Love Promises (Sully Point, Book 4)

by Smith, Nicole

  She opened the door to find Eric.

  "What are you doing here?" she asked blankly. She hadn't even noticed his car. In fact, she was sure it wasn't downstairs.

  "Where have you been? I called and you didn't answer and I got worried, so I had the guys drop me off here while they did the next delivery."

  "You called?" She patted her coat pocket, and then saw her phone on the coffee table. "I forgot to take my phone with me. I'm sorry you worried. I had to run an errand."

  He walked up to her and reached out a hand to tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. "You are fine, aren't you. You have roses in your cheeks and your pretty purple eyes are sparkling like diamonds."

  "I think getting out and going for a walk did me good. I brought some goodies from the bakery. Want some?"

  "Yeah, that sounds good. Let me go wash my hands."

  He walked away toward the bathroom and then she remembered. She'd left the pregnancy tests out on the counter in there. She dashed after him, yelling, "Eric, wait!"

  And met him coming out of the bathroom with a dazed look in his eyes.

  "What--what are you doing with these?" he asked, holding out a box from one of the pregnancy tests in his hand.

  "Eric--"

  "Were you just going to serve me pastry and send me on my way and not tell me?"

  "No! No, not exactly. I was going to tell you later when you got home. You surprised me, being here now. I wouldn't keep this from you."

  "So--are you?"

  "Yes," she said simply.

  "Oh," he said.

  It was quiet for a minute and then he sat down on the brocaded chair. She sat on the sofa and stared at him. She couldn't tell what he was thinking.

  "How--"

  "I forgot one of my pills, right after we started having sex. And I didn't notice. I've been so caught up in us, the holidays, everything. Then I got sick again this morning when I woke up. And all of a sudden it hit me what could be happening."

  "What could be happening?"

  "Morning sickness. Even though it happened at night last night, I think it works like that sometimes."

  "Are you sure? About the tests, I mean."

  "I took three tests and all of them came up positive. I made an appointment to see Doc Watson this afternoon. To be sure."

  "Okay. So you might not be?"

  "I guess it's possible." She didn't like the way this conversation was going. He was supposed to jump up and kiss her and tell her he was thrilled. But he was so not doing that. She breathed deeply and told herself not to cry, no matter what.

  "I need to go. The guys will be downstairs any minute."

  "Oh."

  "I'll come over when we're done, around five. Then you can tell me what the doctor said."

  "Okay."

  She watched him get up with his blank face and walk to the door. He was leaving!

  "Are you all right, Eric?" she asked, still sitting on the sofa.

  "Yeah, yeah. I need to think. I'll see you later." He opened the door and was gone.

  Maggie sat still as a stone and waited, waited until she heard the car engine that meant he was leaving. Then she fell sideways onto the pillows on the sofa and cried.

  * * * *

  Eric decided the only thing he could do was to set it all to one side in his head. He'd always been good at compartmentalizing. Now he closed off his thoughts and feelings about the possible pregnancy and focused on the computer deliveries. A couple of times, someone would have to nudge him into answering a question, but he thought he did pretty well.

  Until Cody took him aside and asked, "What is going on? Are you okay? You've been like an automaton since we left Maggie's. Is she okay?"

  "Yeah, I think so. Yes. She is. It's just, something that came up that I need to deal with. But I can deal with it later. Sorry."

  Cody slapped him on the back. "No problem. Relax, be happy! This is the fun part."

  Eric smiled at him and nodded.

  The fun part. That was what he had thought he and Maggie would have for at least five years. Then maybe they'd settle down to having children. But now? Right now? It was like someone had thrown ice water on him. He was in shock, he realized. He had never been more stunned in his life.

  The next few deliveries went smoothly. He wondered how Maggie's appointment was going. What if she wasn't pregnant after all, if it was just a scare? Then everything could go back to the way it was before.

