by Meg Jolie
“We didn’t talk about you at all,” Jake said quietly. “I mean, in case that’s what you were wondering. He didn’t bring you up. I thought it was best that I didn’t either.”
“That’s probably good then,” she decided.
“Yeah, I think when it comes to you, we’re just going to have to agree to disagree. Or something like that,” he said.
She shivered against him. Jake pulled her in a bit tighter.
“I love you so much,” he murmured.
“I love you too, Jake,” she said as her lips started to make their way across his neck. In that moment, she couldn’t imagine things being more perfect.
Her hand skimmed across his chest and then started to slip lower. He groaned in anticipation. For just a moment he thought he should stop her, let her lay back against the pillows and relax while his hands explored her body...But then her hand found what it was looking for and all coherent thought evaded him.
17
Quinn and Jake were sitting out on the back deck, on the outdoor glider, enjoying the gorgeous fall evening. Quinn was grateful almost every day for their huge, private backyard. It was skirted with pine, maple and oak trees. Every now and then, wildlife would scamper through. At the moment, a few gray squirrels were running around, chasing each other.
The trees, with their myriad of colors were gorgeous. The scent of fall was in the air. A slight breeze gently rustled the leaves above. It was what Quinn thought of as the perfect evening. Not too hot to make it miserable to nestle into Jake. But not so cool that she needed a light sweater.
They’d just finished eating hot fudge sundaes. It had become an evening ritual for them. They both knew that the weather would be turning cooler sooner rather than later and they both loved their summer evenings out on the deck. They were enjoying the solitude in more ways than one. Once the baby arrived Quinn wasn’t sure just how much time they’d have to relax.
“I’m so glad you two are talking again,” Quinn said as Jake tossed his phone aside. He’d just been answering a text from Luke. They’d been giving each other a hard time about the upcoming football season.
In the weeks following their fishing trip, it seemed to her that they’d fallen back into their old habits of calling and texting. She was relieved. Luke hadn’t started calling and texting her again. She thought that maybe, he never would. And while she wasn’t happy about it, she was at least relieved that the brothers seemed to be working things out.
“Yeah, the trip really helped things,” Jake said. “I mean, by the end I felt like he maybe didn’t want to kill me every five minutes.”
“I’m sure it’s never been that bad,” Quinn argued.
Jake gave her a look. “Yeah, well, I’ll just let you think that. I don’t want any troubled thoughts entering that pretty little head of yours.”
Quinn frowned at that.
“Oh, hey, none of that,” Jake said. He had his arm around her shoulder and he gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I just told you, things are better. They’re better than better. They’re actually pretty good.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re not just saying that?”
Jake laughed as he pulled her into him. He kissed the top of her head. “No. I’m not just saying that.”
“Okay,” she said as she snuggled into his side.
“I love nights like this,” Jake said. “This gorgeous weather, being with you. Just relaxing. It’s all feels so perfect.”
Quinn nodded. “I know.”
Jake laughed. “I remember a time when I used to think it all sounded so boring. You know? Back in the days when we’d go out partying every night. I couldn’t imagine sitting home like an old fuddy-dud. Now…” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t give this up for anything.”
“I wouldn’t either,” Quinn said. It wasn’t the first time they’d had this conversation. Yet every time Jake brought it up, her chest filled with such a feeling of happiness.
They were quiet for a few moments. Then Quinn sighed.
“Remember we have the ultra sound tomorrow at two,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, I know. I’ve got it on my calendar,” he told her. “In fact, I plan on taking the rest of the afternoon off.”
“Yeah?” Quinn asked. She sat back to look at him, to see if he was serious. They were busy at work. Usually, he’d go back and squeeze in another few hours. Or stay late to make up for the time he missed.
He grinned at her. “I thought it would be nice to spend the afternoon with you. Maybe take you out to a nice dinner? Then a movie? I can’t remember the last time we went out to a movie.”
“Are you sure you can get away for that?” she wondered. Even though they’d just come from a nice, romantic weekend at the cabin, a date night with Jake sounded wonderful. But she didn’t want to make things more difficult for him in the long run.
“I thought I’d go in a little early. Get done whatever I can. If I don’t finish, it’ll be waiting for me the next day. I’ll get to it eventually.” With fall coming, the work load was pretty heavy. It never failed, year after year, people would put their projects off until they realized summer was almost over. But it would lighten up soon enough. Especially when winter hit. He let out a content sigh. “I can’t believe how close it’s getting. Pretty soon, it’s not just going to be the two of us anymore.” He ran his hand over her tummy. He was hoping to feel a kick or two but the baby was apparently napping. “That’s why I wanted to take some time off tomorrow. I really need to spend some time with the woman I love while I still have her all to myself.” His tone was teasing but his expression was serious.
“Sounds good,” Quinn said as she smiled up at him. After two years just one look from him still made her melt.
“Do you know what sounds even better?” he asked.
“Hmmm?” she wondered as she leaned in. She began placing soft kisses against his neck. She felt her heart flutter as the heat of anticipation swirled through her. It hit her again, as it always did, that she loved him so completely.
“Bringing you home and having my way with you at the end of the evening,” he answered.
