***
Maggie woke up early. It was still dark outside, but the rain had finally stopped. She felt like that was a good omen. Michael had already left, but she wasn’t all that surprised. After the funeral he basically shut down. He quit speaking to her and just spent time with Melanie while Maggie packed their bags. She even loaded the car with more stuff than she had brought the weekend before. This was going to be permanent. She was going to return to Birch Valley, to her job, to her family, to her new life, and there would be no going back to Seattle.
The drive to Birch Valley was quiet, except when she chatted with Melanie, who was quite excited to go back to school the following day. They pulled into the small town fairly early; it wasn’t even ten yet. They had made excellent time, but Maggie felt exhausted. It wasn’t the journey that had wiped her out, but the emotional last couple of days she had spent in Seattle. She prayed she never had to go back there.
“Grams!” Melanie shouted as she exited the car and leaped into Mary’s arms.
“My precious little one.” Mary hugged her tight and planted a kiss on top of her head.
Maggie gave her mother a weak smile.
“I just put the kettle on for some tea,” Mary said as she led them both into the home. Maggie felt like crying. It felt wonderful to be back in the cozy O’Brien home, the place of her childhood, but she also couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t her home. That was something she had to figure out.
Melanie spotted her Uncle Daniel and bolted in his direction, leaving Mary and Maggie. They headed to the kitchen, where Mary placed two large cups on the dining table. She set out some Earl Grey tea, cream, and sugar.
“Sit,” Mary instructed Maggie, who quickly plopped down. “How are you, dear?”
“Oh, Mom.” Maggie knew the tears were coming. Mary captured her daughter in a secure hug, only releasing her when the kettle started to whistle.
“Tell me everything, sweetie.”
Maggie brushed away the large droplets that were trailing down her cheeks as her mother poured the hot water into the cups. “I don’t even know where to start.”
“Well, you went to your husband, you were there for him in his time of need. And somehow you came back here.” Mary had an unhappy look on her face.
“I know.”
“Oh, Maggie, love, I wish you could have tried to work it out with Michael.”
Maggie felt a sudden burst of anger erupt inside her veins. “I did try, Mom. I begged, I pleaded, and I loved him with every inch of my being, and have done just about everything in my power to save my marriage.”
Mary frowned and added cream to her tea. Maggie couldn’t stand the disappointed look on her face. She got up from her seat and stormed to her bedroom.
Maggie didn’t leave her room for the remainder of the day. Instead she hid under her blanket, nestled in its warmth. She could stay there forever, but her bladder begged her to get out of bed. After relieving herself, she spied down the hall to see if any of her family were out and about. When she didn’t see anyone, she snuck back into her room. There she slept until the room grew dark as night took over.
She heard the door handle jiggle loudly, and Melanie’s little round face peeked in. “Mom, are you awake?”
“Yeah, sweetie.”
“Grams says that dinner is ready, and it would be good for you to eat. She said that there’s a baby in your tummy that might be hungry.” Melanie wore a confused expression.
Thanks, Mom. Maggie gritted her teeth quietly. She hadn’t told Melanie she was pregnant yet, especially with everything that was going on. She worried it might be too difficult for her daughter to understand. She waved at Melanie to join her on the bed. After Melanie cuddled up close, Maggie circled her arms around her, placing her head on top of her daughter’s. She could smell the lingering scent of a fruity child’s shampoo, inhaling it deeply, she said, “Mommy does have a baby in her tummy.”
“Really?” She could feel Melanie pull away to look at her. “Wow, so Grams was serious when she said I was going to be a big sister. That is so cool, Mom.”
Maggie was thankful that her daughter was happy, at least for now, with the prospect of having a sibling. Maggie had been the youngest in her group of siblings and never got to experience how it felt to be a big sister.
“So is that why we moved here, Mom?”
Maggie considered her daughter’s question for moment. A distinctive yes was all that came to mind. “I think it is a big reason why we are here. I think it’s important for you and this baby to be around family.”
