Ice (26 page)

“Oh, sorry,” Maggie said sheepishly, stepping out of the way. “Of course.”

Jean stopped in the entryway to remove her coat while Doug took a few extra steps toward the lounge, distancing himself from his daughter. With the box of food still in his hands, he stood silent, hoping that his wife would keep up the conversation. Unfortunately, Jean had other ideas. 

Sensing the tension in the room, Jean took the box from his hands. Giving him a quick wink and a knowing smile, she walked in the direction of what she assumed was the kitchen without saying a word. Whatever needed to be said, Doug would have to say it.

Dumbfounded and nervous, Maggie walked into the lounge. Looking at her father, she had no idea what to say. Other than the shocked look on his face when she had opened the door so swiftly, her father’s expression had been nothing short of brooding.

“Tell me about her,” Douglas said, removing his coat and placing it over a chair.

Jerked from her thoughts, Maggie said, “What?”

“
Tell
me about her,” he repeated as he sat on the arm of the chair and crossed his arms.

“She’ll be back in a minute and—”

“No, Maggie,” he said, intently watching his daughter’s eyes. “Tell me something about the woman who’s supposedly stolen your heart.”

Feeling as if she was being tested, Maggie cocked her head to one side and smiled. “What would you like to know?”

Douglas shrugged his shoulders. If his wife was right, once Maggie began to talk about Alex, she wouldn’t be able to stop. Thinking for a moment, he asked the simplest of questions, “What does she look like?”

In the blink of an eye, a smile appeared on Maggie’s face that was the widest and happiest he had ever seen on his daughter.

“She’s beautiful,” Maggie said in a breath, “She’s tall and has black hair, and the most amazing brown eyes. Not just ordinary brown, but more like cinnamon…dark cinnamon. She’s funny and smart, and a bit cocky at times, and when she puts her mind to it, she can be
unbelievably
stubborn,” Maggie said, laughing out loud. “She’s strong, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at her, and she likes to laugh. With one look, she can make me smile, and with the next, she can make me blush. I’ve never met anyone as courageous as Alex, nor as determined, but that’s only a small part of who she is. She cares, Dad. She cares about people and the fate of the world. She doesn’t just want to sit back and watch it go by. She wants to help change it for the better, for the future…for our kids. When I look at her…” Pausing for a moment, Maggie closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “When I look at her, I see in her eyes a love that’s pure and true, and I know that she’ll love me until the day I die. She’ll be my champion when I need one. She’ll be my nurse when I fall ill. She’ll be the person who stands by me no matter what, and the one that I’ll no doubt argue with more than any other person on the face of this planet. And honestly, I look forward to those arguments. I love her intensity. I love her passion for what’s right and what’s wrong, and I can’t imagine living another day if Alex isn’t by my side. I love her, Dad. I love her more than words can say.”

Standing in the doorway of the kitchen, Jean wiped a tear from her cheek as she glanced at her husband. Looking back, he smiled and nodded his head in silent agreement. There was no more doubt. His daughter was truly in love with a woman named Alex Blake.

“Well,” he said with a smile, his voice bringing Maggie back to reality, “Then I can’t wait to meet her.”

Shocked at her father’s apparent quick acceptance of her new lifestyle, Maggie said, “How come I feel like I’ve just missed something really important?”

With a hearty chuckle, Douglas pulled his daughter into his arms. Kissing her on the top of the head, he said, “You’re my daughter, and I love you, and
that’s
what’s important. If she’s who you want, Magpie, I’ll be in your corner, just like always.”

Looking up with tears in her eyes, Maggie said, “Thanks, Dad.”

Sniffling back a few tears of his own, he smiled. “Now, let’s go give Jean a hand, shall we? We can’t be sniveling like children when your lady gets back. What kind of impression would that make?”

***

A short time later, containers of Chinese food were spread across the counter with plates at the ready, awaiting Alex’s return. As Jean filled glass with wine, Maggie heard the front door open and smiled, but before she could make it out of the kitchen, Alex called out, “You best not still be naked!”

