by Leah Atwood
“Being married isn’t always easy,
but where there’s love there’s always hope.”
Aunt Tamela
Chapter Seven
Five months later
Alec and Maggie’s Wedding Day
Maggie stared into the full-length cheval mirror and adjusted her veil for the umpteenth time. Biting her lip, she regarded herself with a critical eye. Her cheeks were flushed, lending her peaches and cream complexion a warm shot of color. Her heart was thumping like a wild drumbeat inside her chest. Due to the balmy weather the dress she’d decided on had three quarter sleeves made of lace.
Although she didn’t view herself as beautiful, her reflection in the mirror proved her wrong. Today she was radiant. She glowed with happiness and anticipation. In less than an hour she would become Alec’s wife. Till death do us part. Through sickness and in health. Forever.
Was she making the right decision? If she counted the total days she’d been in Alec’s presence it would be a very small number. In a million years, she’d never imagined marrying a man after such a short courtship. But some things a person just knew right down to their very soul. She was in love with him. Deeply, majestically, crazily in love with him. And, from the moment she’d met him, no other man would do.
The days, weeks, months and years ahead would be rough. Alec’s military service would keep them apart. But she was going to be brave and supportive. And when his service came to an end they would live out their dreams together. Perhaps they would open the bakery they’d talked about. She already had a name for it. Sweet Treats. It would be everyone in town’s favorite place to indulge their sweet tooth. Every spare nickel they earned would be put in a savings account to work toward that goal of owning their own business. Bit by bit, they’d get the money together.
There was a gentle rapping on the door. She had no idea who it could be. She’d asked her three bridesmaids for a few minutes alone so she could say a prayer in private for her parents. She needed a few moments of reflection to pay homage to the parents she loved so dearly. Although today would be filled with so much joy, there was an ache in her heart for all that had been lost in the plane crash. Neither one would be at her side today, although she knew their presence would fill the church.
“Who is it?” she called out.
“Maggie! It’s me. Alec,” a muffled voice responded from the other side of the door.
She quickly made her way toward the door and pressed her face against it. “Alec! You shouldn’t be here! We’re not supposed to see each other until I walk down the aisle.”
“I know, sweetheart. I just had to talk to you.” His sweet voice crashed over her like a strong wave.
What was he doing here? She pressed her hand against her chest. Her heart was thumping so fast and her pulse began to quicken. “I-Is something wrong?” Pain rippled through her mid-section. Had Alec changed his mind about marrying her? Is that why he was trying to talk with her, mere minutes before the ceremony?
Dear Lord, please don’t let anything be wrong. I love this man more than words can ever express. He’s the other half of my heart. My family. My world.
“Sweetheart, can you just open the door a crack. I promise not to look at you. I’ll be facing the other way.”
Knowing Alec was a man of honor and integrity, she slowly pulled the door open so that there was just a sliver of an opening.
“Alec. What is it? Did you change your mind about getting married?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear.
Suddenly his tuxedo attired arm snaked through the opening. “Baby. How could you even think that for a single second? Marrying you is going to be the best thing I’ve ever done.”
She let out a ragged breath. “Thank the Lord. Because for starters, if you were planning to call things off, I was going to advise you to run before Uncle Gene caught up with you.”
The sound of Alec’s rich laughter emanating from the other side of the door made her smile.
“Hold my hand for a minute, Maggie,” Alec instructed.
She reached out and grabbed hold of his hand. It felt so nice to be touching him. And they were still connecting without violating the wedding day rule of the bride and groom not seeing one another.
“I just wanted to tell you that I plan on loving you for the rest of my days. No matter what. Come hell or high water. Sickness. Misunderstandings. Financial issues. Grief and loss. No matter what life tosses at us, my feelings won’t ever change. I’ll be loving you always, Maggie.”
Tears trickled down her face as she listened to Alec’s heartfelt words. He was giving her a promise of forever. Something she needed to hear and hold onto. Every word he uttered was now imprinted on her heart. “Alec,” she said in a voice weighed down by emotion. “I love you today, tomorrow and forever. You’re my everything. And because of you I’m going to grow into the strong, courageous woman that I’m destined to be. Your wife. Your best friend. The mother of your children. I love you, Alec Donahue. And I always will.”
Alec squeezed her hand, and she gripped it so tightly she was afraid it might break. “I’ll see you at the altar,” Alec whispered.
“Meet you at the altar, sweetheart,” Maggie said, relinquishing her tight grip on his hand and watching as his arm disappeared through the opening.
A half hour later when Maggie walked down the aisle to the wedding march on the arm of Uncle Gene, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church. And when she met Alec at the altar and became his lawfully wedded wife, Maggie cried tears of joy. As Alec leaned down and placed a tender, resounding kiss on her lips, the pastor’s words reverberated in her mind.
What God has joined together, let no man put asunder.
“There’s nothing better than wide open arms
to welcome a person home.”