“Ooohhh, what way would that be?” she wanted to know.
He got to his feet and pulled her up with him. Before answering, his mouth came down on hers in a long, hungry kiss. She responded by opening her mouth to accept it, moaning into him when his tongue met hers.
Her hands slipped around him and cupped his backside, causing him to moan in return.
“Why don’t you come back to the bedroom and I’ll show you,” he whispered into her ear.
“Oh, I can hardly wait,” Quinn replied. She took his hand and led the way.
*~*~*
Quinn watched the minute hand ticking by. The ultra sound tech was running late. She wasn’t going to complain because Jake was running late, too. They hadn’t told anyone about today’s appointment. Just in case. Just in case the baby didn’t cooperate again. Carly had been so disappointed about not shopping. The rest of the family had bombarded them, wondering, pestering. They’d decided to keep it between themselves for now and share in a few days when they felt ready.
“Where are you?” she muttered. Another woman, a few seats over in the sparsely populated room cast a glance her way. Quinn gave her an apologetic smile and the woman went back to her reading. Quinn had tried reading a magazine as well. The effort had lasted less than a few minutes. Her nerves were already frayed and she didn’t have any patience to spare.
Jake was typically early. He was usually in the parking lot waiting for her when she arrived. That hadn’t been the case this afternoon. She’d waited outside for him for as long as she’d dared. He hadn’t shown up and finally, she knew she needed to get inside or she’d miss the appointment altogether.
Jake had never been late for an appointment before. She briefly regretted not calling him or sending a text to remind him. She knew how busy he would be today, trying to get ahead with things. She hadn’t wanted to b
other him unnecessarily. He’d said he had it on his calendar but perhaps he had forgotten. Work had been so insanely busy for him she could see that happening. It was entirely possible that he’d gotten tied up. Or that he’d simply lost track of time.
She briefly wondered what she should do. Should she cancel? Ask if she could reschedule? On the other hand, as much as she knew he’d like to be there, he had made it to all of the other appointments. She knew that was a whole lot more than some expectant moms could say. And he had seen the first ultra sound. So it wasn’t as if he would be missing out on the experience completely.
She fidgeted as she watched the door. She was fully expecting him to come running in at any second. She pulled her phone out, yet again, to check for a text or missed call. There was nothing. She glanced at the clock once more. It was seven minutes after two. At the moment, both Jake and the technician were seven minutes late. It was only a matter of which of them would arrive first.
She stood from her chair, having decided to take a second to call him. If he’d been caught up at work, maybe…No, she glanced at the clock again. Even if she called him now, he’d never be able to leave work, make the drive, park and get inside before the appointment was over. It wouldn’t even be worth it to call him.
Unless he’s already on his way, she thought. If he is, maybe I could stall for a few minutes. I should call, she decided. Just in case.
Her phone was clutched in her hand, ready to be answered in case he tried to contact her. Just as she was prepared to push the button that would take off the safety feature, she heard her name.
“Quinn McGrath?” Her name rang out through the quiet area.
The technician was not the same as last time, Quinn noted. She was older but smiling pleasantly as she scanned the waiting room, looking for her patient.
Quinn started back through the quiet waiting room.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she reached the technician. Her nametag said “Kate”. “But my husband isn’t here yet. He was supposed to come…”
Kate smiled kindly, noting Quinn’s agitation. “If you’d like, I can let the receptionist know to bring him back? If he shows up?”
“Could you?” she asked. A sense of relief washed over her. She was so sure he had to be on his way. She just couldn’t fathom that he’d forgotten. And it would be so completely disappointing to him if he got there only to end up sitting in the waiting room.
“Absolutely,” Kate replied. “Just give me one second.” She darted behind the cubicle that held the receptionist. In a moment she popped her head back out. “What’s his name?”
“Jake McGrath,” Quinn told her. She was still watching the doorway. It was now nearly quarter after two. She could not believe that he was this late. And that he hadn’t called. He had to have simply forgotten altogether and her heart sank. She didn’t blame him for it. He had far too much on his mind with work. He was usually so good about these things that she could never hold it against him for forgetting one time.
She was seconds away from begging to reschedule when Kate reappeared.
“All set,” she said with a smile. “Ilene will bring him back when he gets here.”
“Okay,” Quinn said with a small nod. She couldn’t quite force a smile. An unsettled feeling was gripping tightly to the pit of her stomach.
Kate led her to a room and pushed the door open.
“You know,” Quinn said as she stepped inside, “maybe if I could just call him quick?”
Kate shook her head and grimaced slightly, apologetically, as if she didn’t want to have to deliver the news. “I’m sorry. You can’t do that from here. We can’t have cell phones on. You’re going to need to turn it off. I don’t mean to rush you but we are already running pretty late…”
“Alright,” Quinn said with a resigned sigh. It would be okay. It would have to be. She knew he would be disappointed. And yet, well, at this point it seemed a little too late to do anything about it. Besides, she still hoped he’d come running in at the last moment.
There was always that chance.
A few minutes later, Kate had the baby up on the screen. She did her thing; taking measurements and whatnot, inputting information and making a few comments here and there.
Still…no Jake.
