by L. P. Dover
* * *
—
Everything was finally coming together. On the way to Maddox’s house, I called Sophia and asked her to visit me. She was going to fly in as soon as she could. I wasn’t going to play matchmaker. The only thing I was going to do was make sure she was in the right place at the right time, hoping like hell she and Braeden hit it off. She would be good for him.
Maddox’s house was lit up when I pulled into the driveway. The outside wasn’t made of bricks like all the others around, but of different shaped stones. The front door was my favorite. It had a curved top instead of a straight one. It reminded me of a stone cottage you’d see in the country. He opened the garage door and motioned for me to pull inside. When I got out of my car, he closed the garage door.
“How did everything go?”
I shrugged. “As good as can be expected. He said he was going to back off. He doesn’t want you forbidding him to see me.”
His gaze narrowed. “Trust me, I’d love to keep you away from him, but I’d never ask that of you. Now if he continues to cause problems, I want him out of your life.”
I kissed his cheek. “He’s my best friend. I’m hoping it won’t come to that. If it does, I choose you.” Losing Braeden’s friendship would forever hurt me, but I could understand Maddox’s anger. I would be livid if the situation was turned around.
Maddox opened the door and the aroma of barbecue sauce wafted past me. “Something smells good,” I said.
Maddox chuckled. “I put some wings in the oven. Thought it’d be a good midnight snack. Want some?”
I followed him into the kitchen and sat at the counter. My stomach growled. “Maybe just one…or two.” I felt like I could eat every single piece of chicken in the damn oven. Maddox pulled a bottle of ranch dressing from the refrigerator and then grabbed two plates and set them in front of me. I stared at him in awe.
He met my gaze and laughed. “You okay?” he asked, removing the wings from the oven.
“Yeah, I just wasn’t expecting this. We’re all domesticated now.”
He burst out laughing. “Domesticated? Are you trying to say we’re boring?”
“No!” I shrieked. “It’s a good thing. I’m glad you chose to be with me instead of going to the party.”
He waved it off. “I don’t give a shit about going to the damn parties. The only thing that’s important is right here in this room.”
He removed two waters from the fridge and handed one to me. Glancing around the kitchen, I couldn’t help but be impressed. “I really love this kitchen. What made you chose this house?”
A sad expression passed across his face. “It reminded me of my grandfather’s.”
“I see. You know, when I first came here, I thought your backyard would be landscaped. I was quite shocked it wasn’t.”
He placed a few chicken wings on our plates. “I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Your brother’s house was my first project.”
My fork froze at my mouth. “Seriously? That’s amazing. I never would’ve thought that.”
He shrugged. “I’ll get to mine once the season’s over. Maybe you can help me.”
“I’d be happy to.” I drank a sip of my water and followed it by demolishing a chicken wing. It tasted so good. Maddox tried to hide his smile and failed. I could feel the barbecue sauce all over my lips.
“Hungry?” he asked.
My plate was littered with tiny chicken bones. I grabbed my napkin and wiped off my mouth. “You have no idea. I am eating for two.”
His smile faded. “When I saw you a few weeks ago, I noticed you lost weight. I guess I can see why. You were too sick to eat.”
“And stress,” I blurted. “Dealing with you wasn’t easy.”
He threw a chicken bone at me. “And vice versa, sunshine. You infuriated me with your babble about not being able to trust me. Hopefully you trust me now.”
I threw the chicken bone right back at him and he chuckled. “You haven’t given me a reason not to.” I finished off my chicken wings and rinsed my plate off in the sink, keeping my back to him.
“What did you do with my wedding band?” he asked.
Frozen in place, all I could do was stare at the dishes. His wedding band was in my jewelry box, right beside mine. “I took it the morning I left.”
He walked over and set his plate in the sink, his body so close to mine. I could feel the heat of his skin and smell the woodsy scent of his cologne. “I figured as much. You took the marriage certificate, too.”
The weight of what I’d done came crashing down. The amount of regret was too much to bear. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I buried my head against his chest. “I was so stupid. Every day before school, I’d open my jewelry box and look at our rings. Then, when I’d see the tabloids with you and other women, it’d take me days to be able to look at them again. I hated you.”
He pulled me away and looked in my eyes. “I hated you, too, for leaving, but I still loved you.” Taking a deep breath, he let it out slow. “When I found out who you really were, I couldn’t wrap my head around it.”
“I know.”
“When I hired the private investigator, it didn’t take long to pull up the marriage certificate. I stared at it every day, wondering what the hell I was going to do.” The pain was written all over his face.
“I’d give anything to turn back time, Maddox.”
Placing his hand on my cheek, he kissed me gently. “So would I. The only thing that made me happy back then was hoping it pissed you off every time you saw the tabloids.”
“Oh, it did,” I confessed. “I’d never been so angry in my life. Honestly, I didn’t think you’d remember getting married. We spent most of our spring break drunk.”
Shaking his head, he brushed his thumb across my lips. “How could I not remember? It was my idea to get married.”
“I thought you’d had too much to drink. The whole concept was exciting and spontaneous. I never really thought about the consequences.”
