Tears slipped out as I moved closer to him, lifting his hand to place it flat on my belly.
“Oh, Maggie,” he breathed out. “How far along are you?”
“Just over eighteen weeks. Again, sorry to spring this on you. I wanted to get out of the first trimester, and then our schedule wouldn’t line up.” I said, my heart rate finally relaxing now that I’d told him.
His hand stayed on my stomach as he looked at me with an expression filled with love. “And the dad?”
My face heated. I mean, if I was married, it wouldn’t be so awkward, right? Here, it was like a neon light blinking and announcing I’d had sex andoops!Better just get on with it. “Cole Sullivan.”
To my surprise, my dad snorted out a laugh. “So you two stopped dancing around each other finally?”
My head jerked back a bit. “What are you talking about?”
He shook his head slightly, like he couldn’t believe I was this much of a fool. “Oh, baby. The whole town could see how you felt about him for some time. And the past few times I visited, I could see he felt the same for you.”
I glanced over at his IV. “They must be giving you some good drugs here, Dad.”
He rolled his eyes at me, his hand sliding over my belly. “A grandbaby…”
I looked at his bed, then at him. My dad was tall, over six foot, but on the thin side. “Scoot over,” I said. He slid over, and I climbed up, mindful to be gentle with him, but needing to be closer than sitting in that horrible chair. As I stretched out next to him, my dad took his good hand and placed it on my stomach, wrapping his arm with the broken wrist gently around my body and pulling me close.
“How are you feeling about being a mom?” he asked, watching me with gentle eyes.
I closed my eyes, curling my head to rest it on his shoulder. “Nervous, excited, worried, hopeful,” I murmured. I wondered where Sully was. The thought of coffee and breakfast sandwiches was much more appetizing than the current smell of antiseptic that pervaded the room. He should be back soon.
“Sounds about normal,” he said. “And how is Mr. Cole Sullivan doing?”
“Beautiful, perfect, too good for me.” I said as my eyes began to feel even heavier. “I keep waiting for him to realize that he doesn’t need to be with me just because I’m having his baby.”
My dad leaned over, kissing the top of my head. “Baby, I’m telling you that boy has been crazy about you for a long time. Did you ever think he might count this babyandyou among his blessings?”
I chuckled as I let my body begin drifting off to sleep. “Daddy, you just say that because you love me.”
“Do you love him?”
I burrowed my head down, relishing the feeling of being home. “Of course I do. I’ve loved him for years. But this wasn’t his plan. I don’t want to be a burden.”
“Oh, Maggie. You could never be a burden.” As I drifted off, I heard my dad’s quiet voice whisper, “And you are that boy’s world, mark my words.”
Oh, Dad.
* * *
Sully
I pulled up outside Tom’s room and looked inside to see Maggie curling up next to her dad. I stood there, holding our food, watching the two of them together.Maggie’s eyes were closed as she rested her head against Tom’s chest. Tom’s eyes met mine, and he nodded as I moved into the room and closer to the bed, placing down our food on the rolling table. I heard Maggie’s quiet voice,I keep waiting for him to realize that he doesn’t need to be with me just because I’m having his baby.
I met Tom’s eyes in alarm. What the literal fuck? I thought we were past this, but clearly Maggie still didn’t get that even if she wasn’t pregnant, I was exactly where I wanted to be. Tom lightly shook his head, keeping me in my spot.
I stood there, immobilized, listening to Maggie whisper to her dad about her love for me, but her fear about being a burden. Finally I heard Tom say to his daughter,and you are that boy’s world, mark my words. I felt like my heart might break. Tom caught my eyes and nodded toward the chair by his bed with a jerk of his head. I lowered myself into the chair and pulled up next to Tom.
“She’s out,” Tom said. “She been exhausted a lot during the pregnancy?”
Well, I guess that conversation happened. Tom didn’t look like he wanted to kill me, so there was that. I looked at her, my beautiful Maggie, and back to Tom. “Yep. More so at the beginning, but even now she has at least a nap a day.”
Tom nodded, looking down at her. “My Ellen was the same way. Threw up a lot in the first few weeks. Slept a ton for the rest of the pregnancy.”
I watched Maggie sleep before looking back to Tom. “Sounds like what Maggie has been dealing with.” I cleared my throat, aware that talking about Ellen was not something I’d ever done with Tom or even much with Maggie. “Did Ellen cry a lot during the pregnancy?”
