“Still overwhelmed.” One of those tears spilled over. “But also hopeful. Ike set up an appointment for me at a clinic today. You two are both coming, by the way. And I’m sure Eric will call me back anytime now.”
“I’m sure he will—”
“I can’t get service here and there’s no Wi-Fi.” Gregory stormed back into the kitchen. “Your aunt doesn’t have Wi-Fi,” he said in disbelief. “How is that possible?”
The back of Rose’s neck tightened with tension. “This is a tiny inn located in a small mountain town.” She did her best to rein in the impatience flashing through her tone.
“You can plug your computer into the router,” Dahlia offered. “That worked for me. It wasn’t the fastest, but it got the job done.”
Gregory continued to stare at Rose. “I have files to send.”
“Then go to the coffee shop in town.” She forced a smile. “They have good Wi-Fi there.” And it would be the best place for him. She had to focus on the extravaganza tonight. And then she’d figure out how to tell him it was over.
Gregory shook his head and walked back out, muttering to himself the whole way.
An awkward silence descended over Rose and her sisters for a few seconds before Mags asked, “Are things okay with you two?”
“No.” There was no sense in lying, even to herself. “Things are not okay at all.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Magnolia
Magnolia leaned over the counter holding the pastry bag above the Santa cookie. Steady, now. Somehow, she had to stop the shaking in her hands so she could create Santa’s eyeballs with a dab of frosting.
“Hey.” Dahlia nearly floated into the room. Ever since her date with Ike she seemed to be walking with an extra bounce in her step. “Are you ready? Aren’t we supposed to meet Ike’s friend at the clinic in a half hour?”
Mags straightened, setting down the pastry bag. She’d been purposely avoiding looking at the clock, trying to ward off the anxiety by decorating the last few cookies they needed for tonight. But now she had to face it. Leaning against the counter, she pressed her hand against her stomach, willing that little baby in there to hold on, to grow, to feel the love she already had for him or her.
“Have you been able to get ahold of Eric?” Dally stole two cookies from the counter and held one out to Mags, but she couldn’t stomach eating anything right now.
“No. He hasn’t been answering his phone.” He was likely still at work, but she’d hoped to catch him when he wasn’t busy. “They must be out on a call or something.” Never in her marriage had she felt so disconnected from her husband. They’d always been best friends. He’d always text her when he was on a big call, keeping her updated so she’d know he was okay.
“I’m sure he’ll call you as soon as he can.” Her sister slipped an arm around her.
“We have to go!” Rose rushed into the room, pulling on her coat. “Sassy is warming up the car.”
“Right.” Mags stepped away from the counter feeling a weakness in her legs. No more stalling. It was time to hear what the doctor had to say.
“I’m sure the baby is going to be completely healthy,” Rose insisted.
“I really want to believe that.” Mags made her way across the kitchen and down the hall to where her coat hung.
“But,” Dally prompted, pulling on her hat and scarf.
“But there are so many ugly memories.” Those horrible moments when the doctor confirmed there was no heartbeat, that she’d miscarried. When she’d fallen apart in Eric’s arms. He’d held her. They’d gotten each other through it.
“I know, sweetie.” Rose moved to her side. “No matter what happens we’re here for you.” She helped Mags into her coat. Even the soft down feathers didn’t warm the cold hollowness spreading through her.
The three of them slipped out the door and hurried to Sassy’s waiting car. Mags climbed into the front seat while Dahlia and Rose claimed the back.
“Look at you girls.” Sassy beamed while she pulled the car out of the driveway. “This reminds me of when we always used to drive over to the ice-cream parlor. Do you remember?”
“We remember.” The memory temporarily distracted Mags from her worries. “We used to get those amazing banana splits with that crunchy topping.”
“Oh my God, the cereal topping.” Rose sighed happily. “I loved that place.” She leaned forward between the seats. “Is it still there?”
“I’m afraid not.” Sassy turned the car onto the highway. “But I’m sure we could find another place to get ice cream after we get to see the baby.”
The baby. Tears gathered in Mags’s eyes, blurring the mountain scenery stretched out in front of her. After she’d lost her second baby, the doctor had told her it wasn’t wise to let herself get too attached until after eight weeks, but that was impossible. The very same second Ike had delivered the news, something clicked into place inside of her. Her heart had already attached itself to the baby’s heart. They were connected no matter what happened. She peered back at Dally. “I really appreciate Ike calling his friend to set this up for me.” It would make such a difference being able to see the baby.
“He was happy to.” Mags didn’t miss the way her sister’s eyes lit up.
“Are you going to go on another date—”
Her phone blared out Eric’s ringtone. “It’s him,” Mags squealed fumbling in her purse to find it. “Hello?” She dropped the phone into her lap before bringing it back to her ear. “Eric? I’ve been trying to call you.”
“I saw. I’m sorry.” Static crackled across the line. “I need to know where you are, Mags. Right now.”
The desperation in his voice lurched her heart. “Why? What is it? Is something wrong?” Had he been hurt at work?
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m here. I’m in Juniper Springs. But I don’t know where to go. I don’t know where to find you.”