If she could have fit into one of the kitchen cabinets, Maggie would have crawled inside and latched the door. With her face vivid scarlet and her eyes as wide as saucers, several seconds passed before she forced herself to look in Jean and Doug’s direction. Mortified, she whispered, “I’ll be right back.”

“There you are,” Alex said, seeing Maggie come from the kitchen. “Oh, I could have told you there’s nothing in there. I haven’t had time to shop yet. Sorry.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Maggie said with a weak grin as Sandy scampered past her and headed for the bedroom.

Leaning over for a kiss, Alex said, “What do you mean?”

“My
father
is in the kitchen,” Maggie whispered, trying her best not to smile.

“What!” Alex said, wincing as she realized that he had no doubt heard her jovial greeting.

“Oh, and my stepmother, too.”

“Oh, Christ,” Alex whispered angrily. “You could have warned me.”

“How was I supposed to know that you were going to come in the door and ask if I was naked?”

“Good point.”

“Thanks.”

“What are the chances that I can leave before he sees me?” Alex asked quietly.

“Not very good, I’m afraid,” Douglas Campbell replied as he stood in the kitchen doorway eyeing the attractive dark-haired woman whose cheeks were as red as the tank top she was wearing.

Smiling, Maggie winked at Alex, took her hand and led her to the man and woman standing near the kitchen.

“Alex, this is my father and stepmother, Douglas and Jean Campbell.”

Holding her breath, Alex held out her hand. “Very nice to meet you, Mr. Campbell,” she said politely with her cheeks still blazing red.

Briefly glancing at his wife, Douglas smiled and took Alex’s hand. “Nice to meet you, too.”

“You need any help with that?” Alex asked, walking into the kitchen to find Jean basting the turkey.

Glancing over her shoulder, Jean smiled. “No, dear, I’m fine. Why don’t you sit down, and I’ll make you some tea.”

“Thanks,” Alex said, sinking into a chair.

“Did you have a good rest?”

“Yes,” Alex said, looking around. “Where’s Maggie?”

“Oh, we ran out of milk, so I sent her to the store. She should be back in a few minutes.”

“And the boys?”

With a grin, Jean nodded toward the window. “They’re in the backyard with their grandfather, trying to make a snowman.”

Pushing herself out of the chair, Alex walked over and peered through the frosted glass. Laughing, she watched as Douglas Campbell tried to keep up with his three-year-old grandsons. Merrily running through the snow, the little boys filled their tiny hands with the white powder and then dashed back to their grandfather, who piled it atop the small snowman, before playfully demanding that they run and get more.

“He adores them,” Jean said with a grin, looking at her daughter-in-law.

“
They
adore him,” Alex said, opening the refrigerator to look for a snack.

Taking a package of biscuits from the cabinet, Jean motioned for Alex to sit. Filling a plate, she placed it in front of her hungry daughter-in-law, along with a cup of tea. Joining Alex at the table, Jean took a sip of tea and said, “It’s a shame that Maggie couldn’t have any more.”

“Yeah, she wanted more, but with the fevers, it’s just too risky for her to try again.”

“And how about you?”

Laughing, Alex looked down at her enormous belly, rubbing it gently as she smiled at the concerned grandparent, “I’m fit as a fiddle, as they say.”

Debating for a moment, Jean said, “I have to tell you, Doug and I were a bit concerned when Maggie told us that you were going to do this.”

“Why, because I’m contrary, stubborn and don’t always think before I act?”

Laughing out loud, Jean nodded her head. “Yes, basically,” she replied wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.

“Well, if we’re speaking truths, I should tell you that I was scared shitless.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Alex said, nodding her head. “I mean, it’s one thing to watch someone else carry a child, or in our case, two, but to go through it myself? I can’t tell you how many times I tried to talk myself out of it.”

“So what changed your mind?”

“Maggie and the boys.”

“How so?”

“Maggie went through a lot to get pregnant, you know? All the tests and procedures, and after each attempt failed, she became more and more depressed…and then finally it happened. I remember how she cried that morning. Crying because she was pregnant, crying because she was happy, crying just because she could cry. You know how they say that women glow when they're pregnant? Well, Maggie’s light was damn near blinding,” Alex said with a smile.

