Prosecco and Peonies

by SJ McCoy

  Gene raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged. “Do you mind if I join you?”

  “We’d love it,” said Rita.

  Molly chuckled. “All I’m doing is getting in the way here, so I might as well sit and have a cup of coffee with you.”

  It was good to catch up with them. They’d always been a part of her life. They knew her history with Marcos, and they weren’t afraid to tell her how happy they were that things were working out this time around.

  She waited as Anita returned and poured them each a mug of coffee.

  “Tell him I’d be more than happy to help once he gets up and running,” said Gene.

  Molly smiled. “I will. That’d be awesome.”

  Rita laughed. “It’d be wonderful for me.”

  Gene groaned. “Apparently I get under my wife’s feet a little too often now I’m not flying anymore.”

  Molly smiled. “That can’t be easy for either of you.”

  Gene shrugged. “Don’t ever expect life to be easy—or fair. If you can manage that, then I reckon you can be happy.”

  Rita nodded. “He’s right, and I think he might have just given you the recipe for a happy marriage, too.” She smiled at Molly. “That is where you and Marcos are headed this time, isn’t it?”

  “I hope so.” She took a sip of her coffee. She wanted him to just hurry up and ask her. She closed her eyes. Oh, no. Here it came again. “Would you excuse me?”

  She got up and made her way as quickly as she could to the bathroom. Thank goodness she had her doctor’s appointment in an hour. She needed to take something to get this cleared up.

  When she went back out, both Rita and Gene were smiling—weirdly.

  “Sorry about that. What’s up?”

  Rita winked at her. “We know. I was just like you are. It was the coffee.”

  Molly gave her a puzzled look. “You’ve had this too?”

  Gene laughed. “Oh, yeah, she had it really bad.”

  “Did you not get it?”

  Gene laughed again. “I’ve never known a guy who did. Don’t worry, though, they reckon it only lasts for the first few months. It was the first three for you, wasn’t it Rita?”

  “Three months?” Molly was horrified. This had been going on for a few weeks, and she’d had more than enough of it already.

  Rita was watching her carefully. “Shush, Gene.”

  Gene laughed. “If the thought of morning sickness is going to scare you, Moll, you’d better toughen up. It’s nothing compared to childbirth.”

  Molly stared at them, trying to process what Gene had just said.

  Rita put a hand on her arm. “I’m sorry, Molly. You didn’t know, did you?”

  Molly shook her head.

  Gene covered his eyes with his hand. “Dammit. I’m sorry, Molly.”

  She felt as if she was moving—and thinking—in slow motion. “It’s okay. It’s not that.”

  Rita gave her a kindly smile. “You should make an appointment with your doctor.”

  Molly nodded. “I have one. In about half an hour.”

  “Would you like me to go with you?”

  Tears filled Molly’s eyes as she shook her head. “Thanks, Rita, but there’s no need.”

  Gene put his arm around her shoulders, and Rita took hold of her hand. “I’m sorry, love. We didn’t mean ... It’ll be okay. You might not have planned it, but …”

  Rita shook her head at him, and he shut up.

  Molly forced herself to smile at them. “No. You don’t understand. I can’t be pregnant.”

  She could tell they thought she was just in denial.

  She shook her head sadly. “I almost wish I was, but I can’t be, and I won’t ever be.” She looked around to make sure no one else was listening. “Marcos can’t have children.”

  It was their turn to stare at her in disbelief.

  The silence lengthened into awkwardness before Rita asked, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. He wanted children when he was married, but he and Caterina … He couldn’t.”

  Gene nodded slowly. “You go to that doctor’s appointment, Molly.”

  She gave them a weak smile. “I will. I kind of wish you were right. But that’s not what it is.”

  Rita squeezed her hand. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?”

  “I’m fine, honestly.”

  “Okay, but please will you give me a call this afternoon, let me know how you get on?”

  “Of course.” She checked her watch. “I should probably get going. I don’t want to be late.” She left them both with hugs and kisses on the cheek before going to let Anita know she was leaving.

  Once she was out in the parking lot, she decided to leave her car there and walk. It was a nice enough day, and she could use the fresh air. When she reached the doctor’s office, she held the door open for a young woman who was coming out with a stroller. She smiled sadly to herself as she waved at the smiling baby inside. One day she’d have a child, but it’d be someone else’s child. She’d love it and raise it and give it the best life possible. She’d do everything she was capable of to love the child. But she wouldn’t give birth to it. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes as she made her way to the receptionist’s window. She hadn’t realized how much she wanted to have a baby until it finally hit her that she never would.

  ~ ~ ~

  Marcos waited with Cameron while Piper closed up the plane. Once she was done, they all walked through the hangar to the office out front.

  Cameron smiled at him. “So, when are you going to ask her?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’m going to bide my time. Wait for the right moment.” Today had gone well. Molly’s dad had been genuinely happy to see him again. He’d given Marcos his blessing to ask Molly to marry him. More than that, he’d told him that now he’d finally relax and know that his little girl was going to be all right. Marcos wanted to feel happier than he did. He’d wanted her dad to say yes, but more importantly, he wanted Molly to say yes, and he had a sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach that she might not.

