Maggies Marriage (Cloverleaf #2) (4 page)

“But her home is in Seattle, with Michael. She needs to be there to figure this out, with him. I’m glad that she feels like she can come to you guys, but I don’t think leaving him without so much as a message or anything was right, Liam,” Rachel said.

“I know, but that’s her call.”

“Liam, that’s not really the case when there are children involved. I really like Maggie, and think she’s awesome, but she should have told Michael where she was going at the very least. That had to be pretty awful for him.”

Liam sighed. “Okay, look, let’s not get too worked up about this. Things will work themselves out. I’m here whenever she needs me. Last night, she needed me. So, basically, I’m not digging any further or casting judgment on what is the right call. She did what she thought was best at the time.”

“Jeez, I’m not calling her out for the call she made, I just think she should have told Michael.”

Liam’s body tensed as he dropped his arms from her. “You’re starting to shiver, you’d better get into your car. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Rachel sighed. “Do you see why I think this is a family matter, and why I shouldn’t be involved? I don’t want to fight with you about your sister, you’re a good brother, supporting her unconditionally, and I love that about you.”

“You love me?” Liam teased. Rachel had still not quite fully admitted her love for Liam, only hinting that she thought she might love him.

“I’m going home now.” Rachel sank into her car and smiled broadly at the man who she was indeed falling in love with.

***

Maggie

Maggie was lounging in Liam’s recliner when he returned. “Boy, you were out there long enough,” Maggie teased.

Liam stretched his long body out on the plaid couch. “Was just saying goodbye.”

“So, how are things going between you guys?” Maggie questioned with a sly smile perched on her lips.

“We are taking it kind of slow, I guess. Mom and Dad love her, so does Grandpa Paddy. Daniel and Patrick think she’s great too. She really likes the whole family,” Liam replied thoughtfully.

“Well, what do you think?”

“Think about what, exactly?” Liam asked quickly.

“Do you think you’ll want to marry her?”

“I’m not sure, I mean, I care about her, but there are some things we don’t see eye-to-eye on.” Liam had a faraway look that concerned Maggie.

“I love her and think she’s perfect for you. She is so nice and thoughtful. If I had to choose a wife for you, it would be her.”

Liam smiled at his sister. “Glad that’s been decided. I do care about her, and we are seeing where this goes. We still have the issue of her being my boss, so that is a hurdle we are still trying to climb over.”

Maggie drew hand up and swatted the air. “Eh, it’ll work itself out. She just needs to learn how things work in a small town.”

“True. Karen down at the school is happy that we are dating each other, the teachers don’t really seem to care or pay much attention. I tried to explain that to Rachel, but she is concerned the school board won’t keep her on if they learn her and I are an item,” Liam explained.

Maggie could see the dilemma. She remembered how it was for her and Michael at the law firm. She had only been a receptionist, not quite familiar with the large city. Michael was an up-and-coming hotshot lawyer from a prestigious family, and they had been an unlikely match. The firm frowned on employees dating, and they frowned even more when Maggie wound up pregnant and they had to marry quickly. She felt forced out of her job and ended up staying home with Melanie, while Michael focused on bringing his career to new heights. Maggie wondered if Rachel was worried she would get shoved out of her position. The likelihood in their small community was slim, but Rachel came from a large city. She wasn’t stupid, she knew how things operated, so Maggie couldn’t really blame her for wanting to keep their relationship quiet.

“She’s so good with Melanie too.”

“Mags, I don’t need any more convincing, okay? God, you’re starting to sound like Mom.”

“Well, just adding my two cents.” Maggie yawned.

“Duly noted.”

“I’m going to head to bed, sure you are okay on the couch?” Maggie asked sweetly.

“That’s why I bought it. One of the best couches to nap on.” Liam’s eyes were already closed as he answered his sister.

