Same Time, Next Year

by Debbie Macomber

  “But he’s improving,” Charlotte told her.

  “When’s your baby due?”

  “July,” Charlotte said. “This is our second. Doug’s asleep. I also have a daughter from my first marriage, but Carrie’s working and couldn’t be here. I’m sure you’ll get a chance to meet her later.”

  “Our baby’s due in September,” Summer said, ending speculation.

  The women exchanged glances. “You’re just three months pregnant?”

  Miserable, Summer nodded. “I think something must be wrong. The first couple of months I was really sick. I’m much better now that I’m in Seattle with James. But I’m ballooning. Hardly any of my clothes fit anymore.”

  “It happens like that sometimes,” Elizabeth said with the voice of experience. “I wonder…” Then she shook her head. “I showed far more with Paul, my first, than I did with Christy, my youngest. Don’t ask me why nature plays these silly tricks on us. You’d think we have enough to put up with, dealing with men.”

  A chorus of agreement broke out.

  Elizabeth took the hors d’oeuvre platter out of the refrigerator. “The good news is I was blessed with three sons. The bad news is I was blessed with three sons.” She laughed. “My daughters are an entirely different story.”

  “I don’t know what to expect with this baby,” Summer told everyone, pressing her hand to her stomach. “We didn’t plan to get pregnant so soon.”

  “I’ll bet James is thrilled.”

  Summer smiled and nodded. “We both are.”

  “This is Leah,” Jamie said, introducing her other sister-in-law, who’d just entered the kitchen. “She’s Paul’s wife. Paul’s the author in the family.”

  “He’s very good,” Leah said proudly. “His first book was published last year, and he’s sold two more.”

  “That’s great!”

  “Let me help,” Jamie insisted, removing the platter from Elizabeth’s hands. She carried it to the long table, beautifully decorated with paper bells and a lovely ceramic bride-and-groom centerpiece.

  “I’ve been waiting for a long time to use these decorations,” Elizabeth said disparagingly. “My children didn’t give me the opportunity. It all started with the girls. Neither one of them saw fit to have a church wedding. Then Rich married Jamie and Paul married Leah, again without the kind of wedding I always wanted.”

  “Jason and Charlotte were the only ones to have a big wedding,” Leah explained. “I don’t think Eric and Elizabeth have ever forgiven the rest of us.”

  “You’re darn right, we haven’t,” Eric said, joining them.

  “They made it up to us with grandchildren, dear,” his wife interjected. “Now, don’t get started on that. We’re very fortunate.”

  Summer couldn’t remember the last time she’d sat down at a dinner table with this many people. A rowdy group of children ate at card tables set up in the kitchen. Twin boys seemed to instigate the chaos, taking delight in teasing their younger cousins. The noise level was considerable, but Summer didn’t mind.

  More than once, she caught James watching her. She smiled and silently conveyed that she was enjoying herself. Who wouldn’t be?

  There were gifts to open after the meal and plenty of marital advice. Summer, whose mood had been bleak earlier, found herself laughing so hard her sides ached.

  The evening was an unqualified success, and afterward Summer felt as if she’d met a houseful of new friends. Jamie, Leah and Charlotte seemed eager to make her feel welcome. Charlotte was the first to extend an invitation for lunch. Since they were both pregnant, they already had something important in common.

  “A week from Friday,” Charlotte reminded her as Summer and James prepared to leave. She mentioned the name of the restaurant and wrote her phone number on the back of a business card.

  “I’ll look forward to it,” Summer told her and meant it.

  It wasn’t until they were home that she remembered her meeting with Southworth. She didn’t know if she’d be in Seattle in another week, let alone available for lunch.

  Sadness pressed against her heart.

  James slipped his arm around her waist. He turned off the downstairs lights, and together they moved toward the stairs. “As I recall,” he whispered in her ear, “you made me a promise earlier.”

  “I did?”

