“What are you thinking?” I nodded at the counter.
“The bean is ready for a bit of heat, some spice. I put some sweet potatoes in over an hour ago. Thinking a sweet potato mash with a kick.”
“Sounds good,” I said, moving around her to gather the shit needed for our burgers.
Maggie fell in beside me, grabbing the bowls she needed. Within a few minutes, she connected her phone to my Bluetooth speaker and one of the albums from The Killers filled up the space. Her earlier sadness seemed to be forgotten as she hummed, moving around me when needed, but always with a small touch or caress as she’d pass me. Over the past month I’d soaked in every moment with Maggie. Each day had been better than the one before.
My earlier dreams about her had been set on their head. Reality far surpassed anything I could have dreamed. Because my fantasies had never gone into the magic of the everyday. This, here in my kitchen, making dinner with a kick-ass album playing, my dog lounging off to the side, these were the dreams that I didn’t know enough to have. This was the beauty of life, and I felt the primal urge to hold on to it with everything in me.
Hours later, Maggie was curled on her side in my bed with the sheet hanging low over her hips, the curve of her naked form before me. I ran a hand over her hip to the dip at her waist and up to her shoulder. Moving back to her waist, I slid my hand around to the front to check on the bean. She wasn’t too uncomfortable yet, which was lucky. At this point in the pregnancy she was doing the sleep of the dead whenever she could. She slept a lot, and she slept hard. It was like her body was soaking in all the rest she could, knowing that one day in the future that would be a precious commodity.
Skating my hand across her belly, I whispered to our baby. It was an emotional hit every time I realized that she was growing a human, our child, in her body. How fucking miraculous was that? The notion that in a few months this kid would be in my arms was almost too much to get my mind around.
Sliding out from the bed, I stood and stretched. Ranger glanced up from his spot on the floor and moved to take my place in bed. He did this daily in the morning as Mags slept when I rose at my typical early time. Ranger had appointed himself her protector, and if I couldn’t lie by her side, he would. He circled his large body on the bed and curled up against her back, looking at me as if to say, “I’ve got her.” I had no idea what she’d do when school started. The early-morning hour was really going to be tough for her.
I headed through the darkened house to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass out of the cupboard, I stopped and looked out the window into the dark farmland. School. I didn’t know the exact start date for the year, but it was barreling down on us.
What would the school year look like? She’d be having a baby halfway through. What then? And, most importantly, what would happen after? Did she still think about leaving Highland Falls? We hadn’t talked about any of this, and I knew I was taking the coward’s way out. I was avoiding answers I didn’t want to hear. But I also knew the hand she’d been dealt absolutely fucked with the future she had planned. Hell, it did for me too, but the change was one I’d embraced.
This baby made me more excited about what we had in store, and I was damn grateful for the abrupt change in plans. I didn’t know if Mags was there yet. I knew she was excited about the baby, but the idea of the baby potentially changing her plans for this summer? She’d accepted it, but I wasn’t sure how she really felt about losing her summer of travel. And the future? I didn’t know where she landed and had a feeling she wasn’t ready for that conversation.
But the time was coming that we’d need to face some hard truths, and it was coming soon.
27
And the World Stopped Spinning
Maggie
It had been a long day, but Emma and Max had asked Sully and me to meet them for dinner at The Homestead. Honestly, right then I’d be happy with having a grilled cheese sandwich and curling up on the couch for dinner, but we needed to go. My hermit-like tendencies were becoming more pronounced as the end of the summer drew near. It also didn’t help that my dad originally was coming to visit this week, but that had been pushed off until the end of the month. I’d worked to be happy for him. He’d had a great time in the Carolinas two weeks back and now was in Chicago getting ready for his next route, but I missed him.
Trying to get comfortable, I tilted my head to the side, stretching my neck and back as Sully’s truck sailed over the country roads to town. I looked over at his handsome profile. He had come home to pick me up, even though I told him I’d be glad to meet him in town. And after the way he greeted me when he walked in the house, I was glad he did.
His hair was still damp from our shower with it curling up a bit at the ends. He had on one of his brewery shirts, though he wasn’t working tonight. These had become some of my favorite of his shirts since they tended to be worn and stretched deliciously over his chest.
Sully glanced over at me and grinned before looking back at the road. His right hand slid over and found a home on my belly, caressing it in a way he always tended to when he was near. I let my legs stretch out in front of me and put a hand on top of his own. As my eyes drifted shut, I embraced the feeling of his hand on me. There was no question on my current state anymore. Since my belly first popped weeks ago, it had just continued to ripen, as Sully liked to say. My doctor assured me that everything was measuring just fine, but I worried about what the next twenty-two weeks would bring. I felt certain I would run out of room before the due date arrived.
“You good, babe?” Sully asked. “Would you rather stay home tonight?”
Prying an eye open, I looked over at him. “No, I just need to rest for a minute. I worked an extra shift for Ivy today and didn’t nap. I’ll be good. Promise.” It was true, I didn’t nap today. However, school started back up in three weeks, and how people worked full-time while pregnant was currently the fodder of my nightmares. I reassured myself I’d manage somehow.
Sully’s hand slid down to squeeze my knee. “If you’d rather go home and have grilled cheese sandwiches on the couch, just say the word.”
Damn, the man knew me well. I shook my head with a smile, and we continued toward the brewery.
This summer I’d been living in what seemed like a dream. Since that night where we talked about our future, Sully and I moved forward, exploring our relationship. At first, I waited for the other shoe to drop, certain he really didn’t want this with me. But through his actions and his words, he’d shown me that this was exactly what he wanted. And as much as it scared the shit out of me, I felt myself trusting it while also worrying it was coming to an end.
I reached over, placing my hand behind his neck and running my fingers through his wet hair. “We’re a bit late,” I pointed out as I glanced at the clock.
Glancing over, he winked before looking back at the road. “Had to make sure someone was super relaxed before we could go.”
Heat filled my cheeks. “Don’t look at me like that. Emma and Max will know why we’re late.”
Sully chuckled. “Since they were hanging out at the brewery when I left to get you over an hour ago, I think they’re going to know that already.”
Oh holy hell. Letting that go, I moved on. “Are you and Jake ready to roll out the first batch of canned beer next week?”
Sully’s grin spread wide on his face as he turned down the street the brewery was on. “Yep, right on schedule. Small runs at first, just to test the market and see what sells. Then we’ll go from there.”
