“Yes, Ranger Nelson. I’m with my fiancé who got frightened by a snake. That’s what all the yelling was about.” Fiancé. I knew I was going to find a way to work the word into every conversation.
“Sir?” Ranger Nelson asked, verifying my statement with Elijah. It was good he didn’t take for granted that I, as a woman, posed no threat to a big, strapping man.
“Our cabin is at the base of the ridge, and I wanted to show Maegan how beautiful the area is in autumn. We hiked up here to have lunch.”
“I agree,” the ranger said. “I’ll let the two of you get back to your…um…lunch.”
“Thanks,” I said, feeling my blush from head to toe. Thank God he hadn’t arrived a few minutes earlier.
After he left, I looked at Elijah and said, “Never encountered another person, huh?”
“You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
I wished I could slow down time to draw out the weekend a little longer, but it seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. Elijah must’ve tipped off my parents that I’d said yes because they threw a barbecue to rival all others to celebrate the Miracle twins getting engaged. Later that night, tucked away in the peace and quiet of our bedroom, I alternated between watching Elijah sleep and staring at the gorgeous ring he placed on my finger.
“I’m the luckiest girl in the whole world, and my life couldn’t possibly get any better,” I whispered.
THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY, MAEGAN AND I headed north after brunch to see my parents. As predicted, the radiation was starting to take its toll on my dad, and he was often asleep when I called home to check on him. Mom assured me the radiation oncologist said it was normal and good for him to rest as much as he could. I also knew Dad couldn’t fully rest knowing there were things around the house that needed done to prepare for oncoming winter, so Jack and I agreed to do all his usual chores around the house.
“I’m not too proud to accept your help, boys,” Dad said when we showed up ready to work.
Of course, Mom was only interested in seeing the beloved ring on Maegan’s hand. “Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed. “It looks perfect. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was meant to be yours all along.”
“I can’t tell you how much your trust means to me, Brenda.” Maegan choked up a bit then giggled to cover it up. “I will treasure it forever.”
“It’s your ring now, Maegan. Maybe someday you’ll be giving the ring to Elijah’s and your son to give to the woman he loves.”
Maegan smiled, but only those who knew her best would recognize it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “That would be lovely,” she said.
Maegan’s inability to produce biological Markham offspring wasn’t something that came to my mind unless she brought it up. We said we would have a family, and we would, but not in the way my mom was dreaming for us. I should’ve told her sooner when I knew I had fallen in love with Maegan and wanted to build a life with her. Not because I needed my mom’s blessing or understanding, but to save Maegan from uneasy moments like this one. Accepting she wasn’t going to carry my child was one thing, but openly discussing it with people she didn’t know very well was totally different. I placed my hand on the back of Maegan’s neck and felt her relax beneath my touch. I would make this right and have a private conversation with my mom before we left. I knew without a doubt my mom and dad would accept and love any child we adopted.
“As for you,” Mom said, turning toward me, “since you boys so lovingly volunteered to do things around the farm today…” Her words trailed off as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her apron pocket. I groaned, and Dad cackled in his recliner. “I thought of a few things I’d like done,” she paused for dramatic effect, “if it’s not too much trouble.”
“Of course, it’s not too much trouble,” Maegan said, patting my shoulder. “Elijah would love to help out.”
“Freckles,” I said under my breath but loud enough for Mom to hear, “you’ve never seen my mom’s lists, so you have no idea what you’re signing me up for.”
“Pooh Bear,” Maegan said sweetly, “we both know you and Jack are going to cross off every item on the list to make your mama happy, so you might as well stop grumbling and get to work. The days are getting shorter and shorter.”
Dad cackled harder and slapped the arm of his recliner. “Keeper!”
“Pooh Bear?” I asked, hooking my arm around her shoulder and pulling her against my body so I could kiss the top of her head. “That’s new.”
“It’s absolutely precious,” Jack said, entering the house. “I’m never letting you live it down either.”
