“Let’s get going. Mum and Dad have taken Carly. I just want to go home to bed with you.”
I let her go and she grinned at me, squeezing my arm.
“Maddy!” I heard a voice to my left and turned to see Rowan skip and grab hold of Maddy’s arms. Kyle stood behind her, a smirk on his face.
“Hey.” Maddy smiled, a quick glance up at me telling me she wanted out of here and for us to be alone. Just one glance.
“You were amazing. Hey, want to go grab something to eat with us? The kids are with Kyle’s father, so we have a night off,” Rowan babbled excitedly, but I knew Maddy’s mind was elsewhere.
“That sounds great, but I’m exhausted and I still have four more nights to perform. Can we take a raincheck on that? ”
Rowan’s face fell. She could never hide her disappointment. “Of course. I didn’t think about that. Maybe some other night. I’m so glad we came tonight, Maddy. It was fantastic.”
“I think this will be the last of the late nights for a while for me, anyway. It’ll be early nights every night for a few months after this.”
I cocked an eyebrow, looking at her. “Yeah?”
“Well, if I get as tired as I did with Carly, I’ll be getting a lot of sleep the next few weeks.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she said the words, waiting for them to sink in.
“No way.” Was she saying what I thought she was?
“Yes way. Playing with the orchestra has been the most amazing thing I think I’ve ever done, but it will have to take a back seat to a new baby.”
I picked her up, swinging her around again, kissing her with abandon as people around us watched. We pressed our noses together. “Drama queen,” I whispered.
“Did you expect anything different from me?” She laughed, pressing her lips to mine.
Rowan gasped. “Congratulations, Maddy. That’s fantastic.”
Kyle moved forward, wrapping his arms around Rowan from behind. “Let us get out of here, wife, and find some fun for ourselves.” He winked at Maddy. “Great show, and congratulations.”
He led Rowan away, and we waved as they disappeared into the distance. “I love them and everything, but I am glad to just be with you.” Maddy leaned against me, and I slipped my arms around her waist.
“Me too, babe. Want to go somewhere and make out before we go home?”
She laughed, turning in my arms, hugging me tight. “As great as that sounds, I really do just want to go home. After we’ve gone through some drive-through on the way there and gotten something greasy to eat.”
“Hey,” I said, holding my arms out. “Now you’re speaking my language.”
~
Maddy and I stood in the doorway of Carly’s room, watching her sleep. I’d reassembled the spare bed so Mum and Dad could stay, and they were already asleep. The house was so still and quiet.
“She’s so beautiful,” Maddy said.
“Just like her mother.” I had my arms around Maddy, pulling her tight to me, never wanting to let go. “And soon we’ll have a new one for me to worry about.”
“We’ll see. I’m not counting on anything until I know for sure that this baby will be okay. I’m sorry I announced it like that; it just seemed right.” She smiled at me, and I bent my head to kiss her.
“Maddy, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t do it in some dramatic fashion. Let’s go to bed and celebrate.” I rested my hand on her belly and closed my eyes.
Please let this one be okay.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“Me too, but we’ll find a way through this. Whatever happens, we’ll be together and that’s what matters.”
I let her go, taking her hand and leading her to the bedroom.
I watched her sleep. We’d made love so slowly, so tenderly that she’d cried, and I’d held her as she let out her emotions. She was overwhelmed by the attention, by the baby, by our love.
Exhausted, she’d fallen asleep. Now, I watched her chest rise and fall, listened to each breath she took. My most precious thing.
Once again our life would take a different turn, an unexpected twist just when I thought we were on a steady path. As happy as I was at the thought of becoming a father again, I was terrified. Maddy couldn’t take another blow. I didn’t know if I could take another one.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Autumn brought the change in weather, and our new child. Maddy gave birth to a boy at the start of the season.
“What are we going to call him?” Maddy asked. She’d been out of hospital a week, and neither of us had come up with a name.
“How about Robert?”