“What about Daddy?”
Maggie knew this was coming. “Well, we need to pray that he can join us here.” What else could she have said? Maggie felt like all of their futures were up in the air.
“Mom, I’m excited that we are having a baby, I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl,” she said as she softly rubbed Maggie’s flat belly. “So will your tummy get really big?”
Maggie chuckled. “Yes, it will. I was huge when I was pregnant with you. As far as what the baby will be, that is part of the fun, it’s a surprise.” They didn’t find out Melanie’s gender when they were pregnant, and took it as the one complete surprise that life offered. They couldn’t describe how exciting and thrilling it had been to find out when Maggie made her final push in the delivery room.
Maggie and her daughter lay on the bed together and discussed all the things Melanie wanted to name the baby. She came up with some really silly ones, but one stuck out that was quite promising. Maggie would keep that one in mind.
***
Maggie was thankful to be back to her new, real life. Melanie had linked arms with her as they practically skipped their way to the school. The air was warming up and filled with floral scents as flowers everywhere bloomed into colorful displays. They arrived at the school, happy and ready to take on the day. Melanie led Maggie into the building, chattering away. Maggie caught sight of Rachel behind the counter talking with Karen.
“Good morning, ladies,” Karen said as she gave them a wide smile.
“Good morning,” Maggie and Melanie replied in unison. Melanie let out a giggle.
Rachel’s brow bent with concern as she gave Maggie a tight-lipped smile and hugged Maggie. “How are you guys doing?” she whispered in Maggie’s ear.
“We’re doing okay.”
“Well, hello, Miss Melanie, are you ready to do lots of learning today?” Rachel asked, her voice pitched high as she squatted down to Melanie’s level.
Melanie nodded happily as a loud bell chimed throughout the building. Before she scurried off toward her class, she gave Maggie a tight squeeze.
“Have a good day, love you,” Maggie called after her.
Rachel stood close to Maggie and watched as Melanie joined the group of children headed to their classrooms.
Rachel’s eyes focused in on Maggie. “So how are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“I mean like the pregnancy and stuff?” Rachel asked carefully.
Caught a little off guard, Maggie answered, “I guess that is going fine too. I don’t feel nearly as sick now, so that is a relief.”
“Well, that’s good, right?”
Maggie nodded in agreement. “Rachel, do you think you’d ever want to have kids?”
Rachel’s mouth twitched. “Gosh, I honestly don’t know. Like, when we went camping together and the kids were in that RV with me, I thought, wow, I could totally be a mom. But that’s quite different, I was really more of a babysitter.” Rachel laughed uncomfortably. “You already know how my mom is, so I’m not really sure I would be a good one.”
Maggie considered that for a moment. “I think you would be wonderful. You are a loving person, and look at how amazing you are with the kids here at the school. They adore you, Rachel.”
“Do you think Liam wants kids?” Rachel asked.
“Probably, he’s always talked about settling down someday.” Maggie was curious where all these quest
ions were coming from.
“Well, coming from the type of family that you guys are from, I’m not all that surprised.”
“I think he would make a great dad,” Maggie added.
“I bet he would. Well, I’d better get back to work,” Rachel said as she glanced at the thin, silver watch on her wrist.
“Me too.”
Rachel paused as she started to turn toward the hallway. “Maggie, my friend Chelsea is visiting, you want to come over tonight?”
“Sure, that sounds like fun,” Maggie said. Something struck her as odd with Rachel, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She hoped everything was going well between Rachel and Liam.
“Great, see you tonight.” Rachel strolled down the hallway toward her office. Maggie watched her disappear, and then headed out of the school, giving Karen a wave before she exited.
***
Maggie arrived at the doorsteps of Rachel’s little yellow-painted home. It sat across the street from a park that Maggie recalled playing in when she was a child. In the door was a pretty stained glass depiction of a hummingbird flying among some purple flowers. She heard voices behind the door as she knocked. Rachel appeared a moment later, greeting Maggie with a huge smile.