  “You asked me to make love to you, remember?”

  “Oh, yes…” Shivers of awareness slid up and down her spine.

  “I certainly hope you intend to keep that promise.”

  She yawned loudly, covering her mouth, fighting back waves of tiredness. “I have no intention of changing my mind.”

  “Good.” They reached the top of the stairs, and he nuzzled her neck. “I wonder if it’ll always be like this,” he murmured, steering her toward their bedroom.

  “Like what?”

  “My desire for you. I feel like a kid in a candy store.”

  Summer laughed, then yawned again. “I enjoyed meeting the Mannings. They’re wonderful people.”

  “Are those yawns telling me something?” he asked.

  She nodded. “I’m tired, James.” But it was more than being physically weary. She felt a mental and emotional exhaustion that left her depleted.

  “Come on, love,” James urged gently. He led her into the bedroom and between long, deep kisses, he undressed her and placed her on the bed. He tucked her in and kissed her cheek.

  The light dimmed, and Summer snuggled into the warmth. It took her a few minutes to realize James hadn’t joined her.

  “James?” She forced her eyes open.

  “Yes, love?”

  “Aren’t you coming to bed?”

  “Soon,” he said. “I’m taking a shower first.”

  A shower, she mused, wondering at his sudden penchant for cleanliness.

  Then she heard him mutter, “A nice, long, cold shower.”

  * * *

  James had been looking forward to the ultrasound appointment for weeks. He’d met Dr. Wise, Summer’s obstetrician, earlier and had immediately liked and trusted the man, who was in his late forties. David Wise had been delivering babies for more than twenty years, and his calm reassurance had gone a long way toward relieving James’s fears.

  The ultrasound clinic was in the same medical building as Dr. Wise’s office. He’d said he’d join them there, although James wasn’t convinced that was his regular policy. Still, he felt grateful.

  Summer sat next to him in the waiting room, her face pale and lifeless. She hadn’t been herself in the past few days, and James wondered what was bothering her. He didn’t want to pry and hoped she’d soon share whatever it was.

  They held hands and waited silently until Summer’s name was called.

  It was all James could do to sit still as the technician, a young woman named Rachel, explained the procedure.

  Summer was instructed to lie flat on her back on the examining table. Her T-shirt was raised to expose the bump that was their child. As James smiled down on her Dr. Wise entered the room.

  A gel was spread across Summer’s abdomen. It must have been cold because she flinched.

  “It’s about this time that women start to suggest the male of the species should be responsible for childbearing,” Dr. Wise told him.

  “No, thanks,” James said, “I like my role in all this just fine.”

  Dr. Wise chuckled. Rachel pressed a stethoscope-like instrument across Summer’s stomach, and everyone’s attention turned toward the monitor.

  James squinted but had trouble making out the details on the screen.

  “There’s the baby’s head,” Dr. Wise said, pointing to a curved shape.

  James squinted again and he noticed Summer doing the same.

  “Well, well. Look at this,” the physician continued. “I’m not altogether surprised.”

  “Look at what?” James studied the screen intently.

  “We have a second little head.”

  “My baby has two head
s?” Summer cried in alarm.

  “Two heads?” James echoed.

  “What I’m saying,” Dr. Wise returned calmly, “is that there appear to be two babies.”

  “Twins?”

  “It certainly seems that way.” As the ultrasound technician moved the instrument across Summer’s abdomen, Dr. Wise pointed to the monitor. “Here’s the first head,” he said, tracing the barely discernible round curve, “and here’s the second.”

  James squinted for all he was worth just to see one. “Twins,” he murmured.

  “That explains a lot,” Dr. Wise said, patting Summer’s arm. “Let’s run a copy of this for you both,” he said, and Rachel pushed a series of buttons.

  Within minutes they had the printout to examine for themselves. While Summer dressed, James studied the picture.

