Chapter 9
Tiffany’s sister, Maddie McCarthy, was counting days, too.
On Labor Day, which was only three short weeks from now, she and Mac would move to the mainland with Hailey and baby Mac until their twin girls arrived in mid-September.
As she watched Thomas play on the floor with Hailey and their indispensable au pair, Kelsey, who had been a godsend to them since she arrived on the island earlier in the summer, Maddie couldn’t bear to think about being separated from Thomas for as long as a month if it came to that.
“She’s wonderful with them,” Maddie’s mom, Francine, said of Kelsey.
“I know. I’m jealous of my own nanny.” Not only was she terrific with the kids, she took care of everything around the house and had become a friend to Maddie, who was confined to bed or the sofa until the twins were born.
At twenty-two, Kelsey was a recent college grad, majoring in early childhood development.
She had curly reddish-brown hair that she mostly wore up in a bun and hazel eyes that lit up with delight any time the kids did something cute, which was pretty much all the time.
Maddie referred to her as their “Disney princess” because she was so sweet that Maddie almost wondered if she was for real until she’d understood that Kelsey was as real as it got.
Her heart was pure gold, and she’d made such a difference for them as Maddie’s bed rest had fallen during Mac’s busiest season.
They were both more relaxed since the angel named Kelsey had come into their lives.
“Why are you jealous?” Francine asked.
“The kids like her better than me.”
“They like her better than everyone,” Francine said, laughing. “She’s got the magic touch.”
“I should be taking care of my own kids.”
“You are.” Francine laid a hand over the massive baby bump that seemed to grow exponentially by the day. “You’re taking care of these two while you have the very qualified Kelsey taking care of the other three.”
“How will I stand to be away from Thomas for a whole month?” Tears sprang to Maddie’s eyes at the thought of it. They’d been inseparable since his birth, when she’d been a single mother struggling to get by.
“He’ll be just fine with Blaine and Tiffany, and you know we’ll help and so will Linda and Mac. He’ll be very well loved, and you can FaceTime with him every day.”
“I know.” Maddie swiped at a tear that made her feel silly for being so emotional. “I love living on this island. You know I do, but sometimes…”
“Trust me, honey. We all feel that way sometimes, when we want something we can’t get right now the way people who live on the mainland can.”
“Or when we have to move to the mainland for a month to get ready to give birth while leaving one of our babies behind.” Earlier in the summer, their lawyer friend Dan Torrington had drafted a document giving Tiffany and Blaine full authority to act as Thomas’s parents in an emergency.
That they needed such a document had given Maddie nightmares as she counted down to D-Day, as she referred to their departure.
“Mac and I debated this a thousand different ways, and we were going to bring him with us until we told him he’d miss the first month of school.
He was despondent. More so than he was about not seeing us for a month. ”
Francine huffed out a laugh. “Welcome to the years when other people start to become more important to your kids than you are. It’s hard to take at first.”
“Sure is. I remember the first time we were out to dinner, and an adult said hello to him, and I was like, Who is that? It was the PE teacher at school, who I’d never met.”
“They don’t stay little for long,” Francine said, “and they start to get lives of their own separate from us.”
“I’m so not ready for that.” Maddie dabbed at her eyes as more tears leaked from the corners. She was on emotional overload all the time lately. “You don’t have to babysit me if you have other stuff to do.”
“Ned’s going to pop by to pick me up shortly. I wanted to see you and the kids.”
“Thank you for bringing dinner. I’m getting so spoiled with everyone bringing food. I’m never going to be able to go back to normal after this.”
“Everyone is happy to help out. Being on bed rest is a drag, especially in this heat. Why isn’t your AC on anyway?”
“The power is out. Has been for an hour now.”
“Oh Lord, I hope it’s not like the last time when it was out for days. We’ll roast to death if that happens.”
“I can’t imagine being any hotter than I already am. These girls are roasting me from the inside.”
“Dad to the rescue,” Mac said as he came through the slider that Kelsey had opened to let in some air. “I come bearing a generator.”
“For the fridge, right?” Maddie asked, happy to see him as usual. Everything was better when he was around, and it had been that way from the day they met.
“I’m going to rig it up so we get some AC down here, too.”
“God bless you. My hero.”