“Come on in,” Rachel said as she opened the door, allowing Maggie to enter. The inside decor matched Rachel perfectly. The warm tones of her furniture, splashes of colorful art on the walls, and the lovely smell of fragrant candles filled the air. Maggie enjoyed coming to Rachel’s home; it was inviting, and they had shared dinner and many laughs there over the last month.
A slender, tall blonde popped up from one of the couches, an unsure smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Chelsea,” she said, extending her hand. Maggie ignored her hand and scooped her in for a hug.
“Great to finally meet you, Chelsea. I have heard so much about you.”
Chelsea appeared to be taken a little off guard by the simple gesture of affection. Rachel quickly ushered them to sit down in the living room. Chelsea took her place next to Rachel, as if to say she had been Rachel’s friend first and that she hadn’t quite warmed up to Maggie yet.
“So, you are Liam’s sister, right?” Chelsea asked.
Maggie nodded as Rachel added, “And she is Patrick and Daniel’s sister too.” She looked at Maggie. “I can’t wait for her to meet your family, Maggie.”
“When did you get in, Chelsea?” Maggie asked politely as she found herself mesmerized by how beautiful and movie star-esque Rachel’s friend looked.
Chelsea looked up toward the ceiling as if searching for the answer. “Two days ago, I think.”
“What do you think of Birch Valley?”
“It’s a pretty little place. Very different from where we’re from,” Chelsea explained. “I can’t get over how blue the sky is here, and the trees, wow, there are so many of them.”
“Yeah, it’s a great place.”
Rachel nodded in agreement. “I love it here.”
“It wasn’t that long ago you almost wanted to come home, so I’m thinking it’s something more than all the scenery.”
Maggie couldn’t help but laugh at Chelsea’s remark. “I have to agree with you.” The ice was starting to break between Chelsea and Maggie, which came as a huge relief.
Rachel huffed. “Okay, okay, I admit it’s more like someone has made me love it here, but it’s still very pretty and totally different than Newport.”
“Well, at least she admits it now. Trust me it took her a while to admit that she was even interested in Liam,” Chelsea said.
Rachel got up from the couch and as she headed toward the kitchen she asked, “Can I get you guys anything to drink? Maggie, what would you like?”
“Whatever you have is fine,” Maggie answered as she suddenly felt a ticklish sensation flutter in her belly. “I think I just felt the baby move.”
“No way! Oh, that’s right, you’re preggers. Congrats!” Chelsea squealed, her eyes wide with excitement.
Maggie smiled. “Yeah, I’m a little over four months along.”
“You have a daughter, right?” Chelsea asked
“Yes, Melanie, she’s six.”
“Oh, I bet she is thrilled about becoming a big sister,” Chelsea said as Rachel returned with three large glasses of iced tea.
“What did it feel like, you know, the baby moving just now?” Rachel asked, and Chelsea moved in closer as if Maggie were going to share the biggest secret ever.
“Well, to be honest, it almost feels like gas. Gross, I know, but it feels like a tiny bubble or something,” Maggie explained. She wished she could have made it sound more enchanting, but the truth was it did feel like gas, at least in the early stages. Later on it would feel like there was gymnast living inside of her, flipping and tumbling.
Rachel seemed even more curious as she asked, “When will it start really kicking?” Rachel and Chelsea’s eyes were glued to her.
“Well, with Mel, I really felt her later on the pregnancy. We could even see her move. Michael would be sitting across the room, and he could actually see her outline as she was moving around.”
“Uh, that’s kind of creepy, sort of like an alien inside of you,” Chelsea blurted out.
“Yeah, I guess so.” Maggie didn’t quite view it that way, she was more amazed and excited when they could see their baby. Feeling her baby move had also reassured her that the baby was healthy.