“You said you loved me, Lacey. When you left, it was one of the worst things you could’ve done. You knew I needed you.”
Lips trembling, I closed my eyes. “I know. I was afraid it wouldn’t last. It was the one and only time I ever doubted anything in my life. You scared me that much.” He held me tight. So many emotions raced through my body it felt like I was going to explode. Hearing his words tore me apart. My heart couldn’t take any more. I crushed myself against him and sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Maddox. I’ll never hurt you again.”
His arms wrapped around me and he squeezed me tight. “I know, sunshine. We don’t have to worry about any of that ever again. We’re together now.” He pulled me away and wiped my tears away. “Just do me a favor and never wear your wedding band again.”
“Why?” I gasped.
He snorted. “It was a forty-five-dollar piece of shit. As soon as our secret’s out, I’m buying you a new one.”
“I’m not high maintenance, Maddox. I don’t need expensive jewelry.”
He kissed my hand. “No wife of mine is going to wear that garbage.”
“Does this mean we’re going to have a real wedding as well?”
“If that’s what you want,” he said, grinning wide.
I shook my head. “I’m happy with the way things are.”
Chapter 27
Lacey
It was my first day on the job and it was amazing. I was so busy I hadn’t even seen Callie. “You did great today,” Dr. Young said as we walked down the hall.
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks. It’s definitely a lot different here than in New York.”
He smiled over at me, his teeth so white they almost glowed. He was thirty-one years old with light brown hair and grayish blue eyes. The nurses all thought he was handsome. On top of that, he was a terrific doctor. I’d never seen anyone move so fast. Then again, you had to be quick to work in the ER.
“I’m sure it’s much more slow paced here, right?”<
br />
I laughed. “Very much so, but you still have to be on your toes.”
We stopped at the break room and he held out his hand. “I’m glad you’re here. It was a good first day.” Callie turned the corner and her eyes about popped out of her head. Dr. Young smiled at her. “I know Callie’s excited to have you here as well.”
Callie snorted and bounced on the balls of her feet. “Just a little. Speaking of excited, do you have some news for me, Dr. Easton?”
Dr. Young cleared his throat. “All right, ladies, I have to get home. My wife has dinner cooking.” He hurried down the hall and waved. “See you in the morning.”
Callie chuckled and opened the break room door. “Out of all the things for you to do, how could you leave me hanging all weekend? You’ve ignored my calls.”
My cheeks burned. “Maddox and I were kind of busy…celebrating.”
She gasped. “So you’re pregnant?”
I slapped a hand over her mouth. “Shh…not so loud.” I laughed and let her go. “But yes, we’re pregnant. He’s ecstatic about it.”
She squealed again. “That’s so exciting. I can’t wait for everyone to find out.”
“About that,” I said, lowering my voice. “I told Braeden.”
Her eyes widened. “What did he have to say about it?”
I walked to the refrigerator and grabbed my bottle of water. We’d been so busy I barely had a chance to drink anything. “He didn’t seem too happy about it. I called Sophia and she’s going to come in for a visit.”
The locker room was right beside the break room so I followed Callie there and grabbed my clothes out of my locker. “Bringing in Sophia, huh? I bet I know why,” she said with a laugh.
Once I was changed, I sat down on the bench while she finished getting dressed. “She would be good for him, Callie. He might not see it yet, but I think if he hangs out with her, he’ll see how amazing she is. Plus, it’ll be good for the paparazzi to see him with someone other than me.”
“True,” Callie agreed. “I hope it works. I’ll help you thrust them together.”
“Thank you.” Callie slipped on her tennis shoes and stood. “Now that you’re pregnant, want to grab some ice cream?”
“Now?” I asked incredulously.
She giggled. “Why not? The baby needs it.”
“I wish I could, but I can’t. My gynecologist appointment is in thirty minutes.”
She gasped. “Is Maddox going with you?”
“Yep. And since the gynecologist is inside the hospital, I’m just going to meet him there. I just hope nobody recognizes him.”
She stared at me like I’d lost my mind. “Yeah, right. Those ladies will know who he is.”
I shrugged. “We can’t hide forever. If word gets out, there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s the hard-core Lacey I know. Glad to see you’re back to your old self.”
I grabbed my bag out of my locker and winked. “You can thank Maddox for that. I didn’t realize how much he changed me.”
My phone beeped.
Maddox: I’m here.
Me: On my way down. See ya in a minute.
I tossed my phone into my bag. “Cal, I have to go. I’ll let you know how everything goes.”
She hugged me quick and pushed me toward the door. “Tell Maddox congratulations for me.”
“I will,” I said, giggling. “See you tomorrow.” I hurried out and walked through the hospital corridors until I got to my gynecologist’s office. Maddox stood off to the side with his baseball cap low over his eyes. “Hey,” I called out.
The smile that lit up his face made me tremble. “Hey, sunshine. Feeling okay today?”
I shrugged. “Nauseous, but happy. What about practice?”
“Same shit as always.”
Taking a deep breath, I stared at the door. “Are you ready for this?”
He put his arm around me. “I was born ready.”