She smiled. Bob had been more of a father at times to her than her real father had. It seemed fitting to pass on the name.
“Robert. I like that. Bob will love it.” He looked up at me with Maddy’s eyes. Well, that’s what he looked like he would end up with, those deep, dark pools that I just melted into.
“Andrew?” I turned my head to look at her. She screwed her mouth up as if unsure about what she had to say.
“What’s wrong?”
Maddy broke out into a relieved smile. “You always did know how to read me.”
“I can see you’re worried about something. What is it?”
She lowered her eyes. “I don’t think I want another baby. I mean, we have two beautiful, healthy children, and I’m scared we’d be tempting fate to try again.”
I ran my finger down her cheek, lifting her chin so her gaze was fixed on me. “I agree. I know we talked about having more, but that was before you ended up having surgery. We’re so blessed. I’m blessed to have you and the kids. I can’t ask for anything more.”
She clung onto me, her arms tight around my waist, gazing at our son in my other arm. “He’s so beautiful.”
“He is, just like his big sister, and just like his mother.”
“You always have been good for my ego.” Maddy poked her tongue at me.
I disentangled myself, passing Robert to her. “I need to go and cook dinner.”
Carly looked up at me, her eyes shining with excitement. “Can I have chicken nuggets?”
Maddy and I laughed. “I’m pretty sure I can manage that,” I said.
“Shame I won’t get the benefits of that,” Maddy muttered.
“Plenty of time to catch up.” I laughed. Tiny limbs waved at me as Robert managed to work himself out of my useless swaddling attempt.
“Aww sweetie. Let Mummy wrap you up properly, seeing as Daddy is just so hopeless.” Maddy grinned up at me as I walked to the door.
“Totally hopeless.”
Wouldn’t have it any other way.
~
By the time winter came, Rowan was pregnant. She and Maddy were as thick as thieves, as Maddy threw herself into supporting her friend. The mistakes of the past weren’t forgotten, but we all put them aside to get on with our lives. Our children adored each other, and I often watched Carly with Mia and Charlie, thinking of the old days with my Charlie and Rowan.
Kyle and I would always have a barrier between us, the one I put up. While that would never completely fall, we broke a hole through it, finding a way to co-exist while our wives giggled and gossiped. It helped that we adored them, the amazing women we had chosen to spend our lives with.
Sometimes, I heard Charlie’s laugh, carried by the wind. It made me feel warm, loved, and I missed her more than ever.
Then I heard Maddy. If ever there was anyone else meant for me, it was her. We’re so in sync it’s frightening, and I still look back on that day in the park with Rowan and the love between her and Kyle that was so clear to see. That’s us. Maddy and me—forever.
Carly’s next. Clone of my wife, the little girl who helped bring Maddy closer to me, who gave meaning to my life when I had so little. I’d walk to the ends of the earth for that girl, and it still wouldn’t be enough to show her how much she meant to me.
My little miracle, Robert. He will never really understand just how precious he is. Our last child, my son. We’ll never have another. But we’re happy with our pigeon pair, and nothing in the world will ever top their births.
After work, I pulled into the driveway, and it was always the same routine. A delighted chorus of “Daddy” and my babies were in my arms, tugging at me for my attention, tugging at my heart. Behind them, Maddy usually stood, bemused, eyes full of love. I could live to be a million and never get sick of that look.
And in the evening, when the children were in bed, Maddy and I continued our love story, the one that began on the stairs.
The one that will never end.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
By The Same Author
About the Author
By The Same Author
The Sultan’s Bride
Hot For The Boss
After the Fall
Another Chance
Taking Chances
Loving Rowan
About the Author
Ariadne Wayne loves books and lives in Auckland, New Zealand with her husband and two children. Having always had a prolific imagination she now writes the words down instead of storing them in her head where she can't share them. When she's not writing she works in Telecommunications, frequently banging her head on the desk with the random things that can happen to the ordinary phone line.
http://www.ariadnewayne.co.nz