  Piper was watching him. “What are you worried about?

  He shrugged. “She might say no.”

  They both laughed. “That must be your nerves talking,” said Cameron.

  “I hope so.”

  “Laura said they’re coming to visit this weekend.” Piper raised an eyebrow at him.

  “She didn’t tell you why?”

  Piper smiled. “Not in so many words, no. She didn’t want to give your news away, but it wasn’t hard to figure out what she was saying. She made the ring?”

  Marcos nodded. He was eager to see it, but he was even more eager to see it on Molly’s finger. “She did.”

  “So once you have the ring, you can ask her,” said Cameron.

  “I can.”

  They were both looking at him as if they knew something wasn’t right.

  He held his hands up. “She might not want me.”

  Cameron laughed, but Piper touched his arm. “She does. I know she does. Don’t go tormenting yourself by imagining that this isn’t all you want it to be. You’ve made it, you’re there. Enjoy it.”

  Marcos nodded. “I want to …”

  “But?” asked Cameron. “Come on. Spit it out. It’s obvious something’s eating at you.”

  “I hope you’re both right. I hope I’m just looking for problems where there aren’t any, but I’m worried about Grady.”

  “Grady?” asked Cameron. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “I know they get along well. I had a hang-up about him before I even met him, and now that little seed of doubt has grown into an uncontrollable weed in my mind that’s threatening to choke off all rational thought. I heard him talking the other night when I got to the restaurant. He was telling someone that they had to tell him that they couldn’t stay with him, that he, Grady, wanted her to move in with him.”

  Camero
n shook his head. “I’m sure you’ve got the wrong end of the stick, I—”

  Piper touched Marcos’ arm again. “You have. You’ve got it all wrong. Grady has a niece. His sister’s daughter. His sister died, and their elder brother is raising the niece. Things haven’t been going very well for her, and Grady wants her to come and live with him.”

  They both looked at her. “How do you know all of this?” asked Cameron.

  Piper chuckled. “Because I eat there when you work early or late, and I get along with the girls who work there. They all adore Grady anyway, and now that he wants to step up and take custody of his little niece, they’re all fighting over him, wanting to offer to be her stepmom.”

  Cameron shook his head and gave Marcos a rueful smile. “Just goes to show how clueless we really are.”

  Marcos couldn’t hide his smile. The words he’d heard Grady say—the words he’d kept rerunning in his mind ever since now made all kinds of sense to him. Grady hadn’t been asking Molly to leave him. He’d been reassuring his niece that she could leave her other uncle and come live with him. He leaned his head back and blew a big sigh of relief up at the ceiling. “Man, do I feel stupid now.”

  “Don’t,” said Cameron. “Getting jittery that you might lose the woman you love isn’t stupid. Acting on those jitters would have been, but now you know the truth.”

  Marcos smiled gratefully at Piper. “Thank you.”

  She smiled. “I’m happy I could help.”

  Marcos checked his watch. “I’m going to go to the restaurant and see her.”

  “Okay, we’ll catch up with you soon, and good luck. We want to hear the good news when you ask her.”

  Marcos nodded happily. He was more eager than ever to ask her now. He felt stupid, but at least he hadn’t acted on his stupidity. Someday he’d tell her about it, but for now, all he wanted was to see her, to hold her in his arms, and tell her how much he loved her. He couldn’t wait for the weekend when Laura would arrive with the ring, and he’d finally be able to ask Molly to be his wife.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Molly picked up her phone when it beeped. It was a text from Marcos.

  I’m at the restaurant. Are you okay?

  She stared at it for a few moments, wondering what she should say. She’d been wondering what she should say ever since she’d left the doctor’s office. It was hard to know what to say when you didn’t know what to think.

  I stayed home today.

  He didn’t reply. She stared at the display wondering what he’d say when he did. She didn’t get a chance to figure it out before the phone rang.

  “Hi.”

  “Hey. Are you all right? What did the doctor say?”

  “Something I didn’t expect to hear.”

  “What?”

  She sniffed as tears welled in her eyes. “We can talk about it when you get here.”

  “What?” He sounded scared. “Molly … I’m on my way. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  “Okay.” She hung up and pushed back, rocking on the swing on her patio like she’d been doing for the last hour or so. She didn’t know what to tell him because she didn’t know anything right now. She was numb, still in shock. It all came in waves—one emotion after another. She didn’t know what to do with any of them.

  Marcos made it home in record time. She heard his car pull up and the front door open. He came striding out onto the patio and sat down on the swing beside her, closing his arms around her and looking deep into her eyes. His big brown eyes were full of concern, full of love. She clung to him. She loved him with all her heart. She should be overjoyed. She would be when the shock wore off, but before that, she knew she had to share the shock with him.

  “What is it, Molly?”

  She looked up into his eyes and tears started to roll down her cheeks. There was no way she could do anything but tell him straight out. “I’m pregnant.”

  He sat back as if she’d slapped him. “You’re what?”

  “You heard me. I went to the doctor. I told him all my symptoms, the throwing up, the dizziness—the way the coffee sparks it every morning. He ran some tests and gave me the good news. I’m pregnant.”