Mac came over to the sofa and bent to kiss her. “I can’t have my baby mama roasting to death.”
“Any word from Adam?”
Mac shook his head. “Not yet.”
“Are you worried?”
“A little.”
After what they’d gone through losing their son Connor in utero, the thought of that pain befalling his beloved brother and sister-in-law was unbearable, especially since Abby’s pregnancy was such a miracle to begin with.
“Are they still due back for the party?” Maddie asked.
“I haven’t heard otherwise.”
She took a deep breath and released it, saying a silent prayer for her sweet sister-in-law, who’d already been through enough. If anyone deserved a smooth, easy pregnancy, it was Abby.
For her part, Maddie couldn’t wait to never be pregnant again. Mac was getting a vasectomy as soon as possible. She was never having sex with him again unless he got that taken care of. “Is the party still on?”
“As far as I know. I helped Laura with their generator earlier, and she said Owen was bringing coolers of ice from the Surf to his mom’s.”
“Poor Sarah. Of all the things to happen on her big day.”
“It’ll be fine. Islanders are hardy folks.” In a matter of minutes, he had the generator running from the deck, the fridge back on and the low hum of AC filling the room with cool air once again.
“You’re the absolute best, Mac.”
“I know, right?” he said with the irrepressible grin she loved so much. “How’re you feeling?”
“Huge.”
“You’re glowing.”
“I’m sure I’m quite a sight.”
“Best sight I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
“If this is the best sight you’ve ever seen, your eyes need—”
He kissed the insult right off her lips. “Enough. You’re beautiful, and that’s all there is to it.”
“And that’s my cue to get out of here,” Francine said when she heard the toot-toot of Ned’s horn from the driveway. “He must be busy if he’s not coming in to see the kids.” She bent to accept hugs and kisses from Thomas and Hailey. “Thanks for all you’re doing, Kelsey. You’re the best.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Saunders. This is the most fun job I’ve ever had.”
“We’re hoping she still says that when there’re five of them,” Mac said.
“I will be!” Kelsey said with her usual too-good-to-be-true enthusiasm. “I think I hear Mac waking up from his nap. Who wants to help me get him up?”
“Me!” Thomas and Hailey said as one.
“When I ask them that, they don’t even answer,” Maddie said when the three of them had gone upstairs to get baby Mac. She looked up at her mom. “Thanks again for the visit and the dinner.”
Francine kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Hang in there, honey. This too shall pass.”
“I’ve got to go, too,” Mac said. “I’m meeting my dad in fifteen minutes. You need anything before I go?”
“No, I’m good,” Maddie said with a sigh. She was bored out of her mind but would never tell him that when he was so busy running two businesses.
“I’ll be back in plenty of time to help you get ready for the party, and we’ll have some good fun with everyone.”
“That’ll be nice.”
He kissed her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “We’re in the home stretch, sweetheart. Almost to the finish line.”
“Keep reminding me.”
“Any time you need to hear it.” He kissed her again, got up and went upstairs to give the kids some love before he left, promising to be back in a couple of hours.
Maddie watched him go, envious of his ability to move around freely while she was forced to do nothing at home. She laid her hand over her belly, which was alive with activity at all times from two babies who never seemed to rest. “You girls are going to be holy terrors, aren’t you?”
Putting her head back on a pillow, she once again counted her many blessings, which included the twin girls who would soon take over their lives.
As Mac drove away from the house, he was worried about Maddie and how low she seemed as life swirled around her while she couldn’t do anything other than use the bathroom and take a quick shower every day.
The poor girl was stretched to the limit of her patience with sitting still, even if she understood it was necessary to protect herself and the babies.
Bed rest sucked. No way around it, especially with three other kiddos underfoot.
Thank God for Kelsey, who’d been a lifesaver this summer.
Hiring her had been the best thing they’d ever done, and he was hoping they could convince her to stay for the winter to help out after the twins arrived.
He worked like a madman so his family could have what they needed. Right now, they needed Kelsey.
Not to mention, Thomas, Hailey and Mac adored her, which was a bonus.
Mac drove to the island’s northwest corner and pulled into a dirt driveway that took him on a winding path to what had once been an alpaca farm.
The place was in shambles, with the roof crumbling, rusted farm equipment scattered about the property and a general aura of neglect clinging to the buildings.