“Do you want to know the sex?” she asked.
Quinn was stumped for a moment. It was bad enough Jake was missing this. He’d be doubly disappointed when he found out that she found out the sex before he did. She almost told Kate that no, she didn’t think so. But she wanted to know so badly. And if she left today without knowing…The nursery would never get done in time.
“You can tell this time?” Quinn wondered. “The last time we were here, the baby was being pretty uncooperative.”
“Oh, yes,” Kate said with a bright smile. “I can tell.”
Quinn bit her lip for just a moment, thinking it over. “Could you maybe just write it down? My husband and I…we were supposed to find out together,” Quinn explained. “He’ll be so disappointed when he realizes he missed the appointment. I don’t want him to be disappointed if I find out the sex before he does. If you could just write it down, I’ll slip it in my purse and we can look at it together when he gets home tonight.”
“Sure,” she said with an understanding smile. “I can do that.” She scooted across the room on her rolling chair, swiped a small notepad and pen off the desk and jotted the sex down. She tore the single sheet off of the pad. Before handing it to Quinn, she folded it three times.
“Thank you so much,” Quinn replied.
“No problem. I think we’re done here,” Kate told her. “Do you have any questions?”
Quinn shook her head. If she had any questions, they’d already escaped her. She was so flustered about Jake that she wasn’t able to think of anything else at the moment.
Kate had kept her informed as she checked things out. She really couldn’t think of anything to ask.
Kate helped her into a sitting position. “I’m so sorry your husband didn’t make it,” she said.
“Me too,” Quinn agreed with a frown. She clenched the small square of paper in her palm.
“Alright then, we’re all done here.”
Kate waited for Quinn to carefully step down and gather her things. As she did, she stuffed the folded slip of paper into a small, zippered pocket on the inside of her purse. To her surprise, she wasn’t even the least bit tempted to look at it without Jake.
Kate and Quinn said their polite, obligatory good-byes and then Quinn was on her way. She hurried down the short hallway that dumped her into the waiting room. She rushed across the large area, digging in her purse for her phone as she went. When she reached the large bank of doors, they opened automatically for her.
She stepped out into the chilled, gloomy day. She fought off a shiver as she dialed Jake’s number immediately. It had rained heavily throughout the night. It had continued to mist throughout the day. The air was still damp and the scent of rain still clung to the air. She sidestepped a few puddles as she made her way to her car.
Jake’s phone went straight to voicemail and she grumbled loudly. She decided not to leave a message. She was both disappointed and frustrated that he hadn’t made it. She knew he would feel bad enough. She didn’t want to take that frustration out on him by leaving a message that was full of annoyance.
Instead, she dumped herself into her car and tossed her phone onto her passenger seat. She glanced at the clock. It wasn’t as if she could stop by and visit him at work. Jake didn’t work in the office very often. He was typically out at a jobsite.
She decided to go home and get an early start on dinner. Maybe she’d make something somewhat complicated to pass the time. Her mind began a mental inventory of the items that she had in the fridge and pantry.
18
On the way home, while sitting at a stoplight, she’d tried calling Jake again. It didn’t surprise her that the phone went to voicemail. She was worried. Someth
ing had to have come up because surely he would’ve remembered by now. It wasn’t like Jake to just forget. It just wasn’t. When his phone continued to go to voice mail, she knew something was not right. She’d been expecting a frantic, apologetic call from him saying he’d forgotten.
By the time she arrived home, she was edging from concern into flat-out worry. But there, parked in the driveway was Jake’s truck.
An immense feeling of relief washed over her. She’d been so concerned she’d made herself sick. The sight of his truck calmed her fears.
“I am so mad at you!” she said as she marched through the front door. She said the words, but her tone was light, teasing. He would feel horrible enough about having forgotten. Or something important had to have come up. She knew he would be heartbroken over missing the ultra sound.
“Quinn,” Luke said as he appeared in the doorway that led to the living room. His eyes were rimmed in red. His motions looked stilted.
“Where’s Jake?” she demanded. She belatedly realized that the truck in the yard must be Luke’s. It was black, too, like Jake’s. Both were work trucks. Luke had been allowed to keep his, even though he was working elsewhere, since his family was sure he’d come back eventually. She hadn’t really paid attention. She had walked right past it, hurrying to get into the house to see him.
Luke took a step toward her and she let him lead her to the living room. Every nerve ending in her body felt like it had come to life. Worry and fear burned through her.
“Come here,” he said as he pulled her toward the couch. “Sit down.”
She wanted to tell him she didn’t want to sit down. Yet, before she could say anything, her body was obeying. She didn’t feel as though she were sitting so much as she felt she was floating. Falling. Collapsing.
“Jake…” Luke said in a choked voice, “he’s gone.”
“Gone where?” she asked. Her voice sounded strangled. “Gone where?” she repeated, even shriller this time. He couldn’t mean what she thought he meant. He couldn’t mean what the tears streaming down his cheeks, what the pain etched across his face, what the apologetic look in his eyes were making clear. It just wasn’t possible. She leaned back, taking in his tear-stained face and the tortured look in his eyes. They gave her the answer because Luke couldn’t force the words out.