I groaned because he wasn’t joking. From that point on, he would find a way to call me Pooh Bear and wouldn’t stop until one of us died. “Where are my nephews?” I asked.
“They had a birthday sleepover last night. Daphne is picking them up in a few hours and bringing them over.” Jack smiled crookedly. “Which means we can get a jumpstart on Mom’s list without you using my sons as an excuse to dodge work.”
“Hey, I’m appalled you view me tossing the football with your sons as anything other than me bonding with my nephews. Such a cynic, Jack.”
“I’ll take the list, Mom,” Jack said valiantly. “As oldest, I’ll divide the chores up evenly.”
It was my turn to scoff. “You’re not fooling anyone, Jack.” I looked at Mom and gave her the smile I used as a kid when I hoped to get myself out of trouble. “I’ll take the list, Mom. You can trust me to make sure everything gets done to your standards.” The smile didn’t work then, and it sure as hell didn’t work for me as an adult.
Mom handed the list to Maegan. “There’s a new sheriff in town, boys.”
“Let’s see what we have here,” Freckles said, unfolding the to-do list. “Oh, I know how much Elijah loves cleaning out gutters.” She was loving every second of the power Mom gave her. “I bet Jack can’t wait to power wash the siding on the detached garages.” Maegan pressed her finger over her pursed lips briefly and hummed. “I think raking leaves is too big for either one of them to finish by themselves.”
“I agree,” Mom said. “They can start raking them together after they finish their solo tasks.”
“It’s always best to admit defeat, fellas,” Dad said cheerfully from his chair. “Brenda, I think I’m going to have a whole new appreciation for the wraparound porch on this old house.”
“So you can move around to enjoy the warmth of the sun?” Mom asked him.
“No, so I can move around and supervise our knuckleheads,” Dad said with a snort. “I remember how chore days went around here. All that goofing around when you didn’t think I was watching you.”
“Come on, Dad,” Jack groaned. “We’re not little kids anymore.”
“I think there are some things men never outgrow.” Dad smiled crookedly. “The love of a good woman, and the desire to make mischief now and again.” He had a point, so there was no reason to argue.
“To reward your hard work, I’m going to be making homemade applesauce,” Mom said then looked at Maegan. “Would you like to give me a hand?”
“I’d love to.” Maegan walked over to Dad’s recliner and handed the list to him. “It looks like you’re in charge of making sure the work gets done to your standards.” Jack and I grumbled even more, making Dad laugh harder.
“This is going to be a great day,” Dad said cheerfully as he slowly stood up.
He seemed to really enjoy barking out orders from the porch, sounding more and more like himself with every remark. I pretended to grumble and gripe, but I was loving it on the inside. The weather was perfect, and I couldn’t ask for better company either. I especially had fun when I accidentally dropped leaves and dirt on top of Jack’s head when he was stacking bales of hay around the foundation as added insulation against the oncoming cold weather.
“No gaps between the bales, Jack,” Dad called from the porch. “I don’t want frozen pipes thi
s winter.”
“Yes, sir,” Jack said, stifling the grin trying to spread across his face.
“Elijah, I think an eight-year-old could trim the shrubs straighter than you’re doing right now,” Dad teased from the porch when I’d finished one chore and started another.
“I was thinking about shaping them into animals,” I fired back. “Snarling lions or something.”
“You want to go to bed without supper?” Dad asked.
“No, sir,” I replied humbly.
“Then less yapping and more cutting.”
I glanced up to see him grinning from ear to ear, and it helped ease the ache in my heart whenever I saw how weak he’d grown over the past few weeks. Jack got ribbed for not being able to handle a screwdriver properly when he fixed the screen door on the side of the house, and Dad teased me after I nearly tripped over my own feet when a snake slithered out from under the porch.
“Haven’t outgrown that, huh?” he asked.
“No, he hasn’t,” Maegan said, stepping onto the porch carrying a tray with three glasses of iced tea on it. “Did Elijah tell you about our recent hike in the woods, Jack?”
