Dating Daniel (Cloverleaf #4)

by Gloria Herrmann

  “You okay?”

  He nodded, his wide smile obviously attempting to hide something else.

  “You sure? You’re acting weird.” It wasn’t a question. It was a factual statement. Hannah could almost swear she see could see some beads of sweat on his brow.

  “Yes, never better.”

  “If you say so. You seem weird, though,” Hannah countered, reaching to grab his arm, as if she needed to inspect him to fully believe that he was fine.

  “Hannah, trust me. I’m okay.” His voice was wobbly.

  Now Hannah was growing more concerned and a little annoyed with him. She could feel the stares of the family, which only added to the tension that mounted inside that tiny booth. “Daniel, I’m serious.”

  He released a long sigh and tilted his head up toward the canvas covering over the booth. Hannah looked over to Mary, who smiled back, beaming. Something was up, and now Hannah felt far more confused than concerned.

  “Hannah…”

  She watched Daniel reach behind him and withdraw a glass apple, but it was when he started to lower himself, kneeling, that she felt dizzy with the realization of what was happening. Hannah started to tremble. She could sense the family watching and waiting, but not moving. Time froze, quiet. She didn’t hear the music of the band, or the children squealing as they played. There was no sound in this moment. Life was suspended as Daniel started to speak.

  “Hannah, you are the most incredible person I have ever met. You are kind and simply beautiful.” Daniel paused, wiping his eyes. Hannah felt her heart beat hard against her chest with anticipation. Daniel’s eyes were bright, even in the darkening tent. He swallowed and began to speak again, “You can bait a hook like no other and know some incredible fishing spots. You make me laugh so hard, Hannah.” His voice was cracking, and Hannah’s cheeks were damp as tears started to stream down.

  Grandpa Paddy called out, “Just spit it out, boy.” Everyone laughed through their own muffled tears.

  Daniel grinned wide, looking up at her. He held out the glass apple. “You keep me on my toes, and that’s something I want you to do forever. Hannah, will you marry me?”

  Fairy tales, they were something that little girls grow up with, something women casted aside when they realized Prince Charming didn’t exist. But for Hannah, he did. He was on his knee, right in front of her. She placed her hand on the apple, feeling the weight in her palm. Daniel clasped his hands over hers. Again, time stood still, allowing her to savor this moment. Hannah brought the glass apple, clear with a hint of green and red, close to her chest. Reflecting off the light, hanging off the glass stem, was a gorgeous diamond ring. Simple, but grand in so many ways—much like her prince.

  “Yes.”

  Daniel shot up from the ground, pulling her to him as he slipped the ring onto her finger. Hannah kissed him and didn’t care who was watching them. There was the distant sound of clapping and a couple of ear-piercing whistles. Everyone was smiling, but it didn’t compare to the happiness that seem to buzz off Daniel. Joy lit up his face, the face of the man she was going to marry, have children with, and grow old with. Realization dawned on Hannah through the magical haze: she was now engaged.

  ***

  Daniel

  There was that brief second, that moment of true doubt, the worry she wouldn’t say what everyone was hoping and expected her to say. But as Daniel heard her say yes confidently through happy tears, all the anxiety and stress he had attempted to mask all day had floated away. He was now engaged to this amazing woman, someone who understood him, who made him feel complete in so many unexpected ways Whatever emptiness he had was now filled by her and no one else.

  “Congrats, you guys!” Maggie exclaimed as she tried to remove herself from the camp chair she had been sitting in.

  His mother moved in to hug him and Hannah, her eyes still wet. “I’m so happy for you both.” As she looked at Daniel, she said, “Son, you have picked a woman who we all love, and who we know loves you with every inch of her heart.” She turned to Hannah, taking her into her arms. “Welcome to this crazy family. Bless you, my sweet girl.” They both laughed.

