Tom’s eyes sharpened as he appraised me. “You making my girl cry?”
Well, shit. I raised my hands up. “No, sir. It’s just I’ve known Maggie since she was eight. She’s one of the toughest people I know, male or female, and right now she can be moved to tears in a matter of seconds. Hell, she’s cried more in the past eighteen weeks than I’ve seen her cry in the previous twenty-one years.”
I was gratified as I saw Tom relax. “Sorry, Cole. Haven’t had the protective father vibe flow out of me for a while. Yeah, Ellen did cry during pregnancy, but that didn’t hold a candle to how easy the tears were to come on after the baby arrived. Be ready.” Then Tom gave me an odd look. “Well, I mean I’m assuming you’ll be around then too.”
I felt my palms begin to sweat. Good Lord, it was like I was a middle school kid at a dance. Wiping them down my pants, I met Tom’s gaze. “Tom, if she’ll allow it, I plan on being around Maggie from now until the day I die.”
“Are you saying you want to ask me for her hand, son?”
I chuckled. “Fuck no. I think if I asked anyone for permission to marry Maggie, she’d have my balls. She is clearly her own woman, and the only person who needs to be asked about her future is her.” I leaned over, running my fingers through her hair. “She’s just not ready for me to do it.” Sitting back, I looked over at Tom, who was nodding.
“Yep, you know my girl. Better, it seems, than she knows herself right now.”
“To be fair, she’s had quite a bit going on,” I said. “This pregnancy threw her for a loop.” Looking at Maggie, I felt myself get choked up. Clearing my throat, I addressed Tom. “But I heard what you said to her. She’s my world. And I’m willing to wait.”
Tom kissed Maggie’s head, then looked back at me. “I know you are, Cole. And you won’t regret it.”
I leaned back in the most uncomfortable chair I’d ever sat in and raised my coffee to Tom. Stretching my legs out in front of me, I said, “So, when can we spring you out of this place?”
Tom’s full chuckle lightened the heaviness that had descended into my chest. Sitting in a hospital room in Chicago had not been on today’s agenda. But looking at my girl stretched out in the bed next to her dad, my baby growing in her belly, I was right where I should be.
29
Worthy
Maggie
“Knock, knock.”
I looked up from where I was sitting near my dad’s hospital bed with Sully to see a woman standing in the door. Puzzling over who she was, since she clearly wasn’t a nurse or doctor, I looked at my dad and saw that he was beaming. Interesting.
“Irene, come in,” he said.
Ahh, Irene from work. Seems Dad had some news to share with the class. I glanced at Sully and saw that he was fighting a grin. Looks like we both were on the same page that this Irene was more than just a work colleague of Dad’s.
I stood, leaning to the side to stretch my back. Then I moved to Irene and greeted her. She was about my height, with light brown hair pulled back in a long ponytail. She appeared to be somewhere in her fifties, and most importantly to me, she had kind eyes.
“Hi, I’m Maggie. Thanks so much for calling me yesterday.”
Irene smiled. “Hi, Maggie. I’d recognize you anywhere from your dad’s pictures. And I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you all arrived this morning. I needed to check in with the company we drive for. I also figured you might want some time with Tom.” She looked over at my dad, her eyes sparkling, then to Sully. “And you must be Cole.” Looking back to me, she said, “Your dad messaged me a bit ago about your news. Congratulations!”
I smiled. “Thanks.”
Sully stood, his hand reaching toward hers. “You can call me Sully. Most do.” They shook, and he looked from her to Tom. “So, you’re a long-haul trucker too?”
Irene nodded and gestured at our seats as she settled at the end of my dad’s bed. “Yep. I’ve been driving for five years. I needed something to do after retiring from nursing and raising my kids. Met Tom through some friends and eventually joined the company he drives for.”
Sully nodded. “I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way, but are there a lot of female truck drivers?”
Irene laughed. “Nope. I think the last study they did had female truck drivers making up around six percent of the truck-driving population. It can be a hard profession for a woman, but I do love it.”
Dad smiled at her, leaning forward to grab her hand. “And it’s going to be even better soon, right?”
“Absolutely,” she said.
My dad settled back against the pillows he had propped behind him and looked at me. Clearing his throat, he appeared a bit embarrassed. “Sorry, Maggie. Maybe I should have started with introductions. Irene Smith, Maggie Jameson. Maggie, Irene is my girlfriend.”
I snorted. “Figured that one out, Dad.”