“Okay, well, thanks again for a really nice night. Please let Rachel know how much that meant to me too. Goodnight, Liam.” Maggie strolled to Liam’s bedroom, and slid under the thick warm comforter next to her sleeping daughter. She smoothed Melanie’s hair from her forehead and planted a soft peck on her cheek. Maggie felt her body bend to exhaustion. She was asleep before she finished saying her prayers.

Chapter Four

When she went to Sunday dinner at her mother’s, Maggie had almost forgotten how loud it could get in her childhood home.

Grandpa Paddy was seated at one end of the ancient oak table. He faced Maggie, eyeing her sternly. “Maggie, my darlin’ lass, your mum tells me you’re having another babe. About time.” His brogue, thick as ever, was hushed so that the other members of the family dining at the table couldn’t hear him.

Maggie swallowed hard and managed a smile. “Yes.”

“I bet Michael is proud to be a papa again. Good for you two, wish he were here. I would make a toast to him for a job well done.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Maggie blushed and didn’t quite know how to answer her grandfather. You never knew with Grandpa Paddy, he was such a character. He could be loud and boisterous, the rowdiest one of the O’Brien men, or as tender and warm as a saint.

One of his emerald green eyes, which were always filled mischief, winked back at her.

“Maggie, dear, you get enough to eat?” Mary asked sweetly.

“Yes, thanks, Mom,” said Maggie.

“Kind of surprised to have you back in town, Maggie,” Daniel noted as he scooped another helping of corn onto his plate.

“Yeah, I just needed to get away, and what better place than home?” Maggie answered. She sent Liam a glance, thankful he hadn’t shared any of the reasons why she had returned home.

“When are you headed back?” Patrick asked, eyeing his sister with piqued curiosity.

“Mel and I are going to hit the road later this evening.” Maggie glanced at her watch and saw that it was only around two in the afternoon.

“It’s great you came out to visit, sweetheart,” Maggie’s father, Pat, added as he took a drink and held it up toward her. He gave her a wink as well, knowing what secret she held. Maggie wasn’t surprised that her mother had shared the news about the pregnancy, but she did find it a little odd that Daniel and Patrick made no mention of it. Maybe her mother hadn’t told them yet.

The family finished their late lunch, and the majority of the men retired into the den, leaving Maggie to assist Mary with the clean up.

Melanie was busy playing with her cousins, three-year-old twins Finn and Connor, who were Patrick’s children. His wife, Beth, had been involved in a car accident when she was pregnant with the boys. Her passing had shaken the entire family. Doctors were able to save the boys by performing an emergency C-section and keeping them alive in the NICU at a large hospital over an hour away from Birch Valley. That was a dark shadow in time for the O’Brien family, one that still hovered over her oldest brother.

“Sounds like you guys had a nice evening yesterday.” Mary broke the silence as she ran warm water over a set of dirty plates before placing them into the dishwasher.

“We did. Rachel brought over a bunch of fun stuff. Mel had the best time. She really adores Rachel, and so do I,” Maggie answered.

Mary smiled. “Rachel is a sweet girl, we all like her a great deal. I’m hoping things continue to work out with her and Liam.”

“Me too. I told Liam last night I think she’s perfect for him.”

“It is important to pick a spouse who complements who we are as a person.”

Maggie felt it, she knew her mother was waiting for just the right moment to bring up Michael. She had set herself up; it was her own fault.

“So do the boys not know about the pregnancy?” Maggie held her stomach and motioned to her flat belly.

“I only told your father, who, of course, ran off and told Grandpa Paddy. I figured you might want to tell your brothers. I suggest you do it soon, before one of us slips up. Maybe you can tell them before you leave tonight.”

Maggie understood, she didn’t plan on hiding the pregnancy. It was just that she was now overwhelmed with guilt for not sharing the news with her own husband first. When she discovered she was pregnant with Melanie, she and Michael had sat and stared at a home pregnancy test together. They had sat in Michael’s apartment, holding their breath, waiting to see the results. They spent the rest of the night making love, talking about their plans for the future, and reveling in the sheer joy of the moment.

