Forever, Plus One

by Sophie Love

  “How did your recording session go in LA?” Emily asked, trying to extend the same level of thoughtfulness to Roman as he had to them.

  “Fabulous, thanks,” Roman said. “We did a few weeks over there then we’ll be doing the rest here in this studio. The album should be ready for Labor Day. Then I’ll be doing a listening party for some fans. Hey, you should all come!”

  “What’s a listening party?” Daniel asked.

  “It’s when you do an intimate gig,” Roman said. “I’ll be playing the album in its entirety for some of my more hardcore fans. It’s a way to give back, you know, considering everything they’ve given me.” He gestured wide to encompass his whole home, his whole life, even.

  “That sounds really fun,” Emily said.

  Chantelle was looking more excited than ever. “Can I bring Bailey?” she asked.

  Roman chuckled. “Of course. It’s going to be in Portland. Are you guys all right to travel?”

  Emily thought of their beat-up pickup truck with a surge of embarrassment. “Sure.”

  “I can arrange for some cars to take you, since you’re my VIPs,” Roman said. “What do you say, Chantelle? Would you and your friends like to travel for a few hours in a limo? I can get a bubble machine in there. Disco lights. Sodas in an ice bucket.”

  Chantelle nodded, her eyes as wide as saucers.

  Once again, Emily was bowled over by Roman’s generosity. It almost made her feel uncomfortable to accept his offers, but she could also tell that Roman just wanted to share his wealth and treat people. So she agreed to the family attending his concert.

  They finished their meal and Roman stood. “Come on, Chantelle. Let’s go and practice in the studio! I want to hear that beautiful voice of yours again.”

  Chantelle didn’t need telling twice. She hurried off to the basement studio as fast as a rocket. Emily and Daniel followed with Roman, both wearing the same bewildered expression. Emily wondered if Daniel was thinking the same as she was: that Roman’s support of Chantelle might one day lead to great things.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  “I think we need a date,” Daniel announced to Emily that night.

  They were in their bedroom, with Roman’s three-course raw vegan meal still settling in their stomachs and the electrifying memory of Chantelle in a glass booth singing into the recording studio’s microphone crackling through their minds.

  Emily turned from her vanity mirror, midway through moisturizing, to look at Daniel lounging topless in bed. He looked gorgeous, his hair tousled just how she liked it.

  “Oh?” she said with a lilt in her voice. “Are you telling me that a three-course meal at a fancy mansion doesn’t count as a date?”

  Daniel laughed and reached for her. “You know what I mean. We’ve hardly had any time to ourselves since the honeymoon. It’s always chaos here. When was the last time we went out in the boat just the two of us?”

  Emily stood and went over to the bed, taking Daniel’s hand. He tugged her down beside him and she giggled.

  “Is this about us or the boat?” she teased, knowing that Daniel had been hankering to get back out on the boat for days.

  He shrugged cheekily. “Might be a bit of both,” he said with a wink.

  Emily laughed and smacked his bare chest. Then she sunk against him, cozying into him, feeling his breath rise and fall and the heat coming from his skin.

  “That sounds like a lovely idea,” she said. “Chantelle’s been on at me about having a sleepover at Bailey’s. I’ll call Yvonne in the morning and see if she’ll take her for the day.”

  Daniel kissed her deeply and they slid down under the covers, holding one another. Emily felt a wave of relief. Daniel had seemed distant recently but now he was very much present. When his sole focus was her, she felt like there was nothing in the world to worry about. Maybe a date would be just what she needed to quell her fears.

  *

  Early the next evening they dropped Chantelle at Yvonne’s for a playdate with Bailey, then headed toward the harbor. Daniel carried a cooler filled with alcohol-free beers and sparkling juice, and cream cheese and watercress sandwiches he’d made himself that morning, jostling with Matthew in the kitchen for work surface space and elbow room.