Alec Donahue
Chapter Eight
Two and a half years later
Breeze Point, Cape Cod
Maggie Donahue curled up on the couch, a hot cup of green tea gripped in her hand as she snuggled underneath the knit afghan throw. She gazed out the window, silently marveling at the intricately-patterned snowflakes floating down from the pewter sky. She took a sip of her tea, allowing the warmth to infuse her body, making her feel comfy and cozy. Her gaze landed on the framed cross stitch design that had once hung in her family home. Uncle Gene and Aunt Tamela had placed it in a new frame and given it to her as a gift on her and Alec’s one-year anniversary. The words in the cross stitch never failed to choke her up. “Bless you and yours as well as the cottage you live in. May the roof overhead be well thatched, and those inside be well matched.”
Her orange tabby, Tigger, curled up beside her, seeming to sense her unsettled mood. Alec had given her the cat so she wouldn’t be so lonesome while he was away. She loved Tigger, but she still missed her husband something fierce. Only two days until Christmas, she thought with a frown as she looked over at the empty spot where the tree should be standing. She should have put up the tree, she thought, as a wave of helplessness washed over her.
She’d never put up a Christmas tree all by herself. Alec had always taken care of it, usually heading out to the Nottingham woods with his brothers to cut down the largest, loveliest tree they could find. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as the image of Alec carrying the tree into the house with the help of his three brothers—Tim, Jude and Matthew—popped into her mind. It was the Donahue’s annual tradition to head into the Nottingham woods to cut down the Christmas trees that graced all of their homes. This was the first time, she noted, that Alec hadn't been part of the outing. Although her mother-in-law had tried to convince her to accept one of the trees, Maggie knew it would only have added to her melancholy.
A heavy sigh escaped her lips. Christmas wasn’t really Christmas without Alec.
Putting up a Christmas tree wasn’t going to change the fact that her husband was thousands of miles away fighting a deadly enemy. It was hard to accept the fact that while she’d be sit
ting with Aunt Tamela, Uncle Gene and the Donahue family on Christmas day eating roasted turkey, yams, stuffing and mashed potatoes, her husband would be in the line of fire in a danger zone. And after the nightmare she’d had last night about his unit being bombarded by a suicide bomber’s attack, her nerves were at the breaking point. Images of a bloodied and broken Alec flashed into her mind, causing her pulse to quicken with terror. She shut her eyes, determined to rid her mind of the horrifying images that haunted her on a regular basis. Her reaction to these dreams made her feel weak, as if she could never live up to the image of a stoic military wife.
It was never going to be easy, she realized. As the wife of a soldier deployed in a country on the other side of the world, worry and fear were her constant companions. Having only been married to Alec for a few weeks before he went back to the military, Maggie had never really gotten used to being a newlywed before she was thrust into the role of military wife. So far she’d been a colossal failure in both categories. Regret speared through her as she remembered her last fight with Alec and the hurtful words she'd hurled at him in anger.
I wish I hadn’t married a soldier.
Maggie shuddered at the memory—the devastation on Alec's face, the soul-crushing feeling in the pit of her stomach, the fear and the pain she'd felt every day since then. And she’d never even gotten the chance to tell him how deeply she regretted saying it, how it was the furthest thing from the truth. She’d only lashed out due to the fear and the heartache in enduring two miscarriages. The most recent miscarriage had brought her to her lowest level, and the weeks and months of dealing with the pain and sorrow all by herself had wreaked havoc on her.
She’d made so many mistakes in her marriage, mostly due to pride and misunderstandings. And the utter devastation that came with knowing she might never bear Alec’s child. Things would be so much better if she could hold their child in her arms.
Dear Lord. Please grant me the grace to work through my problems with my husband. I’ve made so many mistakes. I want to learn and grow from my mistakes as a couple. Please help me be completely honest with Alec so that there are no secrets standing between us.
A loud knock sounded on the door. Maggie shot up from the couch like a bullet, her heart hammering inside her chest like a drumbeat as fear completely washed over her. She'd been on edge all day, with images from her nightmare flashing intermittently into her mind. Who was at the door? Was it the casualty assistance officer coming to inform her of her husband’s death in the line of duty?
Please God, don’t let anything have happened to Alec. Keep him safe in the palm of your hand. She stifled the sob in her throat, reminding herself that her mind could be playing tricks on her. It was a dream, not reality. Just a dream. She walked to the front door with feet that felt like lead. She reached out and turned the knob with trembling fingers as her pulse beat a mile a minute.
For a moment she was blinded by the white glare of the snow. She had to blink once, then twice to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.
Alec! He was standing at their door, an armful of pink roses in one arm while the other hung helplessly in a sling. Was this a dream? Because if it was, she was begging not to be awakened. Goodness, he was handsome. His dark brown hair was closely cropped to his head in a buzz cut. At six foot inches of pure, rugged muscle he towered above her petite five foot four, causing her to feel safe and protected whenever he was in her presence. What was he doing here? He was here in Breeze Point, Cape Cod when he was supposed to be thousands of miles away dodging bullets, suicide bombers and sniper attacks.
“Alec,” she whispered as her knees began to buckle beneath her and she felt herself falling.