“No, he didn’t,” Dad said, patting the rocking chair beside him. “And call me Dad.” I couldn’t hear Maegan’s soft voice, but I knew the instant she told Dad about my bellowing the word snake like the dumb jock you know will be the first to die in a horror movie.
I was so fucking grateful when Daphne finally arrived with my nephews. All joking aside, I couldn’t wait to toss the football with them in the yard. Both boys played peewee football with seasons starting soon. Maegan and I had talked about coming to as many of their games as we could fit into our schedule.
I pretended to go down easy when they ganged up and tackled me. Okay, I didn’t have to pretend much because I was sore all over from climbing the ladder and working around the yard. It was the absolute best kind of ache because I could look around and see the fruits of my labor. When we went inside to wash up for supper, I was overwhelmed with the scents I associated with home—cinnamon, apples, and fresh bread. It smelled like love.
“You look beat,” Maegan said, stepping into the bathroom just as I was drying my hands. She closed the door and walked into the circle of my arms.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, hearing her sniffle against my shirt.
“I broke the news to your mom that I wouldn’t be bringing any little Elijah’s into the world.”
“Freckles, I should’ve told her months ago.” I held her tighter, rocking her back and forth. I wanted to believe my mom was caring and compassionate when she heard the news, and Maegan’s tears had nothing to do with something Mom said.
“No, I’m glad you didn’t so I could judge her reaction for myself. Now, I won’t have to wonder if she’s just making nice to cover her disappointment.”
“Maegan, you couldn’t disappoint anyone if you tried.” I tilted her head back and looked into the face I adored with everything I had. “What did she say?”
“It wasn’t what she said so much as the look on her face,” Maegan told me. “Her eyes and smile were filled with compassion and love, not pity and disappointment. Then she said, ‘Thank God your treatments worked, and we’re standing here together.’ Then she told me biology didn’t always make a family which reminded me of how you’d said there was more than one way to become a mother. It reminded me how lucky I am.”
“These are happy tears then?” I asked, brushing them away with my thumbs. “I admit I haven’t learned to read tears as well as I thought, and before you get sassy with me, women’s tears should be classified as a language all their own.”
Maegan giggled then buried her head against my chest. “I love you, Pooh Bear.”
I groaned. “Really, Freckles. That’s what you’re going to call me? Not something representing my manly prowess?”
“I prefer to think about your cuddliness, and I don’t want other women to be thinking about your ‘manly prowess.’ I’m a bit of a cavewoman myself, Pooh Bear.”
“You’re telling me to get used to the silly name.”
“That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Okay,” I said, looking into her eyes. “I’ll put up with just about anything for you, but don’t abuse my soft heart when it comes to you.”
“Never,” she replied, crossing her heart.
We were the last ones to enter the dining room, and I felt curious eyes volleying between us as we made our way to the table. It was obvious Maegan had been crying, and everyone besides Mom thought I was to blame.
“Do I need to take him back behind the woodshed, Freckles?” Dad asked.
Maegan giggled and leaned into me where I sat beside her at the table. “We weren’t fighting, Dad. These are tears of joy, not sorrow.” I thought it was only partially true, but I wasn’t about to argue with her. “I’m such a lucky girl to have all of you in my life.”
“I think we’re the lucky ones,” I told her.
Dinner was a delicious beef stew and homemade rolls with homemade applesauce that was still warm, just how I liked it.
“I will never be able to eat applesauce from a jar again,” Maegan said in awe after her first bite. “The process was easier than I thought it would be too.”
“It just takes time, patience, and love,” Mom said with a warm smile.
“Maegan, have you guys picked out a wedding date?” Daphne asked.
“Not yet,” Maegan replied.
“Having second thoughts?” Jack teased.
“Never,” Maegan said seriously, shaking her head. “My brother is also recently engaged, and we don’t want to encroach on one another’s special day.”