“All right, here we go.” I opened the door, and luckily there was no one in the waiting room. My nerves were all over the place.
The front desk lady gave me a giant heap of paperwork. It was basically a book of all my information. Then it came to the father’s section. Maddox couldn’t stop grinning as I put in all of his information.
Once the paperwork was turned in and I was called to the back, Maddox came with me. The nurse was older and she didn’t even pay attention to him. She obviously didn’t watch hockey. She took me to the lab and drew my blood for the various tests they had to perform before sitting us in another waiting room.
“Are we the only ones here?” Maddox asked.
I glanced at my phone. “I took the latest appointment they had. I didn’t want to ask for time off on my first day of work.”
He slid his arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him. “It feels good not hiding anymore. Sure you’re not afraid of what the media will say?”
I shrugged. “It bothered me at first, but now that I’m pregnant, things have changed. The only person I might be a little worried about is Dallas. He’ll be upset I didn’t tell him. We’ve always been able to tell each other everything.”
He chuckled. “Hopefully we can smooth things over with him.”
“Once he sees how much I love you, he’ll have no choice.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Lacey Easton.” A nurse with pink scrubs and short light brown hair smiled at us. “You can come with me.” She nodded toward the hall and led me to a room, shutting the door behind us.
“Dr. Light will be with you shortly. If you would, please, all you have to do is take off your pants and underwear and cover up with the sheet. Dr. Light will come in and do an internal exam.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
She walked out and shut the door. Maddox sat in the chair and waggled his brows. “Take off those pants, girl. I’m ready to see some skin.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?” I pointed at the stirrups. “This is so not sexy.” The walls were all white and it smelled like antiseptic.
Maddox chuckled. “No, but you are.”
Once I was all set, I sat on the table with the sheet around my waist. Maddox kept trying to sneak peeks but I smacked his arm and pushed him toward the chair. The man was going to drive me insane. Over in the corner was an ultrasound machine. In just a few minutes we were going to be able to see our baby.
Dr. Light knocked and came into the room and held out her hand. “Good morning, I’m Dr. Light.”
“Lacey,” I said, shaking her hand.
Maddox shook her hand as well. “Maddox.”
Dr. Light nodded. “It’s good to meet you both. I actually recognize your name, Dr. Easton.”
“How is that?” I asked.
“You’re working with my brother, Dr. Will Young. He spoke very highly of you.”
“Small world,” I said with a nervous chuckle. “No one over there knows I’m pregnant.”
She waved me off. “Everything here is confidential. Most women don’t feel comfortable telling anyone until after the first trimester. Your secret’s safe with me.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
“You’ll be in good hands with my brother.”
“And his nurses,” I added. “My sister-in-law, Callie Easton, works with him as well. Maddox is her cousin.”
Her face brightened. “I know Callie. She’s such a sweetheart.” Then she met Maddox’s gaze. “I take it you’re the baby’s father?”
He beamed. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” he said, grinning wide.
She slipped on a pair of gloves and I lay back on the table. “Any morning sickness?” she asked.
I looked up at the ceiling as she did my exam. Maddox sat in the chair, cringing every time the doctor touched me. “Yes. I can barely keep anything down at times. I’ve lost five pounds.”
“You’ll gain it back. Just make sure you keep hydrat
ed.”
“I will.”
Once she was done, she took off the gloves and stepped back. “I’m thinking you’re about eight weeks along. I want to do an ultrasound to make sure everything’s starting out okay. Is it all right if I go ahead and do it instead of my technician?”
I nodded excitedly. “Yes, of course.” Then I turned to Maddox. “Eight weeks. Sounds about right.”
Maddox’s grinned wide. “The beach.”
I nodded in agreement. “Yep.”
Maddox moved closer and held my hand. “I want to hear the heartbeat.”
Dr. Light smiled. “I’ll send you home with some pictures so you can show your families.”
When the baby came up on the screen, Maddox’s hand tightened. Tears sprung to my eyes and I gasped. I could hear its heartbeat and it was the most glorious sound I’d ever heard. The doctor printed off a few pictures and handed them to me.
“Everything looks good,” Dr. Light explained. “We’ll do another ultrasound in a few weeks to determine the sex.”
A tear slid down my cheek as I looked through them. “Thanks, Dr. Light.” I had no clue if it was a girl or boy, but I was going to love it with all my heart.
Once she left the room, Maddox wrapped me in his arms. “That’s our baby, sunshine. We did this.”
“Yes, we did.”
Chapter 28
Maddox
I wanted to shout to the whole fucking world that I was a father. Seeing the baby made it all the more real. On the way to practice, I decided to call Callie. She picked up the phone and it sounded like she was in her car. “Hey, Mad,” she answered.
“On your way to work?” I asked.
“Yep. What are you doing calling me so early?”
“Just thought I’d tell you I got to see my baby yesterday.”
She squealed. “That’s so exciting. I know you’re happy.”
“More than happy.”
“I wanted to tell you, but I couldn’t. When Lacey and I went out to dinner and she got sick, we kind of figured it then. She didn’t want to take the test without you.”
I pulled into the rink lot and parked. “Things are finally coming together for me.”