Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Maggie
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going?” I ask Lachlan.
“That would spoil the surprise.”
“A hint?” I ask hopefully.
“My lips are sealed.” He makes a move like he’s zipping his lips and tossing away the key.
I spent the night at his place last night, something we’ve been doing since last Saturday after Kane’s birthday party. If I’m not at his place, he’s at mine. Every minute that I spend with him has me falling harder.
“We’re here,” he says, parking his truck outside a nondescript brick building just outside Nashville.
“And where is here?” I study the building, looking for clues, but I come up empty.
“Well—” He removes his seat belt and turns to face me. “—I booked us for an adventurous day together.”
“Did you forget that I’m six months pregnant? What kind of adventure are we talking?”
He reaches over and places his hand on my belly. “I’d never be able to forget you or our son, Maggie. Maybe adventure wasn’t the right word.” He points to the brick building. “We’re going in here to have a 3D ultrasound and then the next floor up, we’re booked for a couple's massage. Yours is pregnancy accommodating,” he adds.
“No way!” My mouth falls open. “How did you know I wanted to do that? The 3D ultrasound?”
“I didn’t, but when we were at our twenty-week appointment, I saw an ad for this place on the table in the waiting room. I picked up a card. I was sure you saw me, but I guess not.”
“No, I didn’t. Lachlan, this is amazing! I’m so excited. Thank you.” I lean toward him over the console, as far as my belly will allow me, and he meets me more than halfway to press his lips to mine.
“Today is our day. Just the three of us. Our little family,” he says, smiling.
“Our family,” I repeat. Our relationship has changed, but we haven’t talked about it. Instead, we’re just doing what feels right. For me, being with Lachlan feels exactly that.
I’ve let the insecurities of my past dictate my life for far too long. Part of me likes to think that I was waiting for Lachlan. That I needed his stubbornness to not allow me to push him away in order to break past the barriers my past had locked around my heart.
“Come on. We don’t want to be late.” Lachlan grabs his keys from the ignition, his phone from the cupholder, and exits the truck.
I know I’m supposed to wait for him to help me down. It’s his thing. However, I’m too damn excited to wait this time. I have the door open and my foot on the running board to hop down when he lifts me from the truck, placing my feet on the ground.
“You didn’t wait for me.”
“Because we’re going to see our baby today, Lachlan. In 3D!”
“We are.” He bends his head and presses his lips to mine. “Come on. Let’s go see our son.”
I’m practically skipping all the way inside, where the warmth from the furnace greets us, masking the cool November Tennessee air.
“Welcome to Mommy and Me. How can I help you?” the young receptionist asks.
“Lachlan and Maggie Noble, we have an appointment at ten for a 3D ultrasound and then the couple's massage after,” he tells her.
She replies, but I’m too busy running his words over in my mind. “ Lachlan and Maggie Noble. ” I like the sound of that far too much.
“Perfect. You’re with Clara today for your ultrasound. I’ll take you back to her now. If you’ll follow me,” the receptionist says.
With my hand locked in his, Lachlan follows the receptionist down the long hallway and stops just outside the door. “Clara, your ten o’clock is here.”
“Great, thank you, Ashley,” Clara says as we enter the room. “Hi, Mom and Dad. I’m Clara, your ultrasound tech.” She glances down at her computer. “My notes say you’re having a little boy. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Lachlan and I say to her at the same time.
“Mom, we’re going to have you get up on the exam table and pull up your shirt and your leggings down just past your belly.” Her fingers fly across the keyboard of her ultrasound machine.
Lachlan helps me up onto the exam table and takes it upon himself to pull my shirt up and my leggings down, tucking them just beneath my baby belly. Not giving a single care that Clara is watching, he bends and places not just his hand but a tender kiss on my belly.
“Ready?” Clara asks, once he’s standing to his full height.
I smile up at him. “We’re ready.” Lachlan squeezes my hand, and then it begins. Clara moves the wand around a little, then turns the screen so that we can see.
“There he is. Handsome little guy,” she says, moving the wand around. “Don’t worry, the package your husband ordered was the full deal, so you’ll get lots of printouts as well as a video copy as a keepsake.”
My husband.
“Really?” I ask, forcing my eyes from the screen to land on Lachlan. He nods and winks before his gaze goes back to the screen, watching our son.
By the time our session is over, I’m a crying, snotty mess, but it's happy tears. “I’ll have everything ready for you to pick up at the front desk after your massage. Enjoy,” Clara says, handing us back to Ashley, the receptionist.
“Now, the massage. You’re going to be up on floor three. Nala and Amber are your massage therapists today.”
“Thank you,” I tell her.
“Go ahead and get undressed to whatever feels comfortable for you,” Ashley says once we’re in the couple’s massage room. “Once you’re ready, just hit the green button on the wall, and they’ll give you five minutes from that point to get on the beds, covered, and face down. Obviously, the pregnancy table is for mom to be.” She smiles.
