I still don’t know what all of that means. I look at Finn, and he’s soaking in every word Dr. Redmond is saying, his eyes wide. He appears to be in shock. He obviously knows what the hell she’s talking about. As far as I’m concerned, it might as well be Greek.
“Finn, what is it?”
“Christ, woman, if you would just read about this pregnancy like I tell you to, you would know exactly what this means.”
“Well, you do enough reading for both of us, so just spill it, oh wise pregnancy master. What does all this mean? What’s wrong with me?”
He looks to Dr. Redmond, like he’s asking for her permission. She smiles and gives Finn a little nod.
“Multiples.”
“Multiple what?” The only multiple I know where Finn is concerned is an orgasm.
“Babies, Maggie. Twins, triplets. Multiple babies. There’s more than one baby in there,” he says, rubbing my bump.
“What? That’s impossible.” I’m shaking my head back and forth. They’ve both lost their minds.
Dr. Redmond is still looking over my chart, but starts talking again. “We’d have to confirm with an ultrasound, but the hormone levels are well out of the normal range for a single pregnancy. Twins are entirely possible, Maggie.”
“We already had an ultrasound, just last month. There was only one baby. I’ve seen it. It’s on my fridge.”
“One could have been behind the other. It’s a rarity, but it has been known to happen, especially if the babies share an amniotic sac. Now that we know there are possibly two, we will be a bit more thorough. We need to get you into a room. I want to do an exam and then do the ultrasound myself. Once we know if you are having multiples or not, we will discuss what happens next. Sit tight, and Susan will be back to show you to a room.”
Sit tight. Ha. I couldn’t get out of this chair if the room was on fire.
Multiples?
I just came to grips with the fact that I’m having a child, and now I’m told I’m probably having more than one?
Chapter Ten
“Maggie, open your eyes,” he says, nudging my knee.
“I can’t. I’m too scared to look.”
“She’s checking for more than one baby, not an alien,” he says, and I feel lips push against mine. My eyes pop open.
“That’s against the rules, Finn.”
“When are you gonna share these rules with me? Maybe even put them in writing. I have to know what I’m doing wrong,” he says, those dark eyes of his twinkling with amusement.
“Alright Maggie, lift your shirt. I’m going to tuck a towel in your waistband. This gel is a bit messy.” Dr. Redmond busies herself prepping me for my ultrasound. When she’s got me all ready she hesitates for a minute before she continues talking, her eyes warm and kind, her hand rubbing along my arm.
“Sweetie, I know this is not how you had your life planned out, but I know you can take whatever cards you are dealt and make them work. You can take any situation and make it beautiful. You are going to be a wonderful mother, Maggie, whether it’s one child in there or five,” she says with a wink.
The wand hits my belly. I’m looking at the screen and hear the whooshing of a heartbeat take over the silence of the room. Dr. Redmond is moving the wand too quickly for me to see anything. When she gets near the bottom of my ever growing baby bump, her hand grows still.
Right there, in black and white, I see them.
Two babies.
Finn and I collectively inhale. His hand seeks out mine and squeezes it. I’m not sure if he’s trying to reassure himself or me, but I clutch onto his hand and hang on for dear life. His head drops close to mine, his forehead resting against my temple.
“Look at our babies, Magpie.”
I nod and smile. My throat is tight and there is pressure on my chest. I’m not sure what I’m feeling. I can’t sort through the multitude of emotions, some of which I’ve never experienced before. I’m not even sure what to label some of them.
I just may have fallen in love with the two little black and white images on the screen.
Dr. Redmond clears her throat. “They both look great, guys. I have some measurements to take, but they appear to be developing right on schedule.”
“Of course they are. You’re doing a great job growing our babies,” Finn whispers to me, moving his mouth from my ear to my mouth.
“Rules, Finn.”
“Until you write them down, I’m not doing anything wrong.”
The kiss is light, sweet, and sheer perfection.
Just like this moment.
A few hours later, we’re finally on our way back home. At Finn’s insistence, we stop at the hardware store first to make a key.
“So, this move is happening now? Like, today?” I ask.
“Why not? You heard the doctor. You need to take it easy. I can be your house boy, taking care of your every need and desire. Plus, isn’t rent due next week? So I’m moving in, effective immediately.”
What have I gotten myself into?
Troy and Landon are on their patio when we get home, and I want to go over to give them the news, but Finn has other plans. He plucks me from the front seat like I weigh nothing and marches to the door of my apartment.
“What are you doing? Put me down!” Screaming and banging on his chest aren’t working. He doesn’t even budge. I can hear my former besties laughing from their front row seats to our little show. They should be coming to my rescue, not finding this entertaining.
“Finn, put me down.”
“I’m carrying you over the threshold. Now hush, before I make you.”
He unlocks the door, pushes it open and steps through, all with me cradled in his arms. Pretty impressive, considering the numbers I saw today on the scale.
“You’re nuts.”
“I wasn’t the one screaming like a fool in the parking lot.”
“Knock, knock,” I hear as the door squeaks open. I guess Finn didn’t close it all the way behind him. “What are you two love birds up to?”
