“What did they say about the DNA testing, Justin?” she asked.
“Well, they explained how it works. Apparently if you are doing paternity testing on a male child, you can compare the Y chromosomes since they are passed directly from father to son. This test is extremely accurate, Maggie. I’m glad we had this done so there will be no question as to the identity of Jake’s father.”
“It’s all kind of overwhelming, Justin.”
“Don’t worry Maggie. We’ll just take it as it comes.”
Justin took Maggie’s hand in his and stroked it for a minute.
“I don’t know how I’m going to get through the next week,” Maggie sighed.
“We’ll just keep ourselves distracted. Maybe we can go over and play with Spencer a few times. I’m sure the kids will want to go on a couple short expeditions.”
“In the meantime, I want to hear some of those tapes that you gave me,” Maggie said.
She went over to the stereo and loaded a cassette into the tape deck. Loud rock music came spilling out of the speakers, the music was supported by a thunderous bass line. Maggie went back over to sit next to Justin on the wicker couch. He put his arm around her and she leaned back against him and closed her eyes so she could concentrate on the music. Suddenly, she felt him tentatively kiss her on the lips. She wanted to stop him, but it took her a minute or two to get out an ineffectual ‘no’.
“I don’t think this is such a good idea, Justin.”
“Are you sure, Maggie?”
Justin continued kissing her and then she found herself kissing him back. It had been a long time since she had felt so attracted to a man, probably since the last time she and Zak had made love and that was two years ago at this point. She pulled Justin closer and kissed him more deeply.
“Maggie, I dream about kissing your soft lips. I’ve never been able to forget about you. Even when I’ve been with other women, it’s always been you that I want.”
“Justin, why did you wait so long to come back?” she asked.
“I was so torn between my friendship for Zak and my love for you. Zak has been my best friend all of my life, I couldn’t bear to hurt him. But I couldn’t handle being around the two of you when you were so happy. I wanted to be your husband and the father of your kids, but I couldn’t have that. That’s why I couldn’t come home before.”
“Justin, I’m supposed to marry Tucker now.”
Justin didn’t say anything. He continued to kiss Maggie and when he felt her relax and begin to surrender to him, he started to touch her breasts. He was just unbuttoning her blouse, when they heard footsteps on the gravel. Justin hurriedly buttoned her blouse back up again and was just finishing when Zak flung the door open.
“We’re back,” he said loudly and stood in the doorway blocking everyone’s view for a minute.
“What have you two been up to?” he asked, but he knew by Maggie’s heavy breathing and flushed face exactly what they had been up to.
“We were just listening to a tape of my band,” Justin said and got up to turn the tape off.
Tucker and the three kids followed Zak into the house. Jake ran over to his mother and handed her a flower that he had found on his walk.
“This is for you Mama,” he said.
“Thank you darling. It’s very pretty.”
“That would look nice in your mother’s hair,” Justin said. He took the flower out of Maggie’s hand and tenderly tucked it into her long blonde hair behind one ear.
“That does look pretty, Mama,” said Belle.
“It kind of reminds me of when you wore the flowers in your hair when we got married,” said Zak.
“Maggie looked beautiful that day,” said Justin.
“Well, I think she looks beautiful every day,” Tucker agreed.
Belle giggled and Maggie looked slightly embarrassed.
“You look warm Maggie, can I get you a cold drink?” Tucker asked.
“Yes please, Tucker. That would be great.”
Tucker went into the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses and then poured drinks for everyone.
“It’s awfully humid here in Louisiana,” he said. “I don’t know how you can live here year round, Zak.”
“I guess I’m just used to it. Maggie used to find it difficult though, being a Northerner.”
“You’d like the climate in San Francisco, Maggie. It’s moderate all the time,” said Justin.
“Sounds good to me,” said Tucker.
“Have you been back to Boston recently to see your parents?” Justin asked.
“We were back about a year ago. Tucker and I were hoping to take the kids before we got married.”
“My parents moved out to California two years ago. They live about half an hour away. It’s nice to have some family nearby,” said Justin.
“So it sounds like you’re committed to staying out there,” Zak said.
“For the moment, but things can change,” Justin answered, giving Maggie a long look.
“Did I hear there were some plans to go visit Spencer tomorrow?” Zak asked.
“Yes, we thought we would have a Little Maggie reunion. Carole and Jim are going to come out and we thought that we would start working on some new material,” Maggie said.
“I assume that Justin is going to play bass. What about you Tucker?” Zak wanted to know.
“I’m not sure yet, I guess it depends on how I feel tomorrow.”
“O.k., if you want to hang out here, Maggie and Justin could take the Porsche. They might find that fun,” Zak suggested.
Justin shared Zak’s love of fast cars, but drove a van that could accommodate his bass guitar and amp. Justin looked at his friend and said, “I know I’d enjoy it, Zak.”
“I’m sure that Spencer would like seeing Tucker again, so let’s just decide tomorrow,” Maggie said decisively.
However, the next morning Tucker said he was tired and just wanted to relax with Zak and the kids.
“Are you sure, Tucker?” Maggie asked. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to spend time alone with Justin. She didn’t know if she would be able to control herself if he kissed her again.