  Daniel’s brothers, father, and grandfather shook his hand, hugged him, and gave him so many pats on the back he actually started to feel a little pain. Yet it didn’t measure to how full his heart felt at the moment. He tossed a glance to his fiancée, who was surrounded by all the O’Brien women, complimenting the ring he had just placed on her finger. Fiancée, wow, he hadn’t seen this happening only a few short months ago. It was funny, the journeys life had taken him through. Looking back several months ago, he had felt alone as each of his siblings found their happiness, their soul mates. But now, as he stood there with his family, looking at all of them, he didn’t feel alone or envious, because he too had found his other half.

  ***

  The booth was empty, everything packed away, and the entire family had said their good-byes and congratulations only moments ago. Now only Daniel and Hannah remained, the lights in the trees still glowing. The park was quiet. All the attendees were gone. It was just Daniel and Hannah.

  Daniel reached for Hannah’s hand, and they started walking together. Each quiet and content, but still reeling from the shock and high of everything that had just taken place.

  “So, are you happy?” Daniel asked in a near whisper.

  “Daniel, you have no idea.”

  The grass was partially covered in leaves, and as Daniel and Hannah walked, they kicked lightly through them, scattering the brown leaves as they went.

  “I know it probably was weird proposing here of all places. Gosh, with, like, everyone there too. I’m sorry.”

  Hannah stopped and turned to face him. “Daniel, it was perfect. You know what? It all had the same end result. We’re engaged now.” She stood up on the tips of her toes, her lips meeting his. She whispered, “I love you, Daniel O’Brien.” And then she kissed him tenderly and again, it felt as the world had stopped spinning. They were alone, the chill of the fall air nipping at them as their tongues found the warmth of each other’s mouths. Even with their eyes closed, romance was all around them. Daniel relished the kiss, feeling it fill him with more want and need, but also with the promise of a future to explore all of those desires. The one thing that he knew for certain was that true love did exist, and he had found it.

  ***

  Hannah

  Could this be any more perfect? She highly doubted it. Daniel’s lips were on hers, his strong arms covering her as they embraced in the middle of the city park, not another soul there, just them. As Daniel pulled her in deeper, she felt something vibrate hard against her. It was his cell phone.

  “Oh, crap,” he said, pulling away slowly from her, almost stumbling from the daze of their kiss. “Hello?”

  Hannah watched as his face twisted in confusion. “She okay?” He paused and blinked, worry replacing his confusion. “Okay, we’re on our way.” He turned off his phone and looked at her.

  “Everything okay?” Hannah regretted asking as soon as she spoke.

  “That was my mom. Maggie’s in the hospital.”

  The baby. “Gosh, is she having the baby?”

  “I think so, but it sounds like there is something wrong. I don’t know. My mom sounded panicked.” Daniel grabbed her by the hand and started to lead them through the empty and dark park. It no longer felt magical or romantic, but scary as fear started to creep in.

  Hannah said a silent prayer. She asked God to protect Maggie and Max. She took a moment to thank Him for bringing Daniel into her life. Daniel had been a pillar of strength for her when she’d needed him. She was now going to have her chance to be his. Oddly enough, they were both experiencing worry at the hands of their siblings, though it wasn’t necessarily intentional. The thought of siblings made Hannah say another prayer for the safety of Nina. She was still desperately worried about her, but right now, Daniel, her fiancé, needed her.

  Even through all her concern for Maggi
e and Nina, she couldn’t help but smile. Today had been one of the most incredible days of her life.

  Hannah squeezed Daniel’s hand to reassure him. She also knew God was there taking care of Maggie and the soon-to-be-born baby, Max. Hannah had strong, unwavering faith. It had gotten her through so much in her life. It’d kept her sane during the times when things seemed hopeless and bleak, and it grew brighter with the moments that were light and wonderful. God was always there and right now, He was with the O’Brien family.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Daniel

  He drove as quickly as he could to the only hospital in Birch Valley. Once they arrived, he and Hannah raced inside to find his family in the waiting area. They had been in this very room before. Then, the circumstances had been awful, beyond any kind of nightmare he thought possible.