“Thanks, Ashley,” Lachlan tells her as she shuts the door, leaving us inside.
“Lachlan?”
“What’s up, Momma?”
“Come here.” I motion for him to come closer, and he does without question. His hands rest on my belly. “Thank you for this. That was incredible. I’ll never forget today.”
“The day’s not over, Mags.”
“I know, but I needed you to know what this means to me. Thank you.” I stand on my tiptoes, and he meets me, because I can’t get as close to him as I used to with my belly in the way. He kisses me softly.
“Come on. We have a massage to get ready for.” He winks as he helps me strip down to my bra and panties. I’m not willing to go further than that. Then he strips to his underwear. He helps me onto my massage table, letting his hands roam.
“You have to stop that, or we’ll never hit that green button,” I mutter, feeling my body reacting to his touch.
“The idea has merit, but we can do that at home.” He kisses my bare shoulder before pulling the cover up over me, going to the wall to hit the green button, and moving to his table, where he pulls the cover over himself. We’re staring into each other’s eyes, and the words that always come to mind when I think of him are on the tip of my tongue. A knock at the door stops me.
Soon. I’ll tell him soon.
“Now, where are we going?” I ask Lachlan. I’m relaxed from the massage, my belly is full from an amazing meal at my favorite Italian restaurant, and I have 3D pictures of our baby boy, as well as a video in my hands. The man I’ve fallen madly in love with is sitting next to me.
I’m not sure life gets better than this.
“Well, I have one last surprise for you.”
“Is it today’s mission to make me a blubbering mess?” I’m only half teasing.
“No.” He’s quiet as he drives. “Today’s mission was to show you that you’re not alone. It was to show you that you are my family, and not just because we’re having a son together. I wanted you to feel how special you are to me.”
“Your mission was to make me cry,” I tell him, wiping at my cheeks.
Reaching over the console without taking his eyes off the road, he takes my hand in his. “I promise you, Mags, it wasn’t. I hope those tears are happy?” he asks.
“They are. Every moment of today has been incredible, and I don’t know what you have planned next, but I’m certain it will be the perfect ending to our day.”
Resting my head back against the seat, I close my eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this content in my adult life, not since losing my parents. It’s a feeling I want to relish. That’s my last thought as I drift off to sleep.
When I wake, it’s to Lachlan running his index finger down my cheek. “We’re here,” he tells me.
“Where is here?” I ask groggily.
“At Grandma Doris’s place.”
Blinking a few times, I take in our surroundings. “Is that your parents’ car?” I ask, seeing the dark blue SUV in the driveway.
“Yeah,” he says, cupping my cheek. “I thought we could share the video and pictures from today with them.”
“Is there anything that you don’t think of?” I ask him.
“Not when it comes to my family. Come on. They’re waiting for us.” He flashes me a wide smile and climbs out of the truck. This time, I stay in my seat and wait for him. When he opens my door, I grip his shirt and pull him closer.
“Thank you for all that you do for us,” I whisper against his lips before kissing him softly. I quickly pull back, not wanting his parents or my grandmother to be looking out the window and watching us. Not that they don’t think we’ve been in this exact position before. I mean, we’re having a baby together after all.
“You and our boy are my world, Maggie. I’d do anything for you.”
Hand in hand, we walk into my grandmother’s house. The sound of her laugh fills my soul as we make our way to the living room. Lachlan’s parents are sitting on the couch, while Grandma Doris is in her chair, and they’re laughing and talking like old friends.
It’s been a long damn time since this house has heard that kind of laughter. After losing my mother, it was solemn and even more so after losing my dad. Lachlan Noble and his big heart has brought us back to life.
“There they are.” Grandma smiles. “Can you tell us now?” she asks Lachlan.
I glance at Lachlan and he shrugs. “I wasn’t telling them before you knew where we were going.”
“We’ve had the best day,” I tell them. I go to Grandma, bending to hug her where she sits, and then move to Lachlan’s parents, hugging them tightly before taking a seat on the love seat. Lachlan follows my plan, passing out hugs, but he doesn’t join me, not yet. Instead, he moves to the TV and inserts the flash drive into the back.
“So, I might have stopped by one day after work this week to make sure this would work,” he tells us.
“Are we watching a movie?” Amanda asks.
“We are. Sort of.” Lachlan nods. He grabs the remote and moves to sit next to me. “Today, Maggie and I had a 3D ultrasound done, and they made a video for us. We wanted to share it with all of you.”
“Oh my,” Grandma replies. She clutches her hand to her chest over her heart.
“We get to watch?” Mom asks, disbelief in her tone.
“You do.” Lachlan hits Play, and the movie starts. Sean was very active today during the ultrasound, and he even waved at us. At least that’s what I’m calling it.
“Oh heavens, he just waved,” Grandma says, her voice cracking with emotion.
“See?” I lean into Lachlan, and he puts his arm around me, kissing my cheek.