“Yes, I’m sure Maggie. You and Justin go off and have a good time.”
Zak got the keys to the Porsche off the counter and threw them over to Justin
“Yeah, you two enjoy yourselves. Just bring the Porsche back in one piece please.”
“You know I’m a good driver,” said Justin. “You’re the one who keeps having the accidents.”
“Not for a long time, I’m older and more mature now.”
“Well, definitely older. I’m not sure about the mature part,” Justin teased his friend.
“Are you sure you want to watch the kids, Zak?”
“Sure, Maggie. Go have fun. Say hi to everyone for me.”
Maggie kissed the kids and Tucker goodbye and then she and Justin climbed into the Porsche and took off down the driveway. There wasn’t much room in the car for instruments, but they knew that Spencer had a mandolin and bass that they could use. Maggie looked forward to spending time with her friends and playing some bluegrass music without having to worry about her children. Justin looked forward to spending time with Maggie.
.
Chapter 5
Spencer only lived about twenty minutes away, so Justin suggested that they take the ‘scenic route’ so he could enjoy driving the Porsche a little longer. He wanted to take the car out onto the highway so he could get a feel for how fast it could go. Maggie asked him to take it easy, she never liked it when Zak drove fast. Fortunately, Zak didn’t buy the Porsche until after their divorce, so she didn’t have to share in that experience with him. Justin took the car out on the I-10 and waited for some space to open up before unleashing the horse power. He hit the accelerator and let the car get up to almost 100 mph and then sensing that Maggie was getting nervous, brought it back down to a safe speed.
“What did you think M
aggie? That was really something.”
“I’m just glad that Zak waited to get this thing until after we were divorced. I bet his girlfriends like it though.” Maggie laughed.
“Yeah, well it’s pretty sexy. A lot sexier than my mini-van,” Justin replied.
“Well, at least you don’t need two cars, the sports car and the van to haul the kids around.”
“I don’t know, sometimes I think maybe I should have more fun instead of always being so practical.”
“It’s probably possible to do both,” and Maggie smiled at Justin.
She realized she was having fun and feeling carefree in a way that she never did when she was around her children. She reached over and put her hand on Justin’s knee. He took his hand off the steering wheel to hold her hand for a moment. He held it up to his lips to kiss it before he released it to shift into gear.
Ten minutes later, they pulled into the driveway to Spencer’s house. This house actually belonged to Maggie and Zak. It was the first house that they had lived in together and when they built their new house they decided to hold onto it and rent it to Spencer. Maggie always loved visiting Spencer here and spending time in her old house that held so many memories. Justin had lived with Maggie and Zak in the house for a while and the house held a lot of memories for him too, especially of the first night that he had slept with Maggie. Maggie had caught Zak with his old girlfriend Jacqueline and Justin and Maggie had ended up getting drunk and sleeping together.
As they entered the house, Justin saw the couch in the living room where he had made love to Maggie. His memories of that night were extremely vivid, he had never been able to put them out of his mind. Maggie, on the other hand, couldn’t remember much about what had happened and that had always haunted her.
Spencer was in the kitchen getting some snacks together to serve the band. He was cutting up some wedges of cheese and slices of apples and arranging them on a platter with some crackers.
“Hey guys, how’s it going? Ready to do some playing?”
Spencer hugged Maggie and kissed her on the cheek and then shook Justin’s hand.
“It’s so good to see both of you. Anything new?”
Maggie and Justin looked at each other and then Justin said, “Not much. Maggie finished touring with Tucker and they’re about to take the kids back to Nashville. I’m done touring for a while too. It’s good to be home.”
“I remember how tough it was touring with Little Maggie,” Spencer said. “But I wouldn’t mind doing it again.” Spencer laughed. “Let’s take this out to the studio, Carole and Jim should be here any minute.”
Spencer carried the large platter out the back door with Maggie and Justin following behind. He opened the door to the renovated garage and they went inside. Justin put his hand on Maggie’s shoulder for a moment. They both were thinking of the same thing, the time they had played together with Zak in the studio when they had first met.
“You can borrow my mandolin, Maggie and I have a Rickenbacker bass that you can use Justin.”
Spencer picked up his Martin guitar from its stand and they all started tuning up.
Spencer started singing:
“Now yonder stands Little Maggie,
With a dram glass in her hand,
She’s a drinkin’ away her troubles,
She’s a-courtin’ another man.”
It was an old Stanley Brothers song that he always played in honor of Maggie. It never failed to elicit a smile from her. Justin started playing a simple bass line while Maggie played mandolin chords on the off beat.
Carole and Jim opened the door and carried in their instrument cases. Carole took out her fiddle and Jim strapped on his banjo and they joined in on the song. They traded some breaks and then all finished solidly together.
“Well, that sounded pretty good guys,” Maggie said with satisfaction. “How are you doing, Carole and Jim? It sounds like you’ve been practicing.”
“We’re still going to the jam in Church Point, so we’ve been keeping our hand in,” Jim responded. “Nothing close to what you’ve been doing, Maggie and Justin. Are you both done touring?”