“You’re here?” A sob bubbled up and tears flooded her eyes. She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed him, how much she’d missed them until right now. “You came all the way out to Colorado?” It would be a miracle if he could understand her with all the blubbering.
“We’ve never spent a Christmas apart, Mags.” Emotion shook through the words. “Never. And I won’t start now.”
Mags continued to cry, not caring that she could hardly talk, hardly breathe. “I’m so glad you’re here. So, so, glad.” She wiped her eyes, trying to see where they were. “We’re on our way to a clinic in Salida right now.”
“A clinic?” Eric’s voice raised the way it always did when he was on the verge of panic. “Why? What’s wrong? Did something happen to you?”
“Everything’ll be okay.” It would’ve sounded more convincing if she could quit crying. But now that he was here—now that he’d come to be with her, she knew. Everything would be okay. No matter what they had to deal with. Even if they lost another baby, they would still have each other. And like Sassy had said, they were already parents. They knew love and they knew loss and that could be the thing that weaved their hearts together. “I’ll explain everything when you get there.” She had to see him. She had to tell him about the baby in person. “We just left about ten minutes ago.” She rattled off the address. “Can you meet us there?”
“I’m on my way.” The line clicked and Sassy and both of her sisters cheered.
“I knew Eric would come!” Rose leaned forward, looking at Mags. “He loves you too much to spend Christmas without you.”
“And it couldn’t be more perfect for him to show up now,” Sassy added. “It’s like it was meant to be.”
Mags sniffled but laughed at the same time. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been hit with so many conflicting emotions, but the joy had a way of overpowering the fear. “I’ve obviously missed him more than I let myself think about.” Now even twenty more minutes seemed too long to wait to see him again.
“Well, not to worry, my dear.” Sassy stared out the winds
hield like she was on a mission. “We’ll be there in no time.”
Her aunt didn’t lie. She shaved eight minutes off Google’s estimated time of arrival. When they pulled up to the clinic, only one other car sat in the parking lot. Not all that surprising since it was Christmas Eve and Ike had called in a favor.
They all piled out of the car, and a woman met them at the doors. She had a round friendly face with warm brown eyes. “Hi there!” She beckoned them inside. “I’m Dr. Lamb.”
“Dr. Lamb.” Tears still ran down Mags’s cheeks, but she found her brightest smile. “I’m Magnolia.” She shook the woman’s hand before introducing her to Rose, Dahlia, and Sassy.
“It’s wonderful to have so much support,” the woman said, leading them into a waiting room.
“My husband will be here too,” Mags blubbered. “In about ten minutes.”
“That’s wonderful.” Everything about the doctor seemed so calming and soothing. “Why don’t we get you ready, and he can come back as soon as he arrives?”
“We’ll wait out here and point him in the right direction,” Sassy promised, ushering her on.
“Okay. Yes.” She needed a few minutes alone with Eric to tell him she was pregnant.
“Ike explained everything to me,” Dr. Lamb said as they wound their way through a maze of hallways. “We’ll take a look at the baby, do some measurements, and I’m sure you’ll be able to hear the heartbeat today as well.” She paused outside of a door. “He said you believe you might be about nine weeks along?”
“I think so.” She tried to go back and do the math again, but the days and facts jumbled in her head. Her heart was racing. “That’s the last time my husband and I made love.” It sounded so terrible. Nine weeks they’d been avoiding each other. It felt like a lifetime. A lifetime too long.
“Well, the measurements should be able to confirm that,” the doctor told her. She opened the door and led Mags into an exam room with a portable ultrasound machine all set up. “Since it’s so early we’ll have to do the pelvic ultrasound, which isn’t necessarily a picnic.” She handed her a paper drape. “You’ll have to undress from the waist down and then just get comfortable on the table. I’ll give you a few minutes and hopefully your husband will be here by then.”
Yes. Hopefully. The second Eric pulled her into his arms, everything inside of her would still. “Thank you.” She waited until the doctor stepped out, and then undressed. Sitting up on that table, the fear assaulted her again. She’d sat in so many doctor offices in this exact position. Wondering, hoping, dreading. And for every appointment, Eric had been there. He’d always been there for her before she’d shut him out.
It seemed like years passed before the door opened, but it had probably only been minutes. Her husband was suddenly there by her side like he had been so many times before. “What’s going on, Mags?” A weariness lurked in his eyes. “Why are you here?”
She reached for his hand and pulled him to her, a calm settling over her just as she knew it would. “I’m pregnant,” she told him gently. “After I got here, I wasn’t feeling well. I was tired and I had an upset stomach all the time.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought it was bug or something.” She’d never dreamed this was possible. “But we’re pregnant. It had to be that one night after the last treatment had failed. It’s the only time we—”
“It was the only time we’ve made love in three years.” Tears lit up Eric’s dark eyes, sticking in those eyelashes she’d always been so jealous of.
She knew what he meant. All the other times they’d had sex it had been regimented—with an end goal, a purpose. That night had been about emotion, about need, about comfort. It had been about love.
“I’m sorry.” She pushed her face into his chest and breathed him in, this man she had loved for so long. “I shouldn’t have pushed you away. My heart was broken, and there wasn’t room for anything else.”