  Marcos closed his eyes and covered them with his hand. “When? How?” He let his hand fall to his side and looked deep into her eyes. “Who?”

  It was her turn to sit back as if he’d slapped her. Anger bubbled up, but she fought to control it. “Nearly three months. I think you know how, and who? Well, I can’t say with one hundred percent certainty, but it’s either you or an immaculate conception.”

  He shook his head. “It can’t be me. I can’t.”

  “Apparently, you can. I told the doctor that the tests must be wrong because you can’t. He told me you must be wrong, because you can, and you have. And I am.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I’m pregnant, Marcos. We’re going to have a baby.”

  She could see the struggle on his face. He didn’t believe it, but he wanted to. She knew, just knew, that it’d be difficult, if not impossible, for him to believe. She was still struggling with it, and she’d only known for the last few months that he couldn’t have children. He’d believed that for years. After a few long moments, the struggle dissolved into a smile, and he closed his arms around her.

  “That idea makes me happier than you can know, Molly.”

  She hugged him tightly. “It’s not just an idea, Marcos. It’s our reality. We’re going to have a baby. I don’t know what the hell those doctors of yours in Italy were thinking, but they got it wrong.”

  He frowned. “I can’t believe they …”

  Molly watched his face. He looked as though he might be having a revelation.

  “What? What are you thinking?”

  He shook his head. “That I never saw the test results. Caterina did.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “That maybe I was even more stupid than I realized.”

  “Tell me what you’re talking about.”

  He sighed. “We were trying for children for a year with no success. I suggested that we should both get tested. We did. We had a fight the night before we were supposed to go in for the results. We were supposed to meet at her office and go to the doctor’s office together. When I arrived, she’d already gone without me. When I got to the doctor’s office, she was on her way back out. She screamed at me—in the street—that I was the one who couldn’t make babies.”

  Molly held him closer. She could imagine how much that must have hurt him. “I’m sorry.”

  He shook his head. “I’m sorry I was stupid enough to believe her. I never asked to see the results. I never followed up with the doctor. I was hurt and ashamed. I felt like a failure, and so I let it go.” He looked at the clock on the wall. “I want to call. I need to know the truth.”

  She watched as he pulled out his cell phone.

  “Pronto.”

  “Si, Mama. So che è ancora presto.” He looked at Molly. “Sorry. I know it’s still early, Mom. But I’m here with Molly, and we need to know something. Can you give me Dottore Urbani’s number?”

  Molly could hear his mom speaking rapidly in Italian. Under other circumstances, it would make her smile. She loved Sofia. Right now, she was wondering how the older woman would feel about becoming a grandmother.

  Marcos pulled a notepad and pen out of his jacket pocket and wrote down a number.

  “Thanks, Mom.”

  “I’ll call you back and explain everything later.”

  He hung up and looked at Molly. “It’s seven thirty in the morning there. I don’t know if he’ll be in his office, but I have to try. He doesn’t speak English, so forgive me?”

  “Of course.”

  He blew out a sigh and dialed the number, then waited. He spoke in rapid Italian to who Molly assumed was the receptionist and then looked at her while he waited again. “He’s there. She’s going to find him for me. He’s a friend of the
family. I’m hoping he’ll remember about the tests.”

  “Dottore Urbani.”

  Molly watched as he spoke and then listened and then spoke again—this time he was more animated—agitated. He listened again and then asked a few calm questions. Then he hung up.

  “What did he say?”

  “That I can make babies.”

  She let out a short laugh. “We already knew that much!”

  He nodded. “I guess we did. I’m just. I guess I’m in shock. I believed all these years that I couldn’t. She lied. Dottore Urbani said there was no reason either of us couldn’t have children. She kept refilling her prescription for the pill, and he thought no more of it. She lied.” He shook his head. “I can accept she didn’t want to have children with me. I’m grateful that she didn’t. But we divorced, and she never told me it wasn’t true. Molly, she changed the course of my life—of our life.”

  “No!” Molly spoke so adamantly, it surprised both of them. “No. Don’t you dare ever say that again. She has nothing to do with our life, with our baby. This is down to us. We made this baby, and I, for one, am thrilled that we have. It’s ours, born out of our love. Don’t you dare …”

  He closed his arms around her and landed a kiss in the middle of her forehead. “I won’t. That was a stupid thing to say. I won’t ever say it or think it again.”

  He tucked his fingers under her chin and made her look up into his eyes. “I love you, Molly. I know this is a shock to us both, but you have made me the happiest man on earth.”

  She gave him a small smile. “It’s all so much to take in. I didn’t know how it was possible. I didn’t know what you’d think, I didn’t even know what I thought, but …” Her smile grew bigger. “We’re going to have a baby, Marcos.”

  His eyes shone with tears, and he smiled through them. “Don’t worry; they’re happy tears.”

  She laughed. “Mine are too. Very happy.”

  ~ ~ ~

  When they went to bed, Marcos closed his arms around her and held her close. She looked up into his eyes.

  “I feel like I’m going to wake up in the morning and discover that this was all just a dream.”