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I quickly place the photograph back where it belongs and leave my note on the top of his pillow.
I’m aware of the rules and how catching feelings isn’t allowed, but I figure if I’m the only person who’s gonna get hurt in this, then I’m entitled to break the rule. Maybe his heart will always belong to someone else, but that doesn’t mean mine can’t belong to him.
I’m in my office when I hear Leia’s car pull back up outside the house, and I listen out for the girls coming back in. The front door goes and I hear footsteps rush up the stairs. Maisie hates being away from the babies, if nothing was wrong, the first thing she would do when she first got home would be to make a fuss of them. I get up from behind my desk and march out to the living area, just catching Leia on the top of the stairs, but seeing no sign of Maisie.
“Maisie,” I call up assuming she's up there too, then when I don’t get an answer I head on up to see what the hell’s going on.
Leia is standing outside the bathroom door with a real guilty look on her face, and when I step in front of her she lowers her head and quickly rushes back down the stairs like a scared child.
“Maisie.” I twist the handle of the door but it’s locked.
“Maisie, let me in.” I bang my fist against it.
“Go away,” she calls back, making me even more concerned.
“Maisie, what’s wrong?”
“Garrett, please just leave me alone.” She sounds upset, maybe even a little angry, and I go over all the things I might have done to have upset her.
“Maisie, if you don’t open this door I’m gonna break it down,” I warn. She should know better than to think a doorwould stop me getting to her when she’s upset. “Mais—” I hear a click and when the door creaks open, I push it all the way and see her standing by the basin with her head down. “Darlin’, what’s wrong?” I rush toward her, raising her chin with the crook of my finger and forcing her to look at me. Her big, blue eyes are shining bright from the tears in ‘em, and as beautiful as she looks, I can’t stand it.
“You gotta tell me what happened. Have I…” I stop talking when her eyes point down to all the litter in the basin, a brown paper bag, a ripped open box, and an instruction leaflet. It’s a pregnancy test. My wife is taking a fuckin’ pregnancy test.
“Jesus Christ.” I take a step back in shock. “I thought you couldn’t get pregnant while you were…” My finger waves between her tits because right now I’m struggling with fuckin’ words.
“A common mistake it seems.” She looks back at me like she’s petrified. “Please don’t be mad. I know I’ve been stupid but…”
“Mad? Why would I be mad?” I question her.
“Because we only just had three babies. Because your life is being turned upside down right now by all this Harvey shit, and because…We only just had three babies, Garrett. Why aren’t you mad?” Now she’s yelling again and also looking at me as if I’m crazy.
“‘Cause there ain’t ever gonna be a time in this life when the woman who I am head over stirrups in love with tells me she’s gonna give me another kid and I’d be mad at her for it.” I step back toward her and place my hand over her flat stomach. Maisie got her figure back after carrying the triplets remarkably fast and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like the idea of her swelling back up again.
“Garrett, I’m tired all the time. I have no energy. How the hell am I supposed to be pregnant and look after three babies? Howthe hell are we gonna take care of four kids?” She strokes her hand over her forehead and sighs in defeat.
“Because we got a whole family of people around us who wanna help, because you're amazing and strong, and right now you're tired because you're in the first trimester. I’ll take care of you just like I did before. This is gonna be alright. Did you take the test?” I look around for it but can’t see it.
“Yeah, just before you came in. I’m waitin’ on the result.” She looks nervous.
“Well then we might not even have anything to worry about,” I point out.
“Come on, Garrett, we are the most fertile couple in Fork River’s history.” She makes another valid point and the tiny smile she makes as she does it tells me she won’t be mad about this for very long.
“Is it time yet?” I whisper.
“Yeah.” Her eyes glance over to the windowsill by the toilet where the white stick is resting.
“You want me to see what it says?” I tuck her blonde hair behind her ear and wipe away one of her tears with my thumb as she nods back at me slowly.
“Okay.” I drop my hand into hers and squeeze it tight as I use the other to reach over to the windowsill and take the stick.
“You ready?” I ask before I turn it over and look at the result window.
“I’m ready.” She smiles back bravely.
I turn the stick over and when I see the wordsnot pregnantlooking back up at me I feel a little surge of disappointment.
“False alarm, darlin’.” I manage a smile for her, knowing that this was the outcome she wanted. It would be selfish of me to expect her to think otherwise. Maisie is an excellent mother; she puts everything she has into our babies. I couldn’t expect her to give anymore.