“It wasn’t long after that when the morning sickness started. I remember thinking how stupid it was to call it that because for Maggie, it lasted most of the day. And then the cravings began, and each time she asked for something, I’d run out to the store for it. You can’t imagine the looks that you get when you’re buying pickled herring, sardines and ice cream at one in the morning, but then she started to bleed and was put on bed rest, and things got scary.”

“Yes, I remember that,” Jean said. “We were all worried sick about her.”

Nodding her head, Alex said, “But do you know what? Through it all, she never once complained. Not once! Through the morning sickness and the cravings, through the bloating and four months bed rest, and even though those two little boys out there did their best to kick the shit out of her, she never said a word. Not one bloody word!” Alex said, shaking her head in amazement.

“And then they were born,” Alex said, her voice cracking with emotion as she remembered that night. “Maggie was in so much pain and they got all twisted up inside, and then the doctors had to…had to cut her…” Choked by emotion, Alex stopped and took a deep breath. Wiping the tears from her face, she offered Jean the weakest of grins and sniffled back another tear. “When they had to cut her, she took my hand and tried to calm
me
down. Me! Can you imagine? My wife is lying on a table with her belly cut open, and she’s trying to console
me
.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Alex took a sip of tea. “And then, there they were. All bloody and wrinkled, and next to their mother, they were the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I remember looking down at Maggie, both of us crying and laughing, and then she said
thank you
. Thank you? I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so small in my life as I did at that moment. There I was, standing in complete awe of her and all that she went through, and she’s thanking me…for what? For holding her hand or going for groceries?”

Raising her eyes to meet Jean’s, Alex said, “You asked what changed my mind. I love Maggie and I’ll do anything for her, and that’s the reason I’m carrying her babies inside of me.”

“And you never found out what she was thanking you for?”

“No, I just figured it was the drugs talking,” Alex said with a laugh.

“It wasn’t the drugs,” Maggie said, standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Surprised, both women turned in their chairs as she walked over and smiled down at Alex. “I was thanking you for pulling me out of a plane against my will. I was thanking you for carrying me when I couldn’t walk, and for not allowing me to die in that cabin. I was thanking you for all the laughs that we’ve shared and the love that we’ve made, and I was thanking
you
for allowing me to be
your
wife.”

Placing the grocery bag on the table, Maggie leaned down and kissed Alex on the mouth. Although Jean was quite used to their displays of affection, she found herself needing to look away as the kiss deepened. Finally, they pulled apart, and Maggie slid the bag in Jean’s direction as she removed her coat and sat down.

“How you feeling?” she asked, her eyes dropping to Alex’s extremely large baby bump.

“I feel enormous, and like I’m carrying sumo wrestlers instead of two girls.”

“You should try boys,” Maggie said with a wink, rubbing Alex’s belly. “Did you get a nap?”

“Yes, dear,” Alex answered in a sarcastic twang.

“None of that, Blake, or no ice cream and pickles for you tonight.”

“Ouch.”

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“Nothing, just a stitch,” Alex said, rubbing her side. Struggling to stand, she said, “And I need to use the loo…
again
. Be right back.”

As Alex waddled up the stairs, she quickly moved to one side as Sandy and Peaches bounded down the stairs, with the littlest, Tulip, in quick pursuit. Scooping her up before she could pass, Alex laughed as the teacup terrier wiggled in her hand, licking and nipping as she tried to get away and catch up with those that had stolen her toy.

“I love Doug and Jean to death,” Alex said to the pup. “But I would never have given you a handle like Tulip.”

Placing the fur ball on the stairs, she laughed again as Tulip bounced, rolled and thumped her way to the bottom, all the while yapping at her sister and mother.

***

“Is there anything I can do?” Maggie asked, pouring herself a cup of tea.

“No, I’ve got it all under control, dear,” Jean said as she checked a pot on the stove. “The reason we invited you up was so that you and Alex could relax. In a few weeks, you’re going to have your hands full.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Maggie said, rolling her eyes. “But you’re still planning to come down and stay with us for a while, aren’t you?”