I roll my eyes at Troy’s dramatics. Landon is behind him, squeezing his shoulder in an attempt to shut him up. He steps to Troy’s side and sticks out his hand.
“I’m Landon, Maggie’s best friend. You must be Finn.”
Finn puts me down, takes Landon’s hand and gives it a firm shake. He does the same for Troy as they introduce themselves to each other. Troy lingers a bit too long. Landon has to grab Troy’s elbow and pull his arm back.
“What’s up?” I ask. I’m sure they’re intrigued by that little display they saw in the parking lot.
“We were waiting to see how your appointment went this morning. It’s been all day and we haven’t heard anything. We were worried about you.”
Troy is checking out Finn and not being very discreet about it. “Obviously, it was misplaced worry. You’ve been in perfectly capable hands all day.”
Another eye roll. He is gonna flip when he realizes that Finn’s moving in.
“Maggie and our babies are perfect.”
Troy and Landon look at each other and back at Finn. “Babies?”
Finn laughs. “Babies. There’s two of them in there.” His hands go around my waist, resting on my bump. I turn to him, glaring.
“Are you just gonna blurt it out to everyone? Just like that?”
“What do you want to do? Wait and make some cheesy announcement on Facebook? Why can’t we just tell people?”
I throw my hands in the air. “We can do it with just a little more flair, don’t you think?”
“I don’t do flair, Maggie, I’m a man.”
“You haven’t even moved the first box in here and we’re already fighting. I knew you living here was bad idea.”
“WHAT?!” Landon and Troy scream from beside us. Oops. I already forgot they were here.
Finn looks at them, grinning. “I’m your new neighbor. Looks like we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other, boys.”
I think Troy just had an orga
sm.
“I’m too tired to get off this couch,” I whine.
This has been the longest twenty-four hours of my life. I’m drained. When I woke up this morning, I had no idea that I would have a new roommate and a second baby taking up residence in my uterus. This is too much for my brain to handle.
“You can’t sleep on the couch. That’s my bed tonight. So, unless yours is open for guests, you need to move.”
“You’re staying here tonight?”
“I had a lot of wine with the boys at dinner, so I’m not driving back to the loft and I’m not going to ask you to drive me, either. So, yes, I’m staying. It’s my first official night in OUR apartment. Want to celebrate?” he asks, smirking at me.
I smile at Finn calling Troy and Landon the boys. “Thank you for coming to dinner next door with me. Landon, and especially Troy, can be a bit dramatic. You don’t have to indulge them for my benefit.”
“They’re cool guys. I can handle a bit of drama. Besides, they are obviously important to you, which means they’ll be spending a lot of time around you and the babies. I want to get to know them. I had fun tonight,” he says, smiling.
Yeah, I’m sure Troy’s incessant flirting was a real joy.
Finn sits down on the couch next to me, pulling my feet into his lap. As soon as he slips off my shoes and starts rubbing my feet, I pull them back and force myself to get off the couch. If I don’t, we might be christening the couch tonight.
I walk to the kitchen and grab my bottle of vitamins from the island. When I turn to the fridge to get a bottle of water, I notice there are some new additions to the surface. Next to the original ultrasound picture is the set of new ones, with both babies on display. I touch the pictures lightly, tracing the outline of my twins, shaking my head.
Unbelievable.
Two babies.
Next to the grainy photos is the ‘article’ that Finn wrote, convincing me to let him move into the apartment with me. A hearty laugh escapes me, and I cover my mouth with my hand. The sight of it makes me happy. I’m glad he thought to stick it up here.
A plain white piece of paper is next to the article. When I grab it from beneath the magnet, I notice it’s not quite blank. There’s a title written across the top… “Maggie’s Rules Regarding Finn”. I laugh, but this time it’s a quiet laugh. I know that I need to establish some rules for us. It’s the only way I can keep my heart protected. The more time I spend with Finn, the more I like him. I’m getting to know him and I really like all the things I’m discovering about him. He’s hilarious, kind, and considerate. It’s obvious he’s made some real changes in his life in order to be a good father to these babies, and they’re not even here yet. There’s still a part of me, though, that can’t get past the feelings of hurt and lack of trust from the past.
I’ll work on the rules tomorrow.
A carbon copy from the hospital is the last addition to the fridge that catches my eye. At first, I thought it was one of mine from Dr. Redmond, but I notice Finn’s name on the top. Listed along the left hand side are a whole bevy of STD’s. My heart is pounding. I know that if I look to the right, the results will be listed. Surely, if anything was positive, he wouldn’t have put it up here for me to see. I force my eyes to slide to the opposite side of the paper and read down the results column.
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Negative
Thank God.
Finn walks into the kitchen and notices the paper in my hand.
“What is this?” My voice is thick, my hands are shaking, and my face feels hot.
“I’m pretty sure it’s self-explanatory.”
“Yeah. Why is it on my fridge?”
“I thought you’d like to know that I’m clean.”
“That’s great, but we don’t need it on display like a damn report card, Finn. ‘Hey, look, I was fucking around on you, but it’s all good because I’m clean. Whew. Here’s the proof’.” I crumple the paper and shove it into his chest when I go to walk around him, but he grabs my arm and stops me.