The room is silent as we watch the full ultrasound. Once it’s over, Lachlan stands and grabs the flash drive out of the back of the TV and shoves it into his pocket. “Thanks for meeting us here,” he tells his parents. He turns toward my grandmother next. “Thanks for letting us use your place as the meeting point.”
“You can surprise me like that any day,” she says with a wide smile.
We stay for about an hour just talking and catching up. We make promises to all get together soon, and then we’re on the road, headed back to his place.
“Thank you again for today,” I tell him as we walk into the house.
“Stop thanking me. Today was for me too. I got to see our boy, got to make my girl and our family smile, got a massage, and a great dinner with even better company. Today was purely selfish on my part.”
“I don’t believe that for a second.” I shake my head. This man is so giving and too humble to admit it. Never thought I’d see that from Lachlan, but I now know the man behind the smile. I know his heart, and I should because it owns mine.
“Ice cream and a movie?” he asks.
“Yes. I can’t think of a better way to end the day.”
“Go pick something, and I’ll bring the ice cream.” A quick kiss, and he’s stalking toward the kitchen to get our sweet treat.
“I think Sean is going to have a sweet tooth like yours,” I say a while later. “I’ve never craved ice cream like this before in my life.” I hand Lachlan my now-empty bowl to place on the table because I’m too full, too comfortable, and too pregnant to move right now.
“Aww, my boy wants to be like daddy.” Lachlan grins. He rolls over to his belly and lifts my shirt. “Daddy loves you,” he tells my belly. He places his hand over my bump and smiles up at me. Sean kicks, and Lachlan’s eyes widen.
“Was that? Did he just? Did that really happen?” he asks with reverence in his voice.
“He was telling you that he loves you back.”
His voice is gruff when he says, “I love you so much, little man. I can’t wait to meet you. Can you kick again for Daddy?”
Our boy does as his daddy asks and kicks hard.
“Holy fuck. I saw that.”
“Yeah, he thinks he’s playing soccer in there sometimes.”
“Buddy, you have to take it easy on Mommy,” Lachlan tells our unborn son. He kicks again, and the awe on Lachlan’s face will be a look I’ll forever remember.
This moment, seeing the wonder and the love in his eyes, will forever be replayed in my mind.
Lachlan sits up and takes my hands in his. He swallows hard, and the expression on his face tells me something big is about to happen.
“I love spending time with you. I love our nights with ice cream and movies. I love it when we’re with my parents and your grandmother. I love it when we’re with our friends or just the two of us. I love you here in my house.” He brings my hands to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “Maggie, you make this place feel like home.”
“I love our time together too,” I tell him when he finishes his speech.
“Can we try?” he asks.
“Can we try what?”
“Us. This. Being a family. Can we try? I know you probably think this is because of the baby, but it’s so much more than that. This is about me never wanting to be away from you. This is about me not being able to sleep unless you're in the bed next to me. This is more than just the fact that you’re the mother of my son. Maggie, baby, you’re the owner of my heart. I’m so in love with you. So in love with you that you’re all that I see. I want this with you. This life. Nights hanging out on the couch, or with our friends and family. I don’t want to co-parent with you. I want to raise our son together. In this house. In our house, because it feels like ours. I want you. I want our son, and I want a life with you. So, I’m asking you if we can try. Let me show you that you’re my person.”
Hot tears prick my eyes. He loves me. I can see the earnest look in his eyes. The man I’ve fallen madly in love with loves me back, and he’s asking for a future with me, the one I’ve come to hope for the last few months. I can tell by the way his jaw is locked that he expects me to fight him on this, and he’s right. Six months ago, I would have assumed it was because of the baby, but I know his heart, and I trust mine.
There is no question in my answer.
“Yes.”
“I’ll be—yes?” he asks, his mouth dropping open.
I nod. “Yes. I don’t need to try, Lachlan.” Leaning forward, I cup his cheeks. “I love you too.”
“Move in with me. Make this our home.”
Again, I don’t need to think about my answer. “Yes.” I want this. I want him and the life he just described for us. I want it all, and I’m not letting my past or my fears hold me back.
“Yes?” His smile could light up all of Ashby. “You said yes, right? I’m not just hearing things?”
“Yes. To all of it, yes.”
“Sean, you hear that, buddy? We’re a family. Mommy and Daddy love you so much, and we can’t wait to meet you.” He kisses my belly and then raises his lips to mine. The kiss is slow and easy. He shows me with his touch, with this kiss that I’m precious to him.
“I love you. I love how you put me and our son first. I love how you take care of us, and I love that you want this life with us as badly as I do. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that I want us to figure it out together.”
Lachlan stands, and lifts me into his arms, making me laugh. “What are you doing?”
“Taking my girl to bed.”
“Is this what I have to look forward to?” I tease.
“Yes. Every night for the rest of your life.”
“Deal.”
Just like that, every hope and every dream for us to be a family becomes my reality. This man, he’s my future, and I’m his. There is nothing sweeter than knowing our hearts are on the same page.