  “Twins,” he said again, just for the pleasure of hearing himself say it. He turned to Summer and smiled broadly. “Twins,” he repeated, grinning from ear to ear.

  She smiled, and James thought he saw tears in her eyes.

  “It won’t be so bad,” he said, then immediately regretted his lack of sensitivity. He wasn’t the one carrying two babies, nor would he be the one delivering them. “I’ll do whatever I can to help,” he quickly reassured her.

  She gave him a watery smile.

  “Say something,” he pleaded. “Are you happy?”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’m still in shock. What about you?”

  “Other than the day I married you, I’ve never been happier.” He couldn’t seem to stop smiling. “I can hardly wait to tell my father. He’s going to be absolutely thrilled.”

  Summer stared at the ultrasound. “Can you tell? Boys? Girls? One of each?” Strangely, perhaps, it hadn’t occurred to her to ask Dr. Wise.

  James scratched his head. “I had enough trouble finding the two heads. I decided not to try deciphering anything else.”

  They left the doctor’s office and headed for the parking garage across the street.

  “This calls for a celebration. I’ll take you to lunch,” he said.

  “I was thinking more along the lines of a nap.”

  James grinned and looked at his watch. “Is there time?”

  “James,” she said, laughing softly. “I meant a real nap. I’m exhausted.”

  “Oh.” Disappointment shot through him. “You don’t want to celebrate with a fancy lunch?”

  She shook her head. “Don’t be upset with me. I guess I need time to think about everything.”

  That sounded odd to James. What was there to think about? True, Summer was pregnant with twins, but they had plenty of time to prepare. As for any mental readjustment, well, he’d made that in all of two seconds. The twins were a surprise, yes, but a pleasant one.

  “This news has upset you, hasn’t it?” he asked.

  “No,” she was quick to assure him. “It’s just that…well, it changes things.”

  “What things?”

  She shook her head again and didn’t answer. James frowned, not knowing how to calm her fears or allay her doubts. She didn’t seem to expect him to do either and instead appeared to be withdrawing into herself.

  “You don’t mind if I tell my dad, do you?” he asked. If he didn’t share the news with someone soon, he was afraid he’d be reduced to stopping strangers on the street.

  She smiled at him, her eyes alight with love. “No, I don’t mind if you tell Walter.”

  He walked her to where she’d parked and kissed her, then walked the short distance back to the King County Courthouse. His thoughts were so full of Summer that he went a block too far before he realized what he’d done.

  In his office, the first thing he did was reach for the phone.

  His father answered immediately. “You’ll never guess what I’m looking at,” he told Walter.

  “You’re right, I’ll never guess.”

  “Today was Summer’s ultrasound,” James reminded him. Hiding his excitement was almost impossible.

  “Ah, yes, and what did you learn?”

  James could hear the eagerness in Walter’s voice. “I have the picture in front of me.”

  “And?”

  “I’m staring at your grandchildren right this second.”

  “Boy or girl?”

  James couldn’t help it. He laughed. “You didn’t listen very well.”

  “I did, too, and I want to know—what do we have? A boy or a girl?”

  “Could be one of each,” James informed him calmly.

  “Twins!” Walter shouted. “You mean Summer’s having twins?”

  “That’s what I’m telling you.”

  “Well, I’ll be! This is good news. No, it’s great news. The best!”

  James had never heard Walter this excited—practically as excited as he was himself.

  It wasn’t every day that a man learned he was having not one baby but two!

  * * *

  Summer didn’t go directly home. Instead, she drove around for at least an hour, evaluating the situation between her and James. She loved him so much. The thought of leaving him, even when she knew it was the best thing for his career, brought her to the verge of tears.

  What she wanted was to talk with her mother, but her parents were vacationing, touring the south in their motor home. They weren’t due back for another month. Summer received postcards every few days with the latest updates and many exhortations to look after herself and their unborn grandchild. Wait till she told them it was grandchildren, she thought with a brief smile.