“Maggie, I wasn’t fucking around on you because we were never really together. I just thought you would want to know that I’m clean and that there’s no chance that I gave you anything. I should have talked to you about it instead of sticking it up there. I’m sorry. I told you I would get you to trust me again. I’m working on it.” He waves the paper at me. “This is part of that process.”
“Goodnight, Finn.”
Just when I was starting to feel better, his not so distant past comes back to slap me in the face.
Chapter Eleven
That Irish prick.
I can smell the coffee brewing from the kitchen. Coffee is my kryptonite. He knows how much I love it. He knows that a cup of coffee will make me forgive even the gravest of sins. I know it’s a bit pathetic, but it’s especially true now, since I can only have one cup a day. And now that Finn’s here, it seems I don’t even have to make it myself.
This roommate thing might work out just fine.
“Rise and shine, Magpie,” I hear from the doorway.
I open my eyes, and there he is, just as gorgeous as ever. He’s fresh from the shower, only in the grey pants he was wearing last night. He’s leaning in my doorway, a steaming cup of coffee in hand. His long legs are crossed at the ankle, his feet are bare. My eyes drift back up to his torso. I can still see a few water droplets that were missed by the towel, threatening to run down his shoulders and along the outlines of his tattoos. I want to trace them, both with my fingertips and with my tongue. His black hair is a mess. I love it. I want my hands in it. I can feel my stomach clenching at the thought, my nipples hardening, and my panties getting wet. He needs to go, or I just might throw myself at him.
It’s got to be because he brought me coffee. I must be having caffeine withdrawals or something.
“Are you done yet?” he asks, pulling me out of my stupor.
“With what?”
“Checking me out. Is it safe for me to come give this to you?”
You can come give me whatever you want, Irish.
“I wasn’t checking you out. I love coffee,” I tell him, pushing myself up against my headboard. The covers slip down to my waist. Finn’s eyes move to my chest, to my hard nipples, and I’m busted.
His eyes light up. “Damn, Maggie, you really do love coffee.”
I reach for my cup, but he puts it on my nightstand and sits on the edge of my bed, settling in by my waist.
“You don’t want that right now, Maggie.”
He’s right. I don’t really give a shit about coffee when he’s sitting in my bed.
His finger traces along my collarbone, then moves down to the V of my pink satin camisole, dipping between my breasts. He’s moving along the lace seam of it so tenderly, leaving goose bumps behind.
“Let me give you a proper good morning, Maggie.”
I’m starting to breathe heavily, wanting this so badly, even though I know this is so wrong. I’m mesmerized, watching the path of his finger along the cool satin. Finn replaces his finger with his mouth, moving along the same sinful trail. His mouth is hot and wet and I feel like the thin fabric is melting against my skin. When his tongue hits my nipple through the slick material, I just about come off the mattress. I feel a tug all the way to my core, like there’s a rope connecting the two parts of my body.
“Shhh,” he says, replacing the heat with a cool rush of air.
“Please, Finn,” I breathe out, pulling at my top. I want it off. I want all of our clothes off and I want him inside of me.
He pulls his head up and looks at me with a mischievous grin. His dark eyes are dancing. “What about your little rules, Maggie?” he whispers, holding my cheek and rubbing my bottom lip with his thumb. “I don’t want to break them.”
I pull my top off and toss it across the bed. He laughs and puts his mouth back
to work, while his hands busy themselves pulling off my lace panties. I want his pants off, but I can’t get my hands out of his damp hair.
“Christ, woman. You’re soaking wet. I need to taste you.”
His mouth leaves my nipple and I whine in protest. He shakes his head at me and kisses his way down my body, making a pit stop at my stomach.
“Good morning, babies,” he murmurs, placing two light kisses on my baby bump. My breath hitches at his gesture.
That hitch is transformed into a piercing gasp when his mouth hits me between my legs. Finn spreads me wide and feasts on me like a starving man. I’m squirming around on the bed, moaning and begging Finn, but the words sound like gibberish. He’s moving a finger in and out of me, using his tongue and lips to devour me. When he pushes another finger inside of me and pulls at me gently with his teeth, a staggering orgasm rolls through my body, leaving me limp on the bed, in an orgasm induced coma.
Finn crawls over my body, plants a hard and fast kiss on my lips, and tells me, “Drink your coffee while it’s still hot and get yourself dressed. It’s moving day.”
He leaves my room before I can comprehend what in the world just happened.
I emerge from my room an hour later and Finn’s sitting at the island, not a care in the world.
“What was that?” I ask, throwing my arm in the direction of my bedroom.
“That was good morning, Maggie.”
“That was Rule Number One.”
He grins at me. “What?” he asks, playing dumb. “I can’t bring you coffee in the morning?”
“No. Rule Number One: No coffee accompanied by oral sex. Coffee only.”
He grins. “You gonna write that down and post it on the fridge for your nosy neighbors to see?”
I shrug and feign disinterest. “I don’t care what they see. I tell them everything anyway.”
More of You Page 8