  Except, he hadn't exactly been Supportive Guy when she'd told him. He looked back on his reactions in her apartment and cringed. He had been a complete ass about it. He hadn't even told her he loved her! She must be...well, he didn't know. She might be ready to kill him. Or she might be heartbroken. How could he have been so stupid? This must be scary as hell for her, too.

  At that thought, he realized the main emotion he'd been feeling was fear. To think of himself as a father? Responsible for guiding a child throughout its life? That was one of the scariest things he could imagine.

  Suddenly it occurred to him that she might not want the baby. Maggie was so loving and giving, he couldn't quite picture that. But she had been ready to let him walk out of her apartment today without telling him. If he hadn't gone in the bathroom and found the tests, would she really have told him?

  He had a sick feeling inside. He didn't want to think Maggie wouldn't want his child. His child--a part of him, a part of her. Their child. He felt a swelling sense of warmth and joy filling his heart, body, and mind. What a miracle! Their child. He had to talk to Maggie right away. To apologize, to tell her he wanted this baby very much. And that he loved her even more.

  * * * *

  Maggie waited in Doc Watson's office, the place where he gave good and bad news to his patients. She sat across from his heavy walnut desk, and jumped when he walked in. He sat down behind his desk and looked at her gravely.

  "Maggie, you're pregnant."

  "Oh. I thought so. I mean, three tests can't be wrong, can they?"

  "Not in this case, no. How do you feel about this news?"

  She smiled at him, a bit tremulously. "It's good. I want the baby."

  "What about the father?" Doc Watson asked gently.

  "That part I'm not so sure about yet. He didn't jump for joy when I told him. We're supposed to talk again tonight. But whatever happens with him, I'm going to have this baby." Her voice had firmed up as she talked, and she felt determined to do her best for her child.

  "Good. That's good to hear. In that case, congratulations!" he said with a smile.

  "Thank you. And thanks for seeing me so quickly. Is everything okay? I mean, the nausea, the crying, the craving for sweets--is all that normal?"

  "Yes, but try to keep an eye on your intake of sugar. Let's not go overboard. You're a very healthy young woman, so I don't expect any problems. If nausea bothers you, take it slow in the mornings. Eat what you can, when you can. You can expect some ups and downs emotionally. Come back and see me in a month. Try to keep your stress level down. Take these vitamins." He handed her a large bottle. "Sound good?"

  "Sounds great. Thanks so much." She left feeling much better than when she went in. He had a very reassuring manner, a bit gruff, but with a heart of gold.

  She decided to drive out to the beach house and see Anna. She knew Sam was out helping with the food drive. As she drove down the winding beach road, she started getting angry. Angry at Eric for his reaction. Or rather, his lack of reaction, she thought glumly. He had not had any expression on his face, just a big blank. And the way he'd left so quickly, saying he needed to 'think.' Think about what? The baby was real and they would need to deal with that fact. There wasn't a need to think at all. It was happening.

  She felt uneasy and angry at the same time. She wasn't sure if he could accept a child at this point in his life. But if he thought he could just walk away--he'd better think again. He was the baby's father and that was that. Whether they got married or not, he would always be in his child's life. She would se
e to it.

  By the time she got to Anna's, she had cycled right over into feeling glum and somewhat depressed. The problem was that even if he walked in tonight and said he was happy about the baby, how could she believe him? He might say that out of duty and a sense of responsibility. She didn't want him to accept the baby because of a sense of duty. She'd seen his initial response and it was about as far from happy as you could get.

  When Anna opened the door to her, she fell into her sister-in-law's arms and sobbed.

  It took several minutes before Anna got her settled down, curled up with an afghan on the love seat in the living room. Anna handed her a cup of herbal tea and motioned at her to drink it.

  "What has happened?"

  "I'm pregnant."

  "You're--"

  "And I think Eric doesn't want the baby. At least, he acted like he was horrified by the idea."