“I’ll tell them before I leave, I promise.”

That seemed to please her mother. They continued to clean and organize the remnants of dinner until the kitchen was spotless.

Maggie was drying off her hands when Liam walked into the kitchen.

“Mags, you going to tell Patrick and Daniel?” He was filling up his empty glass with water.

“Yeah, Mom was just telling me the same thing. I’m kind of curious how Patrick will take the news, you know?” Maggie’s voice was quiet.

Beth’s pregnancy was the last one the O’Briens had, and Maggie knew it was bound to stir up some unpleasant memories for her brother.

“I’m sure it will be a little hard, but Mags, its been three years since Beth’s been gone. He probably figures you and Michael would have more kids, he wouldn’t fault you for that,” Liam said.

“Yeah, I just don’t want to make Patrick uncomfortable. I suppose that’s why I wasn’t in the biggest rush to tell him.”

“It’ll be okay, I promise.”

Maggie moved past her brother and headed to the living room, Daniel was stretched out on his usual place on the leather couch. Patrick could be heard talking to their father in the den.

Plopping down next to Daniel, Maggie moved her brother’s heavy legs, “Scooch over,” She commanded.

“Ah, Maggie, I was comfortable,” Daniel whined as he straightened up on the couch.

“Too bad. So, I have some news,” Maggie started to say.

“Is that why you came home this weekend?”

“Kind of.”

“So what’s the news?” Daniel’s eyes grew curious as he searched Maggie for an answer.

“I just found out that I’m pregnant,” Maggie blurted out.

“Ah, that’s great, Maggie. Oh, I bet Michael is thrilled.” Daniel’s joyful voice was loud.

Patrick was standing in the archway leading into the room, his tall figure filling the archway. His expression was a mix of things that Maggie couldn’t quite figure out.

“That’s really good news, Maggie.” Patrick’s tone was steady and even, but his emerald eyes held a wet sheen.

Maggie stood up and practically ran to Patrick. A sudden surge of emotional hormones were to blame as she wrapped her slender arms around her brother.

Patrick was stiff at first, but his resolve slowly melted away as he laid his head on top on Maggie’s. They stood quietly together, leaning on each other for support and sharing a moment of mourning.

Maggie could feel her brother’s sorrow leaking from his soul. She knew how much Patrick had loved Beth; they all had loved her. Patrick had been thrilled when Beth became pregnant after years of trying to conceive. They were overjoyed when they found out they were expecting twins. Patrick played the role of proud papa well, doting on Beth, helping decorate the nursery, even attending birthing classes. They had grand plans, charted out their course in life, only to have them dashed about eight months into the pregnancy. It had all happened so fast, Patrick never had any time to really grieve. He had suddenly become a widower and a father of two baby boys fighting for their lives in a NICU.

“I’m really happy for you,” Patrick managed to say as he released Maggie from their embrace.

Maggie’s eyes were filled with tears as she nodded. She found herself unable to speak. Liam had entered the living room and watched the interaction between his brother and sister. Daniel had fallen asleep and was starting to snore.

“I better gather my monsters and head home,” Patrick announced. He hugged Maggie again.

Liam grabbed Patrick’s shoulder as he exited the room. Patrick gave him a tight smile. The O’Brien siblings shared an immeasurable love for each other; their compassion and understanding was deeply embedded in their very souls. Maggie could feel the closeness in that room, even with Daniel sound asleep. It made her long to be back home. She now dreaded leaving Birch Valley more than ever.

***

Maggie’s fingers tapped on the steering wheel, drumming along to a song that was playing on the radio. Melanie had fallen asleep after about two hours into the drive home. She felt uneasy with all the silence in the car. Maggie had scanned the radio for something upbeat and peppy to get her motivated for the journey home. Her insides cringed as she considered what was waiting for her in Seattle.