  Emily couldn’t help but think of the other dates they’d been on, the other times they’d taken the boat out together when they’d first started seeing each other. So much had changed since then. They were married now, they had a child, and what felt like a million local friends. Even her dad had returned! She really was already making so many beautiful memories in Sunset Harbor, already had months and years behind her. It made her feel like something of an old-timer but the thought was comforting. She could hardly remember any good times back in New York City, and yet in just the short time she’d been here her life had swelled with happiness.

  Taking her hand, Daniel helped her step carefully aboard the gently rocking boat. Then he began to drive them across the ocean. Emily took a deep, content breath, marveling once again at the way her life had changed and the ways in which it was to change even more once the baby was born.

  “I wonder if the baby will like coming out on boat rides,” Emily wondered aloud. “If he or she will like fishing as much as Chantelle.”

  Daniel smiled, but it looked to Emily as though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. She realized then that he was preoccupied with his own thoughts once again. His mind was clearly elsewhere. She pined for that moment last night when he’d held her and made her feel like she was his whole world. What had changed, she wondered, to make him become more distant again? The mention of the baby? Emily could tell there was still something he was holding back, but she didn’t want to ruin their date by prying. She decided that today at least she was going to just let it go.

  They took a new route this time, a longer journey in order to take in the whole of the sunset. The sky was a beautiful burst of pink, with orange streaks and puffy purple clouds, the sun a golden orb that sunk toward the horizon.

  “Hey, look over there,” Daniel said, pointing across the sparkling waves. “I’ve never seen that island before.”

  Emily squinted into the distance, taking in the sight of the land mass ahead of them. “I thought you’d explored every inch of the Maine coast,” she said.

  Daniel smirked. “Do you have any idea how many islands there are in these waters? Thousands. Some have escaped my notice.” He chuckled. “So, can we stop there?” he asked.

  He seemed excited and Emily wanted him to stay happy.

  “Of course,” she said with a shrug. “Looks as good a place as any.”

  Daniel set their course for the direction of the island and the boat sliced through the waves toward it. When they reached the rocky land, Daniel secured the boat and they both clambered out.

  The beach was mainly shell and rock, overgrown by brush, giving it a wild and romantic feel. Just off the beach was a dense forest of spruce trees. Red squirrels scurried up their trunks.

  Looking around, Emily saw there were signs of the remnants of an old fishing village, crude shacks and abandoned lobster trawlers.

  “This is amazing,” she said, feeling awed by the island. It felt like a relic of a time gone by. “I wonder when people quit living here.”

  “It looks like a really small island,” Daniel said. “A couple of acres at most. It was probably just an outpost for the fishing community, rather than a place anyone actually lived.”

  They strolled around, hand in hand. It didn’t take them long to cover the whole island. Emily was charmed by its tranquility, its ruggedness.

  “We’ll have to bring Chantelle back here some time,” she said. “I bet she’d love it. And the new baby.”

  “Maybe when it’s older,” Daniel replied. “I don’t know how much I’d like to have a baby all the way out here. It’s pretty barren.”

  It was a good point, and it made Emily glad to hear him thinking protectively over their child. He may not seem as thrille
d about it as she was, but he certainly had a father’s mentality about the whole thing.

  “Look at this sign, Daniel,” Emily said, spotting a wooden post with a faded rectangular board nailed to it. “The island is for sale!”

  She couldn’t believe it as she looked at the price for the two acre piece of land. “Forty thousand dollars. That can’t be right,” she said. “They must be missing a zero or two.”

  Daniel looked surprised as well. “Maybe smaller islands like this sell for less. If you think about it, two acres is less ground than our lawn.” He peered closer at the sign. “Look, it says the water comes from a well. No electricity or Internet. I guess that’s why.”

  Emily still couldn’t believe it. Even without running water the price seemed like a steal!

  “Can you imagine if we bought an island?” she said with a laugh. “Everyone would think we were crazy.”