  This vacation was good for them, but she really needed her mother now.

  Without realizing she knew the way, Summer drove to the Manning family home. She parked, wondering whether she was doing the right thing.

  It took her a full five minutes to gather up enough nerve to get out of the car, walk up the steps and ring the bell.

  Elizabeth Manning answered the door. Her face lit up with warmth. “Summer! What a lovely surprise.”

  “I hope I haven’t come at an inconvenient time.”

  “Not at all,” Elizabeth said, ushering her in. “I was making meatballs. It’s Eric’s favorite. Today’s his bowling day, so he’s out just now. Can I get you a cup of tea?”

  “No, thank you.”

  Elizabeth sat down in the living room.

  “Would it be all right if we talked in the kitchen?” Summer asked after an awkward moment.

  “Of course.”

  “I…I’m aware that you barely know me, and it’s an imposition for me to drop in like this.”

  “Not at all. I’m delighted to see you again.”

  “I…my parents have a motor home,” Summer said, wishing now she’d thought this through more carefully before she approached James’s friends. “They’re traveling across the south.”

  “Eric and I do quite a bit of traveling in our own motor home. We visit Christy and her sister, Taylor, at least once a year. Montana’s become like a second home to us.” She dug her hands into the bowl of hamburger and removed a glob of meat. Expertly she formed it into a perfect round shape.

  “I really just wanted to thank you for everything you did the other night,” Summer said. “The party for James and me…”

  She suddenly decided she couldn’t burden this woman with her troubles. She would’ve welcomed advice, but felt uncomfortable discussing her problems with someone who was little more than a stranger to her.

  “When you know me better,” Elizabeth was saying, “you’ll learn that I love throwing parties. James has always been a special friend to our family, and we were so happy to find out about his marriage. Naturally we wanted to celebrate.”

  Summer nodded. “I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone so much,” she confessed, and then because tears began to drip from her eyes, she stood abruptly. “Listen, I should go, but thank you. I’ll see myself to the door.”

  “Summer,” Elizabeth called after her. “Summer, is everything all right?�
�

  Summer was in her car by the time Elizabeth appeared in the doorway. She hurriedly started the engine and drove off, sure that she’d done more harm than good with her impromptu visit.

  Wiping away tears, Summer went home. She walked into the house and up the stairs, then lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.

  She had to leave, but she didn’t know where to go. If she didn’t do it soon, she’d never find the courage. Only minutes earlier, she’d declared to James’s family friend how deeply she loved her husband. That was the truth, so doing what was best for him shouldn’t be this difficult.

  But it was.

  Sobbing and miserable, Summer got up from the bed and pulled a big suitcase from the closet. She packed what she thought she’d need and carried it down to the car.

  At the last minute she decided she couldn’t leave without writing James. She sat at his desk for several minutes, trying to compose a letter that would explain what she was doing and why. But it was all so complicated, and in the end she simply said he was better off without her and signed her name. She read it twice before tucking it in an envelope.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks. It wouldn’t be so bad, or so she attempted to convince herself. The babies would be less than two months old when the election was over, and then she’d be free to return.

  If James wanted her back.

  * * *

  James had seldom been in a better mood. He sat in the courtroom, convinced he must be grinning like a fool.

  His assistant didn’t know what to think. During a brief recess, he waltzed back to his office to phone Summer, whistling as he went.

  His wife might not have wanted to celebrate with lunch, but their news deserved some kind of festivity. Dinner at the Space Needle. A night on the town.

  While he was in his office, he ordered flowers for Summer with a card that said she’d made him the happiest man alive. Twice. He wondered what the florist would make of that.

  The phone rang four times before voice mail kicked in. James hung up rather than leave a message. He’d try again later. Summer was probably resting; he hoped the phone hadn’t disturbed her.

  “Judge Wilkens?” Mrs. Jamison, his assistant, stopped him as he was leaving his office.