37. Jack #2
All I wanted was to skip to later tonight, but this was Maggie’s day.
I was going to enjoy every moment right along with her.
Taking my eyes off the road every few seconds to glance at my future wife, I really took her in.
Thought back to that day in her kitchen when she broke down in my arms after telling me she was pregnant.
How broken she looked, having no one else to turn to.
How trusting she was to let me take care of her from the very start, but never failing to tell me exactly how it was.
My father always talked about how I needed to be ready to enter a relationship. Granted, his talks never penetrated anything into my thick head back then, but he saw how quickly I skipped from woman to woman.
Take it slow, he always reminded me. Make sure you conquer everything you need to before handing yourself over to someone else.
The words echoed throughout my brain as I moved my right hand to rest on Maggie’s leg.
She placed her hand on top of mine. I definitely hadn’t conquered every demon that haunted me before giving myself over to Maggie.
Rather, I let her inside to fight them with me.
Maybe I could have done it on my own. Maybe Maggie could have recovered just fine after the embarrassment her father left her with that night.
But we didn’t have to. We gave in to each other.
Trusted each other with everything inside us, just like Maggie trusted me with our baby inside her.
The realization flowed through me that neither of us would ever be alone after this.
We had far too many constants in our lives to ever lie at rock bottom alone.
We had a baby on the way, for God’s sake.
Maggie squeezed my hand, like she knew exactly what I was thinking.
“I’m so thankful for you.”
“I am, too.” Her soft voice warmed me like a blanket. “I can’t believe this is where we are.”
“It was all meant to happen.” I squeezed her hand back. “Happy birthday, beautiful.”
A sinful smile played on her lips. “You mean…you meant to knock me up and bring me to Wyoming? All because you wanted a fake wife who would eventually fall in love with you?”
I scoffed. “Yeah, it was all part of my master plan. You can look at my notebook and my shrine to you if you want.”
A burst of laughter escaped her as she reached for the dashboard to steady herself. “Your shrine to me?”
My hand moved up to her belly. “This is my shrine to you.”
Tears filled her eyes, and I couldn’t tell at first if they were from laughter or a mix of emotions. Her next statement told me exactly that it was a mix of both.
“Then I'd better hold onto it for the rest of my life.”
***
Maggie’s jaw dropped as we entered the restaurant, and mine wasn’t far behind. Playing professional polo meant all the high-end luxuries—fancy parties, expensive dinners, exclusive restaurants. But this…this was another level.
The darkened dining room before us was littered with gleaming lights on the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the guests indulging in cocktails and mouthwatering dishes.
Tables covered in white linens held massive flower vases and candles as centerpieces, and the walls were upholstered with burgundy leather panels.
The hostess led us to a quiet booth waiting for us in the back corner of the restaurant.
Every step we took was nearly silent on the intricately patterned rug we walked across to find our table.
A small card next to the reserved sign was folded so it stood on its end, displaying a calligraphy of words I had to look closer to read.
Maggie, you have done more for us than we could ever ask for, and our daughters adore you. You are going to be a great mother. Happiest of birthdays to you.
Love,
The Rogers Family
Her eyes widened as she read the last line over again, then turned to me.
“The Rogers own this restaurant?” she asked in disbelief.
“The Rogers…” I trailed off, trying to remember where I had heard that last name before. Derek had only mentioned that a friend of his owned it. He never gave me a name, let alone a reason why Maggie would know who they were.
“Remember the girls we babysat? Kellie and Josie? They’re the ones you brought Neva the Unicorn to see?”
“Ohh,” I threw my head back as it dawned on me.
Those little girls truly did adore her. They were further proof of how nurturing a mother Maggie would be to our little fruit.
I shook my head. “I never knew they knew Derek. Small towns. Convenient for us, though, no?” I helped Maggie into the tall booth and held her hand until she scooted far enough for me to slide in next to her.
“Very convenient.” She smiled. “I love that family. They make me so excited for ours.”
Nodding, I said, “That was my first thought when we babysat them.”
“That was the night I realized how incredible of a father you’re going to be,” she replied, her eyes locking onto mine.
I held my breath for a moment, and she knew exactly why.
“That’s part of why you freaked out last night, isn’t it?”
I swallowed hard, barely offering a nod.
“Jack,” she reached to intertwine our fingers. “Do you know what a good father would do?” When I couldn’t bring myself to answer, she continued. “A good father would drop everything for his child. He fights for his family. He supports his family no matter what.”
My heart surged in my chest. I wasn’t ready to have this conversation tonight.
This day was about her, not me. But the way she spoke to me—the way she made me feel like there was no one else in the world she looked at like this, the truthfulness in her tone…
I believed her. I more than believed her.
I knew exactly what she meant, because I had done those things for her. For our family. For us.
I was going to be a father. A fucking father . And I finally felt ready for it.
“You’re right.”
Maggie didn’t say anything else. She knew the power of her words. She knew she was right, too, and she would keep promising me those words until our last breath.
“I don’t deserve you.”
“That makes two of us,” she whispered, turning up her lips.
When the waitress came by for our orders, Maggie asked for two waters and immediately began asking about the best meal on the menu. She ordered it on the spot.
We chatted through dinner, and I declined dessert, much to Maggie’s dismay. Her cravings were stronger than her will these days.
And mine.
Her disappointment didn’t last long, though. She glowed when I told her I had something extra special waiting at home.
The drive felt twice as long as it should have.
Nerves were building up in my system. My chest felt heavy, my throat felt tight, my mind was racing.
But this wasn’t the anxious demon I had been fighting off for years—I wouldn’t let him make a reappearance.
I had a family of warriors to defeat him.
These were nerves of anticipation. About Maggie’s reaction to her party.
About the people she would get to see. About the monumental step that we were going to take tonight, in front of everyone.
Maggie glanced over at me a few times on the drive home, and I could tell she wanted to ask me what was wrong.
Every time I caught her, I offered lame attempts at conversation, which ended up going nowhere.
She sat still in her seat, blushing every time she looked at her hands. She had no idea what was in store.
My anticipation reached its peak as I turned the knob on the front door handle. Five shivering fingers, one cold piece of metal. One turn and a push, and it would be the night that she would never forget.
And as soon as she stepped in, I knew she never would.