I snorted. “For once.”
Maegan laughed then told my family about her rivalry with her twin brother. “So, you can see Elijah isn’t exaggerating.”
“Your mother must be so excited, Maegan,” Dad said.
“She is ecstatic and claims to be the luckiest mother in the entire world because she will have the most amazing sons-in-law.”
“I can’t wait to meet your family, Freckles,” Dad said. “They sound like a hoot.” I expected my dad to be a little hesitant about Milo’s drag queen alter ego, but it only made him laugh. He thought the Dolly and Kenny duet was an awesome touch.
After dinner, Jack and I somehow got roped into doing dishes too. When we were finished, I went looking for my lady because it was time we headed home to prepare for the next week. I found her fast asleep in Dad’s recliner while the rest of the family enjoyed the crisp, cool air.
I heard the front door open, but not as loud as it was before Jack greased the damn thing with WD-40. “Elijah, can I see you in the kitchen?” Mom whispered.
I ran my hand over Maegan’s hair then followed my mom out of the room. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Mom,” I said, guessing the reason for our chat. “I should’ve spared Maegan the heartache of having to tell you.”
“Maegan isn’t the kind of girl who wants or needs you to fight her battles for her,” Mom said gently. “I didn’t call you in here to give you a hard time. I wanted to say I am so proud of you. To hear how Maegan speaks about you just makes this mother’s heart swell with pride.”
“I don’t see it as doing anything spectacular. I just love her.”
“That, my son, is why you’re so damn special.”
Mom bagged up containers of leftovers for us to take home with us while I woke up my sleeping beauty. She looked surprised she’d fallen asleep in the recliner when Dad told her she could give it a test drive.
“No wonder your dad won’t part with this thing,” Maegan said, stretching. “One minute we were talking and the next thing I know, you’re shaking me awake.”
“Ready to go home?” I asked.
“Pooh Bear, I am home anytime I’m with you,” she said adoringly while accepting my outstretched hand to assist her out of the chair.
Okay, maybe the new nickname wasn’t so bad.
> MY ANNUAL CONSULTATION WITH MY oncologist was scheduled for after the first of the year, but my lack of energy and exhaustion drove me to call and move it up. I could chalk up my symptoms to having a hectic summer and the excitement of solving the mystery of Anthony’s disappearance, but in my heart, I knew something else was going on. My life was always hectic, and not only was I used to the chaos, I loved it. I thrived on it. Lately, it was all I could do to stay up past 9 p.m. Falling asleep in Jack’s recliner was the deciding factor. Sure, it was surprisingly comfy, but I wasn’t the kind of person who could easily fall asleep away from home.
I knew Elijah noticed my growing fatigue, and I knew he was afraid to say something because speaking it out loud made it a real problem. It’s why I called Dr. Lovett’s office on Monday morning and snagged the first available appointment which luckily was Wednesday afternoon, so I didn’t have to ask anyone to shuffle their plans to accommodate me. The request would’ve been met with questions I didn’t want to answer.
I had many people in my life who would’ve come with me to offer moral support, but it was something I wanted to do on my own rather than worrying people needlessly. Fatigue didn’t mean my cancer was back, it just meant my body was going through changes. Dr. Lovett was the best person to work up a full blood panel to help determine what I might be facing. I’d only been under her care for a few years, but I really liked the time she dedicated to her patients. I never felt rushed when I had questions or concerns.
My first stop was the lab where they took blood samples to run various tests. In most cases, Dr. Lovett had results before she entered my room. On some occasions, she had to wait a day or so for additional results to come back. I hoped I fell into the former category rather than the latter. A wave of nerves made me nauseous, and I regretted not telling anyone about my visit. I considered myself to be an independent, strong woman, but I wasn’t ashamed to admit I’d love to be holding Elijah’s hand right about then. Luckily, Dr. Lovett swept into the room before I could get too worked up.
The Lady Stole My Heart (The Lady is Mine, #2) Page 19