He let go of the bouquet of roses and reached out to grab her around the waist with his good arm, preventing her from slumping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. In a matter of minutes, he had her inside the house and back on the couch sitting next to her cup of tea.
“Are you all right?” he asked as his eyes roamed over her face, scanning it for any signs of distress. “I know you weren't expecting me. It must've come as a shock, Maggie.”
“I’m fine,” she said, blinking away the tears that pricked her eyes. “Better than fine. I’m glad you’re home, Alec,” she quickly added. “So glad you’re home.”
“I tried to call you before they flew me out, but all the circuits were busy. One of the many down sides of living in a war zone. And we’re not allowed to give specifics anyway.” Although his tone was slightly teasing, Maggie could see the fatigue and stress stamped on his handsome face. “By the time we got stateside I figured I’d just surprise you.”
“What about you, Alec? Are you in any pain? Your arm...is it broken?”
He looked at her intensely, his stunning blue eyes warning her that she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say. He reached out and grasped her hand in his, squeezing it slightly. He never broke eye contact with her, not for a single second.
“Don't freak out, Maggie. I was shot....”
“Oh, Alec!” she cried out. “I knew something bad happened. I had this dream...this awful, terrifying dream that you were killed in action.”
Tears ran unchecked down her face and she buried her face in her hands, huge sobs wracking her body as she succumbed to the fear and the doubts.
“Shhh,” he crooned as his hand swept to the back of her head, gently pulling her towards him. “I’m okay, baby. I’m still in once piece. Don’t you worry about me, sweetheart.”
“You were shot!” she said in an agonized voice. “You could’ve been killed.”
“But I wasn’t,” he said as he pulled her chin up and began nuzzling her cheek with his callused thumb. Maggie closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the feel of Alec’s fingers caressing her. It had been too long since she’d enjoyed her husband’s tender touch.
“It would take more than a stray bullet to take me down,” he said, his voice laced with confidence.
“I could’ve lost you!” she wailed as all her fears rose to the surface. For so long she’d been hiding all her feelings behind a stoic veneer. She’d grown up a lot in the past three years thanks to Alec and being a military wife. Now, the dam had opened up and she was overflowing with raw emotion. Alec—bless his heart—might think he was invulnerable to a sniper’s bullet, but they both knew he’d lost several buddies in the line of duty. They both knew anything could happen in a war zone.
“Shhh,” he said, his tense expression showing his own vulnerability as he wiped away the tears cascading down her face. “It kills me to see you broken up like this.”
Maggie knew from past experience that Alec couldn't deal with tears. She'd found that out early on in their relationship and it had been in full effect at their wedding. She’d been a sobbing mess on their wedding day, full of emotion, hope, fear and a mad desire to make their wedding day last forever. When Alec had caught sight of her crying at the reception he’d rushed to her side, his features tight and drawn, his eyes wide and fearful. As soon as he realized her tears were joyful ones, his relief had been palpable. Later that evening he’d told her that seeing her cry had almost brought him to his knees. The irony didn’t escape her that a big bad soldier would crumble at the sight of a woman’s tears.
She’d been grateful then, as she was now, that her husband was as strong as an Oak yet as gentle as a soft breeze across the ocean.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, swiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I know I should be strong. Brave, even,” she said through sniffles. “You’ve been brave this whole time. Three tours of duty, countless missions, losing so many of your friends. Not to mention losing your father.” She threw her hands up in the air, helpless to compose herself. “Look at me, I'm a mess.”
“It’s my job to be brave, Maggie. And to take care of you and make sure you’re safe,” he said in a husky voice, his sky-blue eyes glittering with emotion. “And you have been brave. Wonderfully courageous and strong. Please don’t t
hink I haven’t noticed all your sacrifices.” His words made Maggie wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him senseless. She missed kissing Alec and the intimacy they shared as man and wife.
The very thought of Alec holding her in his arms all through the night made her heart soar. There had been so many lonely nights without him. Alec being back in Breeze Point made everything better. “So what’s my job?” she asked, desperately trying to take her mind off the thought of spending alone time with her husband.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Your number one job is to love me. That’s all I’ll ever need or ask you to do.”
He leaned towards her and ever so gently laid his lips on hers. The kiss was soft and tender, full of comfort and love.
Love? Did he still love her? She wondered, after all the fights, tension and months of separation. She felt his hands at the side of her face, anchoring her so that he could explore the kiss more deeply. She opened her mouth to him, kissing him with equal passion and a rising need. Her husband. The man she would love till she took her last breath. He was her forever.
Lord, please let Alec still be in love with me. Let him still love me as much as he did on the day we pledged to live out the rest of our lives together.
Yes! This was what she’d yearned for over the last four months. Alec’s tender touch. The taste of his lips against hers—salty, tangy, sweet. And so loving. His scent rose to her nostrils—a woodsy, rugged scent.
“You’re so beautiful,” Alec whispered as he trailed his lips down her neck and nuzzled his nose against her ear. She watched Alec’s eyes light up with appreciation as they roamed over her. He reached out and skimmed his fingers down the side of her face, causing a delightful sensation with his feather light caress.