“I know.” He held the back of her head, gently caressing. “My heart was broken, too. And I knew I was helpless. I knew I couldn’t give you what you wanted most.” He sat on the edge of the exam table next to her and gazed into her eyes. “What if—”
Mags closed a finger over his lips. “There are no what ifs. There is only what we know now. What we know now is there is a baby growing right here.” She placed his hand over her belly and covered it with hers. “We’re going to have to learn to live in the moment. I’m going to try to stop obsessing about the future.” That had almost cost her her marriage. “We have to focus on what we have today.” She leaned over to kiss her husband’s lips. “Today we have each other. And today we have the baby.”
“We have a baby,” Eric repeated, leaning his forehead against hers. “We have our baby.” He held her jaw in his palm and kissed her again, and the intensity of it, the desire it brought fortified her.
The door opened, and they separated, but Mags still held his hand tightly.
“Are you two ready to see the baby?” Dr. Lamb asked, peeking her head in.
“We’re ready.” Eric squeezed Mags’s hand as he said it, and she couldn’t imagine him not being here, not having his strong hand to hold on to.
“Yes. We’re ready.” Living in the moment wasn’t something she’d ever been good at, but she wanted to make it a practice. Worry would only steal this time from her—the moments of her pregnancy, and she couldn’t give into it.
“All right. Let’s get started.” Dr. Lamb walked fully into the room and repositioned the ultrasound machine. “Lay back and try to relax.”
That would be a lot easier now that Eric was here. Mags eased down on the table and fit her feet into the stirrups.
The pelvic ultrasound was no picnic, but she didn’t have time to be uncomfortable before a distinct drumming sound hummed from the speaker.
“That’s the heartbeat.” Eric leaned over her, tears running down his cheeks. “That’s our baby’s heartbeat!”
“It sure is.” Dr. Lamb shifted the wand. “Sounds very strong.”
Mags closed her eyes, listening. Just listening. Memorizing the way that tiny heart thrummed. It was the most beautiful sound in the world. She opened her eyes and found herself gazing directly into Eric’s eyes, and she could see how deeply the sound touched him, too.
“Here’s the baby.” Dr. Lamb pointed to the screen. “That tiny little bean right there.” She typed something on the keyboard and the picture zoomed in.
“And the baby looks okay?” Eric asked, his eyes fixed on the screen. “Is it normal for it to be that small?”
“Completely normal at this stage.” Dr. Lamb moved something on the machine. “I’m doing some measurements, but I would say it appears you were right on with your estimation. It seems this little one was likely conceived roughly nine weeks ago.”
“Nine weeks,” Eric whispered in her ear. He’d been there when that doctor had told her about the eight-week point. “That’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen.”
“The most amazing,” Mags agreed, sealing that image of the tiny little jellybean into her mind.
“So far, I would say everything looks completely normal.” The doctor handed Eric a printout. “You’ll want to follow up with your regular doctor when you get home, but I don’t see anything to be concerned about now.”
“Thank you.” Mags rested her head back on the pillow but continued peering up at the grainy black-and-white image on the screen. This baby wouldn’t fix everything that had gone wrong with her and Eric. But he or she had already brought them closer together.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Dahlia
Talk about Christmas miracles. Dahlia wandered into the barn and gasped at the transformation. While she and Rose had escorted Mags to the doctor’s office, Ike and Colt had finished hanging the white lights from the rafters. And that wasn’t all they’d done, either. They had set up well over one hundred folding chairs and had scattered propane heaters all throughout the room to
warm the space into a cozy Christmas wonderland.
“What’d you think?” Ike sauntered over, looking especially handsome in a rust-colored sweater and dark jeans.
“It’s just like I remember it from my childhood.” She raised her eyes to the rafters, turning in a slow circle to take it all in. “So many lights. It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“Absolutely beautiful,” Rose echoed, walking over to them. Marigold followed closely behind.
Ike leaned in and kissed Dahlia’s cheek, causing a swell of desire. It had been so long since a physical touch had roused such a passionate response in her. She’d almost forgotten it was possible.
“How was the appointment?” he asked in his doctorly voice.
“It couldn’t have been better.” Rose was always the quickest to answer.
“Your doctor friend was amazing,” her sister said. “The baby looks perfect so far, and Eric even showed up in time for the ultrasound!”
“He flew out to surprise her,” Dahlia explained. “And yes, your friend was wonderful.”
“I knew she’d be great.” The man eased an arm around Dahlia’s waist. “She’s married to one of my good friends from medical school.”
“She was very nice, and having a last-minute appointment was exactly what Mags needed. So, thank you.” She’d have to thank him properly later when her younger sister wasn’t standing five feet away.
“Happy to help.” Ike’s grin told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.
“Hey Rose…” Colt strode into the barn carrying another strand of lights. “We have one left. Where would you like it?”
“Hmmm.” Her sister scanned the rafters. “I don’t know. You guys did such a great job, maybe we don’t need to use it.”
“We could add some in that corner.” Ike pointed near the window. “It looks a little bare compared to the rest.” He started walking in that direction. “I’ll help you get them up.”
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