“For the moment,” said Maggie. “Tucker’s booking agent is working out a world tour though. It probably won’t start for another couple months.”
“That’s great, Maggie,” said Carole. “I know you’ve wanted to do that for a while.”
“Well, now that the kids are a little older, it seemed like a good time. By the way, I brought some tapes for everyone of some songs that I wrote recently. Maybe you can take them home and listen to them a few times and then we can get together and work out some arrangements. In the meantime, how about if we practice some of our old tunes?”
“Sounds good Maggie,” said Jim. “What do you want to start with?”
“I’d love to hear Spencer sing ‘I Still Miss Someone’ and then maybe Carole and I can sing a duet on ‘The Sweetest Gift’.”
Justin laughed to himself as Maggie subtly took control of the practice. There was a reason that the band was named after her, although she would never admit to being the band’s leader.
They played one song after another until everyone started slowing down a little. Carole got a cramp in her left hand and declared that she was done for the day. Jim said that his banjo was starting to feel a little heavy and that he would have to stop too.
“I guess practice is over then,” said Maggie. “Justin and I were hoping to practice a couple times over the next week while we’re here. Is that o.k. with everyone?”
Spencer, Carole and Jim all agreed to that and they scheduled the next practice for in two days. Carole and Jim packed up their instruments and then walked out to their cars together. Maggie and Justin walked back to the house with Spencer who offered to make them some dinner. Spencer liked to cook for people and he didn’t get that chance too often. He decided to make some baked chicken while Maggie and Justin took their beers into the living room. Justin took Maggie’s cassette and loaded it into Spencer’s tape deck and played the new songs that Maggie had written. Maggie had recorded them with Tucker, she played mandolin while Tucker played guitar.
“Are you sure you don’t want to save these songs for your next album with Tucker, Maggie?” Justin asked.
“I think these would sound better with a complete bluegrass band,” she replied. “Besides, I’ve missed playing with you guys. It’s so much fun to play with a group, everyone trading breaks.”
Spencer came into the room to join them in a beer.
“Did you bring me a tape of your music, Justin?” he asked.
“Yes, I left one for you on the coffee table,” Justin said.
“Why don’t you put it on when Maggie’s tape is done,” Spencer said. “I’d like to hear it.”
Justin obliged, and they sat around listening to the loud rock and roll.
“You’re making me miss playing in a rock band,” said Spencer. “Remember when we used to play in Lost Highway, Maggie? We really rocked those clubs some nights.”
“How could I forget, Spencer. I still have trouble hearing out of my left ear.”
Spencer and Maggie smiled at each other. This was one of many private jokes that they shared. Spencer had always stood to Maggie’s left when they played out.
“If you’re having hearing problems, it’s probably due to the drums in Zak’s band or maybe Justin’s thunderous bass lines,” Spencer teased.
Maggie and Justin smiled at each other. They had always enjoyed playing in Zak’s band, the Bayou Blasters.
“I miss playing with you guys, we had so much fun in the old days,” Maggie said.
“I miss playing with you too, Maggie. You have an incredible voice for rock and roll. You should get back to that sometime,” Justin said.
Just then the buzzer on the stove went off and Spencer went back into the kitchen to take out the baked chicken. Justin turned off the tape and sat down on the couch next to Maggie. He put his arm around her waist, turned he
r head towards him and kissed her on the mouth.
“I’ve missed you so much, Maggie,” he whispered.
Spencer could see them kiss from the kitchen so he puttered around a little longer than necessary. After a couple minutes, he asked them if they were ready to eat. They came into the kitchen and sat down at the table and he served them the chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits and salad.
“Sorry, I didn’t have time to make anything fancy,” Spencer said.
“This is delicious, Spencer and just what I needed. I’m starving,” Maggie responded.
“How about another beer, Justin?” said Spencer.
“Thanks, man. That would be great.”
They ate their dinner and then retreated to the living room to catch up on the news. Spencer and Justin had a couple more beers and smoked a joint.
“What about you, Maggie?” Spencer said and offered her the joint.
“I have enough problems getting around without being high, so I guess I’ll pass,” Maggie said.
Spencer and Justin finished the joint and Spencer put on an old tape of Lost Highway.
“Man, those were the days, Maggie. You sounded so great,” Spencer said.
Maggie leaned against Justin and closed her eyes. She listened to Spencer and Justin reminisce and then drifted off to sleep. She woke up an hour later, and realized that the guys had smoked a few more joints and drunk a few more beers.
“I can barely keep my eyes open,” Spencer said. “I’m going to bed. You can take the spare bedroom or someone can sleep on the couch.”
After Spencer left the room, Justin leaned over and kissed Maggie deeply for a long time. She started to feel aroused, especially when he murmured in her ear how much he wanted to make love to her. He started to unbutton her pants when suddenly it came back to her, that night they had spent together making love on the couch.
“Oh god,” she moaned.
He responded by kissing her even more deeply.
“No Justin, we shouldn’t. I promised Tucker that I would marry him.”
“Maggie, I love you. I’ve always loved you. I want you to marry me.”
The Sweetest Gift (The Gift) Page 3