  "When did--"

  "Today. I found out today. He stumbled across the tests in the bathroom. I was going to tell him later. He thought I wasn't going to tell him, which is just stupid. Of course I would have told him! And then he was all monosyllabic.

  "So he didn't--"

  "He walked out! He just left and didn't even say he loved me."

  "He left?"

  Maggie nodded. "It's true that the guys were coming to pick him up--the computer thing. But he refused to talk about it. He said he 'needed to think' which is just crazy. What is there to think about?"

  "What indeed," Anna murmured.

  "And I've been a basket case, all over the place emotionally, crying at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure I can blame it all on pregnancy hormones."

  "I'm sure it is exactly that, and the fact that this is a huge change in your life. Are you okay with it?"

  Maggie looked directly into Anna's big hazel eyes. "Yes, I'm very much okay with it. I didn't expect this, but I want the baby. Whatever happens, I'm going to be a mother and I'm happy about it."

  Anna got up and came to sit by Maggie. She gave her a big hug. "I'm glad. A baby should be a joyful thing."

  "I called Mom, so she knows."

  "So that's why they wanted Sam to fly them down here. I couldn't figure out what had changed their plans."

  Maggie frowned. "Unfortunately, they're going to have to drive. But it will be great to see them. I just hope they're careful."

  "Your father is very responsible about stuff like that."

  "Anyway, I don't know what to do about Eric. He's coming by in a while, so we can talk. I just don't know if I can trust anything he says about this now."

  Anna said, "He was probably shocked. Give him some time."

  "You didn't see his face. It was more than shock. And speaking of him, I should probably get back there. I saw Doc Watson and he said everything is fine, so I should be okay."

  "Do you want me to tell Sam when he gets home?"

  "Yes, please. You can tell the family, but only them. Thanks for listening to me babble on, Anna."

  She got another hug. "Call us if there is anything we can do, anything you need. We'll be here for you the whole way. Don't forget that."

  "I won't. Thanks." Anna walked with her to the door.

  "Remember--give yourself and Eric some time to get over the surprise of this news. It takes time for it to feel real."

  "I don't know, Anna. It feels pretty darn real to me right now."

  Anna smiled at her. "Call me after you talk to Eric, if you feel like it."

  "Okay."

  She drove away from the beach house feeling soothed and supported. Could it be that Anna was right? That Eric only needed time? She hoped so, but thought that sounded a bit too optimistic.

  Back at the apartment, she began wrapping presents. It was a mindless job, one that let her brain slow down, and was quite restful. Before she knew it, she had a pile of beautifully-wrapped gifts on the work table in the living room. She started stacking them in the closet on a shelf when Eric came in the door.

  "Maggie," he said, sounding relieved. "You're here."

  "Where else would I be?" she said, feeling suddenly very tense...and angry. She was turned facing the closet.

  "I just thought...never mind. We need to talk."

  "Yes, I think we do. Is that a sausage pizza I smell?" She closed the closet door and turned to face him. He was holding a pizza in his hands.

  "Yeah." He held up a bag with a bottle of soda in it. "And I brought you some more ginger ale."

  "Eric--"

  "Just wait, Maggie. There are things I need to say to you. Things you need to hear."

  "Eric, wait--"

  "The thing is, I was shocked. I was literally in shock. I'm sure you're upset with me--"

  Maggie dashed for the bathroom with her hand over her mouth.

  Eric followed her after a minute. "Do you need me to do anything?"

  "Get. That. Pizza. Out. Of. Here," she managed to say through clenched teeth.

  He glanced down to still find the pizza box in his hands. "Oh--sorry--I didn't know--I'll just go."

  She watched him run for the door and got sick again.

  Finally, it was over and she was ensconced on the sofa, head propped up on a pillow. Eric brought her a glass of ginger ale over ice.

  He sat down at the other end of the sofa and put her feet in his lap. "I'm really sorry about that. I had no idea it would affect you so."

  "Neither did I. Some smells just get to me."

  "It must be terrible."