Suddenly, the mood got heavy in the room as Rachel let out a long sigh. Maggie could see that Rachel looked uneasy. Rachel was about to speak when Chelsea blurted out, “We think Rachel might be pregnant.”
Maggie coughed as she almost choked on her drink. “What?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Chelsea.” She looked at Maggie. “Okay, so that’s partially why I invited you here tonight. Chelsea thinks I should take a test.”
“You haven’t yet?” Maggie asked. “Have you told Liam you think you might be pregnant?”
“No, to both questions. I don’t even think I am, I mean, I would know, right?”
Chelsea patted Rachel’s leg. “You see, Maggie, my dear little friend here hasn’t been feeling well for a couple weeks. She thought she had a touch of the flu, or maybe just a little under the weather. Then when her period didn’t show up, like it does religiously every single first of the month since we were twelve, she called me, and here I am.”
“Rachel, I think you might be. You really should take a test.” Maggie watched as tears started to form in Rachel’s blue eyes. “Oh, Rachel, it’ll be okay,” Maggie said as she got up from the opposite couch to hug her friend.
“I know, it’s just, I don’t know if I want to be pregnant. Liam and I are still trying to figure things out and are barely starting to date,” she babbled as the tears trickled down her face.
Chelsea looked at Maggie as she enveloped Rachel in their arms. “I bought a test from the grocery store when Rachel was at work. I have been trying to convince her to pee on it since she got home.”
Maggie took hold of Rachel’s petite shoulders and softly said, “Rachel, why don’t you take the test since we are all here now?”
Rachel nodded. “I don’t know if I want to know. It changes everything, Maggie. What if I am, I mean, God…” She broke down again.
Maggie could relate to the fear that Rachel felt. Granted, when she became pregnant with Melanie, she and Michael had been together for several months. Liam and Rachel were barely scratching the surface of their relationship, and her heart went out to her friend. Maggie also knew what it was like to be pregnant and stuck in uncertainty; she still didn’t know what was going to happen in her own marriage.
“Rachel, it will be fine,” Maggie said, attempting to sound reassuring as she stroked and patted Rachel’s back.
“Probably something in the water up here, I mean, look, Maggie’s pregnant, now maybe you. I’d better stick to bottled water while I’m here,” Chelsea teased as she tried to lighten the mood.
Both Rache
l and Maggie laughed. “Okay, I’ll go and take a test.”
Chelsea practically leaped from her spot on the couch and ran down the hall, only to emerge within seconds carrying a plastic bag. She pulled out a small box that contained two tests. It wasn’t all that long ago that Maggie held a similar box. Tearing open the package and pulling out the contents, Chelsea started to read the directions. She handed Rachel one of the two white test sticks.
“Do you want us to be in there with you?” Chelsea asked.
Rachel shook her head no as she got up and made her way down the hall to the bathroom.
It felt like a lot of time had passed, and Chelsea looked concerned. “You think she’s okay?”
“Should we go check on her?” Maggie asked.
Just then they heard the bathroom door open and watched as Rachel appeared. Her eyes and nose were a little red from crying. Maggie and Chelsea hurried to her. Rachel was clutching the stick tightly in her hand.
“I just don’t how this is possible.” Her voice wavered, and she started sobbing.
“Well, I can tell you how it happens, if you want,” Chelsea joked. Maggie could tell that Rachel’s friend always tried to keep things light and fun, as if anything serious made her incredibly uncomfortable.
Rachel released her strong hold on the test, handing it off to Chelsea, who stared in shock at the two pink lines behind the plastic window of the test.
“Rachel, it’ll be okay,” Maggie soothed. Granted she wasn’t a hundred percent certain it would be, but she knew her brother would probably be excited. At least she hoped he would be, for Rachel’s sake.
“I want to take another one. Maybe it’s broken, don’t false positives happen all the time?” Her blue eyes searched Maggie’s.
Maggies Marriage (Cloverleaf #2) Page 10