  “We would be crazy,” Daniel confirmed. Then his eyes sparkled with imagination. “Although, how awesome would it be if we turned it into an adventure playground for Chantelle!”

  Knowing Daniel, Emily knew that such a feat was within his grasp. If he could make a baby’s crib and a spiral wooden staircase he could certainly construct some monkey bars and a treetop trail.

  It delighted Emily to see his more playful side coming back out, and so she joined in.

  “We could make it into an exotic animal sanctuary,” she suggested. “Alpacas. Or, actually, we could turn it into one of those islands you get in Japan that are overrun with bunnies!”

  Daniel laughed. “Or,” he said,” his expression more serious now, “it could be an offshoot of the inn.”

  Emily smiled but frowned at the same time. “I was only joking,” she said. “We’re not really going to buy an island!”

  “Why not?” Daniel said, and he seemed suddenly genuine. “It’s not like we can’t afford it.”

  It was a good point but Emily shook her head. “No one would want to stay here without water and electricity.”

  “Sure they would,” Daniel said, his expression turning more and more excited. “Especially if we filled it with yurts and made it a luxury camping experience.”

  Emily’s eyes widened then. Daniel was actually being serious. He wasn’t quite suggesting they call the real estate agent up immediately, but he was certainly suggesting they consider it.

  Could they do it? Open a camping offshoot to the inn? Her mind started to race with possibilities.

  “We could build a jetty here,” Daniel continued, indicating a flat spot on the otherwise rocky beach. “People could row themselves over, or we could hire someone to do it for them. We could have some docks as well for people who want to moor. Buy some yachts that we could rent out for explorer types.”

  Emily saw the glitter in Daniel’s eyes and admired his ambition. She wondered what had made him dream so grandly recently, and hoped it was something to do with him wanting to provide for their growing family.

  “We could definitely consider it for the future,” she said. “We have so much happening at the moment with Trevor’s expansion, though, I don’t know if Doctor Arkwright would be happy with me if I told her I was also converting an island! Plus, I’m just not sure how to monetize it. We know nothing about opening a campsite. Is there really a demand for camping on an island with no running water? We’d have to do some research.”

  Daniel laughed and his overexuberance calmed down. “Good point. But can we please keep it in mind?”

  Though intrigued by the idea, Emily just wasn’t convinced that they could make it work. There was so much happening as it was, the last thing they needed was more homework, more bank meetings, more drawing up business plans. Still, she was always happy when Daniel was focused and excited about something so she didn’t want to dash his spirits.

  “I guess,” she replied, finally.

  They settled down on the beach and opened up the picnic. They had a bottle of alcohol-free beer each, and clinked the rims in celebration of finally having made it out on a date with just the two of them. As they sipped together, side by side, looking out at the ocean where the last rays of golden sunshine were extinguished by the horizon, Emily felt like everything was right in the world.

  CHAPTER NINE

  6 WEEKS LATER

  The sun had barely started rising when Emily jolted upright in bed. The now familiar sensation of nausea washed over her. She leapt up and rushed into the en suite bathroom, just making it to the toilet in time. She sunk to her knees and heaved.

  The sound of footsteps came behind her and she knew that Daniel had been awoken by the noise. She felt his hands upon her back, rubbing her gently as she continued throwing up.

  “Happy Fourth of July,” she heard him say.

  Between gags, Emily could only manage a grunting noise of agreement.

  She’d just reached the fourteenth week of pregnancy, the second trimester when everything was supposed to settle down, but her symptoms were worse than ever. The first trimester had been a piece of cake in comparison to now.

  “Your morning sickness seems to be getting worse,” Daniel said gently, as his hand moved in circular motions between her shoulder blades.

  Her heaving subsided and she sat back against the tiled floor. She rested her back against the wall and panted. Daniel handed her a glass of water.

  “Thank you,” she murmured, taking the smallest sip.