  “Mom.” Daniel went straight to her. Her eyes were red and raw from crying. Hannah appeared instantly. He hadn’t meant to ignore her, but he was riddled with worry for Maggie. Hannah pulled Mary into a hug, and Daniel rubbed his mother’s back. He looked at the rest of the family, who were seated nearby. Liam and Rachel were huddled together, sullen looks on both their faces. Patrick was missing, and Daniel realized why. There was no way Patrick could relive this all over again. Daniel’s father and grandfather were also missing. “Where is everyone?”

  Mary released a sigh. “Well, Patrick and Amber are watching Melanie. Your father and Grandpa Paddy were here for a little bit, but you know how tired Grandpa Paddy gets. They will come if anything happens.” Her lip started to quiver, a floating sea of tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

  “Mom, what happened?”

  “Oh, Daniel,” his mother cried. Hannah reached for her again and cradled Mary against her chest. Hannah frowned, and all Daniel could think was that this must be all very bad. His mother was the solid rock in this family, the one who supported everyone. She was a strong woman, who, for being as sweet as she was, was not made easily vulnerable.

  Liam and Rachel stood up. Rachel joined Hannah in soothing his mother, guiding the older woman to one of the uncomfortable seats. Liam grabbed Daniel’s shoulder, ushering him away toward a small table which had a coffee pot set up. Daniel remembered the bitter and stale taste of that coffee from a little over four years ago, when Beth was here, when they were all here waiting for news. Daniel searched Liam’s eyes, which also had hints of red and were glassy from unshed tears.

  “What the hell happened, Liam?” Daniel was growing agitated.

  “Well, Mom got the call from the hospital. Michael didn’t have any time to call her. He called the ambulance, I guess,” Liam began to explain.

  Daniel had so many questions. “Why did he have to call an ambulance?” He ran his hands through his hair. No one called an ambulance unless things were very dire.

  He could see that Liam was choosing his words carefully, in an attempt to keep from scaring Daniel. Too late for that. He was terrified.

  “I guess after they got home, Maggie felt sick, and suddenly there was blood.”

  “Well, isn’t that kind of normal when you are having a baby?”

  Liam shook his head and shrugged. “I don’t think so, not like that. So Michael called for help and they rushed her here. They ended up taking her back, I think to surgery. She’ll be okay though, Daniel.”

  “Well, why was she bleeding so much then? That doesn’t sound good, Liam,” Daniel stated firmly. “What about Melanie?”

  “Michael dropped her off at Patrick’s since he lives right down the street.”

  “Oh God, I mean, what do you think is going to happen to Maggie…to the baby? Why did this happen?” Daniel started to ramble, but the sound of a doctor coming through two large swinging doors interrupted his next set of questions. Liam and Daniel practically sprinted to see what the man had to say. The one thing that did not go unnoticed, and was absolutely horrifying, was the amount of blood that was on the his light green scrubs.

  “Okay, we have some news on Maggie’s condition,” the doctor started to say. There wasn’t anyone else in the waiting room, just the very worried O’Brien family, but the doctor searched the waiting room, almost to verify what was plain to see. There was no else waiting to hear how Maggie was doing. He offered them a weak and tight-lipped smile as he headed slowly toward them, continuing, “Well, first let me tell you all that Maggie is headed back for surgery now. We are going to perform an emergency c-section.”

  “So what happened?” Daniel blurted out. He was tired of no one explaining anything clearly, and his frustration was getting the better of him. He felt Hannah’s eyes on him, urging him to settle down. She was sitting with his mother, their arms looped together. Thank God for her.

  “Well, quite frankly, Maggie’s placenta became detached. It’s something that is called Placenta abruption. Even though it’s not super common, it can happen.”

  Daniel wanted to roll his eyes. Well, obviously it can happen.

  “Will Maggie be okay?” Mary’s voice was laced with stringent concern and fear.

  “Ma’am, that’s our goal here. Luckily, she lives here in town, so they were able to bring her in right away. I’ll be back with an update as soon as the c-section is over, or if anything changes.” He disappeared behind the swinging doors.

  The last part was not necessary, Daniel felt. It felt like hours, but in reality only about forty-five minutes had passed by the time Michael emerged from the doors, dressed in scrubs. He looked exhausted but deliriously happy.