  "It's what it is, Eric, part of the process. Anyway, what did you want to say?"

  "I think we should get married right away."

  "What?" she raised her head to sit up and then fell back against the pillows. "I thought we were going to talk about the baby."

  "We are. So Doc Watson said you are definitely pregnant?"

  "Yes."

  "Then I think we should get married soon, like maybe on Christmas or something."

  "Why? Because it's the right thing to do?"

  "Well, yes. But Maggie, you knew I wanted to marry you before this thing happened."

  "This 'thing' is a baby." She was feeling more upset by the moment.

  "I meant to say baby." He ran a hand through his hair, looking flustered as he ripped the tie from it so that it fell down to his shoulders. "I'm not saying anything right tonight. I was so shocked before. I wanted to apologize for my behavior."

  "Apology accepted."

  "And I wanted to say that of course I'm happy about it. I mean, the baby."

  "You are? You certainly haven't sounded like you are."

  "Well, I was surprised. I'd seen our lives going in a different way, but this is good too."

  "Eric, you told me you didn't want any kids for a number of years. Now you're all happy about it being now? I find that a bit unreal."

  "The thing is, this is a creature made of both you and me and--"

  "A creature? What is your problem? A creature sounds like something alien."

  His face turned red. "Listen, if you're going to pick on every little word I say--"

  "They're all words to not say the word 'baby.' It seems hard for you to say that word."

  "Maggie, you need to listen to me. I figured it all out. You don't need to be so emotional."

  "Maybe you don't, but I have hormones that say differently. So, what did you figure out? Did you think about it all logically?"

  "Of course I did. Why would I think any other way?"

  "Ooh, man, if I wasn't feeling sick, I'd--you can't just make sense out of things logically. Sometimes your feelings have to come into it. You have to go by your gut instincts."

  "Look, I came here to say I was sorry, not to get into an argument that makes no sense."

  "No sense?" she yelled.

  "Maggie, calm down."

  "Stop saying 'Maggie' in that tone of voice. It's utterly patronizing."

  "The issue here is that we should think about getting married sooner than we planned."

  "That is so not the iss
ue!"

  He looked at her blankly. "What?"

  "The issue is that I want this baby. I'm going to have this baby. Your baby. Our baby. You're all caught up in doing the right thing, but you haven't even been able to say that you want this baby I'm carrying."

  "I didn't? Of course I want the baby. Why else would I--"

  "You need to leave."

  "What?"

  "It's time for your choir practice, and I'm pretty mad at you right now, so I think it's best if you just leave."

  "Maybe I should skip the practice."

  "No, I think you should go. And Eric, why don't you stay at your place tonight? I'm feeling sick and I just want to go to sleep. We can talk tomorrow."

  "Maggie...don't do this."

  "I'm tired, really tired. It's been a long day. Let's just talk tomorrow."

  And to her surprise, and despair, he turned and walked out of the apartment.

  Chapter 7

  The next morning, Eric woke up angry. He felt that Maggie had gone off the deep end. She had been completely unreasonable last night, and he was in no mood to talk to her. So he didn't call her to set up a time to get together. If she wanted to talk, she could call him.

  Naturally he had not said things exactly right when they talked. He was flustered and she had just gotten sick which threw him. He'd known what he wanted to say, but once he was with her, it had all flown out of his head because he was so nervous. He could probably have said things much better.

  But her reactions had been totally nuts. Twisting his words, implying meanings he hadn't intended--it was all so unlike the Maggie he loved. She was never like that! Could it be due to the pregnancy? Somehow he didn't think so.

  By the time he arrived at Julia's Place for the second day of computer deliveries, his mood was terrible. Julia took one look at the scowl on his face and hurried to get him a cup of coffee. Then she sat him down on one of the couches in the sitting area.

  "What's going on?" Julia asked, as she sat down opposite him on the other couch.

  "Nothing."

  "Eric. You look like you're ready to kick a puppy. What's happened?"