  Daniel swept the flyaway hairs from her face, smoothing them back behind her ears. Emily knew she must look a mess. In some ways she wished Daniel didn’t have to see her like this. In other ways she was desperately grateful for his support. Throwing up every morning alone would be awful.

  “Think you’re done?” Daniel asked.

  Emily touched her abdomen to see whether the pressure would cause another wave of nausea. It did not. She nodded.

  Daniel helped her to her feet. Right in the middle of the bathroom they embraced, him holding her closely against her chest. Emily felt so comfortable and cared for when they stood like this.

  “Sorry for waking you up so early,” Emily said.

  Then Daniel released her from his protective arms. “It’s fine. I wanted to get an early start on the spa today anyway. We should probably head down for breakfast,” he said.

  “Do you have to work today?” Emily said. “It’s the Fourth of July. Can’t we just spend the time together?”

  Emily knew he was only next door but there were times when her pregnancy left her feeling vulnerable and wanting him next to her. Daniel was so busy at the moment, with work at Jack’s and the additional time spent on the spa renovation she felt like she barely ever saw him anymore. Some days she would head up to bed alone, and only see him in the morning when she awoke to see him sleeping deeply beside her. He was exhausting himself with work and it worried her, since once the baby arrived they probably wouldn’t get a full night’s sleep for at least a year!

  Daniel cupped her face in his hands. “We’ll be spending the whole time together tonight at the party. And you know we’re on a tight schedule. I want to get the work done in the outhouse as quickly as possible. I’m sorry. Will you be okay?”

  Emily nodded. She still felt clammy all over from the sickness but knew the worst of it had now passed.

  “It’s just next door,” Daniel added in a reassuring tone. “If you need me don’t hesitate to come over.”

  While missing Daniel on one hand, Emily was also very glad that they’d decided on Daniel doing as much of the woodworking renovation as possible, because having him nearby was very reassuring on days such as these where she felt awful and completely wiped out.

  Daniel massaged her shoulders as she brushed her teeth and washed her face with cool water.

  “Let’s get out of this damn bathroom,” Emily said once she was done. “I swear I’ve seen the inside of that toilet bowl enough to last me for a lifetime.”

  Daniel supported her as they walked out the room and down the stairs. As
they passed through the foyer, Lois waved to get Emily’s attention.

  “A call came in last night from Wesley,” Lois said, beaming from ear to ear. “Suzanna gave birth to a healthy baby boy at two in the morning. They’re calling him Robin.”

  Emily squealed with delight. It thrilled her to know that her own unborn baby had a ready-made playmate in Suzanna and Wesley’s precious new son. She’d have to send a gift to her friends, get Chantelle to create one of her infamous gift baskets.

  Emily and Daniel headed onward to the kitchen and saw that Chantelle was already awake and sitting at the breakfast bar, a coloring book spread open in front of her. She’d dressed herself in pink dungarees.

  “How are you feeling today, Mommy?” she asked.

  “Awful,” Emily said. Then she smiled. “But thanks for asking. Did Lois tell you the exciting news?”

  Chantelle’s eyes widened. She shook her head.

  “Toby’s baby brother was born during the night!” Emily told her. “They named him Robin.”

  Chantelle looked delighted. “Fourth of July birthday,” she exclaimed. “He’s so lucky. It means he’ll always be surrounded by friends and family every year.”

  Emily nodded as Daniel helped her onto a stool. “Do you want to make them a gift basket?”

  Chantelle nodded eagerly.

  “What do you want for breakfast?” Daniel asked Emily.

  The thought of food made Emily’s stomach turn again. “Just some plain toast,” she said.

  “That’s all? What about juice?”

  She shook her head. The thought of orange juice disgusted her.

  Daniel looked worried as he made her two pieces of plain toast. Even Chantelle looked concerned. Emily was just glad that they were both so loving and caring as to worry about her. Other than the sickness, she felt fine, and she was glad that the light-headedness Doctor Arkwright had warned her of had not come to fruition.