She could only imagine the confrontation that was going to happen when Michael saw her. He had tried calling her several times, but she had finally ended up turning her cell phone off. Maggie knew that was only going to make things worse. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to handle things with Michael, but Maggie knew one thing for sure—she was in no rush to get home.

It was a little after ten when Maggie slipped into the parking garage of their condo. She gently woke up Melanie and started to retrieve their suitcases. Maggie’s eyes searched for Michael’s car. The overhead lights reflected off the shiny, black luxury sedan as she noticed it was parked in its usual spot.

Her belly became a tangled net of captured butterflies, fluttering wildly. Her nerves were raw from acting out how this confrontation was going to go in her head on the drive home. She contemplated every scenario, and was trying to prepare herself for all of them.

Maggie’s hands shook as she tried shoving her key into the door. Once she finally opened the door, a sleepy Melanie pushed past her and veered toward her bedroom. A table lamp cast a low light in the living room, the window exposing the view of the city below, which allowed some street light to filter in. Then she saw his figure in the muted light, shadowy as he sat there. Maggie felt her body tense, a thick, nervous knot forming in her throat. Her stomach bubbled in anticipation.

“Glad you decided to come home.”

Maggie shoved her suitcase further into the hall, dropping her keys and purse on the table. She approached him slowly.

“Michael,” Maggie started to say, her voice uneven, matching the tormented waves in her stomach.

“Stop, Maggie. I have some things I want to say first.” Michael’s tone was firm and direct.

“I don’t really think you have the right, Michael.”

“Oh, but I do, especially when you decide to leave town with our child without so much as a note or phone call. Then you decide not to answer your phone, which forced me to track you down.”

Maggie inched closer, her nerves turning into rubber. “Michael, I’m surprised you even noticed that we were gone.”

Michael stood up and glared hard at her through the semi-dark room. “Are you kidding me? So you think what you did was totally just?”

“Do you think it was okay that you didn’t call or text me that you weren’t coming to Melanie’s performance? She was so disappointed, Michael,” Maggie countered.

“I couldn’t get away, there was an emergency meeting we had with one of our top clients. I had no choice, Maggie.”

“But you could have called or let me know.”

“There wasn’t an opportunity to do so. I have to sacrifice things right now, they are deciding who will be made partner at the end of the month.”

“So sacrificing your family, especially our daughter, after you promised her you were going to go, is completely okay in your book?” Maggie felt her nerves tightening, her body gathering strength as her anger flared.

“Maggie, what you did was a little different. Taking our child away from our home without notifying me is not okay. I was so close to calling the police,” Michael argued.

Maggie felt a twinge of vile anger spill from her as she spewed, “Well, I didn’t just take our child, I took our children.”

She wasn’t sure why she announced the pregnancy, especially like that. She wanted to retract her words the second they soared from her mouth, but it was too late. Michael’s face contorted into silent confusion.

Time stood still as Michael digested her words. Maggie could hear the city traffic below the window, and she could feel her heart pounding violently against her ribs. She wondered if Michael could hear it too. Suddenly, Maggie’s brain swirled. Ringing rammed loudly in her ears, and then, darkness.

Her eyes fluttered open. Maggie’s mind was twisted and confused.

“Maggie, are you okay?” Michael hovered over her. Her hands reached to her sides and felt carpet; she was on the ground.

“I don’t know,” Maggie answered. Her body felt stirred, all mixed up and out of place.

“You fainted.” Michael’s voice was laced with concern, but his serious demeanor kept his body rigid.

She could feel his tension as her brain righted itself, and she started to push past the fog that had settled there briefly. She had fainted before when she was pregnant with Melanie, but this had hit her suddenly.

“How long have you known?” Michael asked firmly.

“Known about what?” Maggie was still a little dazed and wasn’t sure about the root of his question. She wracked her mind to recall the last bit of their conversation, before she went down like a ton of bricks. She had no idea what she had said to him.