  “Max is here!”

  Everyone jumped up from their place, except for Rachel. She was having some trouble getting out her chair.

  “How’s Maggie, dear?” Mary asked, her hands clasped together. She had been praying nonstop, the rosary she kept in her purse still tangled around her fingers.

  “She’s fine. They did a c-section, and little Max, who is not so little, was born. They were able to stop the bleeding and get Maggie all taken care of,” Michael tried to explain, but it was obvious he was still recovering from shock.

  “How big is Max?” Liam asked as he shook Michael’s hand and pulled him in for a hug.

  “Over nine pounds, if you all can believe it. He’s beautiful, you guys.” Michael’s eyes grew shiny, filling with the beaming pride of having a new baby.

  Relief came in another wave as the doctor returned. Michael slipped back to be with Maggie and Max. The doctor went on to explain how they were able to deliver a very healthy baby and that they were able to repair some of the tears in Maggie’s uterus. Daniel almost passed out as he tried to listen to the doctor explain the procedure. But what he learned was that his sister was fine, his brand new nephew was a healthy whopper of an infant, and having Hannah there to help with his mother and alleviate his stress made all the difference. Today had been a remarkable day all around and proved to Daniel once again the O’Brien family could get through anything, as long as they were there for each other.

  ***

  Maggie

  Morning light infiltrated the room. She was confused for a brief moment, but the searing pain reminded her of what had happened the night before. Maggie looked over and saw a plastic tub, a swaddled and stirring Max inside of it. Michael was in an awkward position on a reclining chair, looking rumpled but still as sexy as ever.

  Wincing as she tried to move a little in the hospital bed, Maggie was glad everything had ended well. She had never been so terrified in her entire life. When they had returned home from a lovely day at Cider Fest, she had felt exhausted and almost ill. In all fairness, she really hadn’t felt well all day, but after learning her brother was going to be proposing to Hannah, she wanted to be there to witness that special moment. But once they got home, Michael went to get Melanie ready for bed. Maggie had a sip of water, felt the urge to use the bathroom, and noticed she was bleeding profusely. She calmly called for Michael, asking for just him to come in. She didn’t want to alarm Melanie, let alone traumatize her, but Maggie had been sca
red and started praying. Once Michael entered their bathroom, the color drained from his face. He’d turned around and immediately called 911. Not long after, the sound of sirens splintered through their quiet neighborhood. Maggie recalled feeling weak and suddenly tired. The rush of activity at the hospital didn’t bother her like it should have.

  Looking back at it now, she realized she had lost enough blood to impair her thinking. She barely recalled recovery, Michael standing over her holding something in a stark white blanket or towel. Maggie wasn’t quite sure where she was or what happened, but then she remembered the darkness that followed. Sometime during the night, she wasn’t exactly sure when or what time, her mother had been at her bedside. Then Liam and Daniel. No Patrick, but Maggie’s brain was able to retrieve that answer for his absence quite easily and with little effort. Hannah and Rachel wore happy, quiet smiles. Then they were all gone. During the middle of the night she’d heard him—Max. Michael quickly snatched him up, trying to soothe the very loud and demanding son of theirs. Maggie felt herself smile, but then sleep came again. Now it was semi-bright in the room. Her senses were still a little muddy, but she knew one thing: Max was here.

  ***

  Rachel

  Rachel felt a swift kick from inside her. Her eyes fluttered open and she rubbed her belly, begging whichever daughter it was to settle down in there. She glanced over and caught sight of Liam, his naked torso exposed, their comforter bunched near his waist. Her brain started to replay the events of the night before. It had seemed like a nightmare, and though everything had ended well, Rachel now saw how something explosive affected the O’Brien family. They rallied around each other, but seeing Mary so shattered and distraught, that broke Rachel’s heart. Seeing a mother’s intense love for one of her children, her daughter, well, it opened Rachel’s eyes to a lot of things. After breakfast she was going to call her mother. Then they would be going to the hospital to visit Maggie and cuddle that precious Max.