wife and I would like to tell you all that we’re also having a baby.”
The room erupts in cheers and more hugs and smiles, and I know that this is going to be my future. These people, they’re the best I’ve ever known. We celebrate our wins and our losses together. As a family.
My son is going to grow up with aunts and uncles, not by blood, but by love, and that makes my heart happy.