Playing for Keeps

by Hill, Jamie

  "Oh yeah." She rolled into his arms and they kissed passionately.

  "God, I'm glad you're back," he murmured and ran his hands through her hair.

  She looked around uncomfortably.

  "What's wrong?"

  "A weird thought just went through my mind." She shook her head.

  "Tell me."

  "You don't want to know. It's crazy, ever since I got pregnant I've had some rather strange thoughts."

  He chuckled. "Like the hunting accident?"

  "Yeah, like that." She looked at him. "Nothing I'd ever act on, of course."

  "Well, thanks for that. But, I'm worried. What was your weird thought just now?"

  She looked at him. "Did you make love to Dionne in this bed?"

  He looked at the ceiling. "That is a weird thought. Are you sure you really want to go there?"

  "I'm a big girl. I just want to know."

  He looked at her. "Actually, that's an easy one to answer, because no, I did not. We were here twice, but she brought so much work with her, both times, it pissed me off. I spent my weekends taking care of things that needed to be done around here and running around with Sophie and Bo. They were very happy to be here."

  Maddie smiled. "Are you telling me the truth? I don't want you to lie, just because you think that's what I want to hear."

  "The truth is, I tried to start something with her the first time we were here, and she wanted to work. It pissed me off and I never tried again."

  "When you were here?"

  He rolled on top of her and grinned. "Don't go there. You know that Dee and I had sex. You also know, I was not happy with her. Hell, she wasn't happy with me, either. It's got to be about more than just sex, Maddie. I want the whole deal." He kissed her neck. "You are the whole deal. I want you."

  "I want you, too." She kissed him hungrily.

  Sam cried and they both froze. Maddie dropped her head on to the pillow, and Rob smiled. "You said we couldn't do this."

  "I had just changed my mind."

  "Now we have something to look forward to."

  She grinned. "We always have something to look forward to, from now on…"

  "For the rest of our lives." He finished her sentence and kissed her one more time, gently. He stood up and brought her with him. "And just to clarify, you are the only woman I have ever made love to in this bed. I never brought anybody here because of Sophie, until you."

  Maddie was headed out but stopped to look back at him. "Just to clarify, am I the only one on the porch? In the kitchen? In the pool? In the field by the pond?"

  He stopped and looked thoughtful, and she took a swing at him. He grabbed her arms and pulled her gently to him. "Yes, yes, yes, and yes. You are the only woman I have ever made love to on these grounds. And, you are the only woman I am ever going to make love to, for the rest of my life. Are we clear?"

  "Oh, yeah." She kissed him deeply. "Thank you for telling me. I feel really good now."

  "Yes, you do." He squeezed her butt. Sam cried louder and Bo came to their door and barked. "All right, all right, Bo. We're on our way."

  "Patience, baby boy." Maddie went to Sam and unbuckled him. She lifted him from his car seat and smelled something suspicious. "Oh, holy cow, kiddo!" His diaper had leaked and he was dirty halfway up his back. She held him out to Rob and said "Here you go, Daddy."

  "Whoa there, Nellie…what am I supposed to do with that?" He stared at the crying, dirty baby.

  Maddie chuckled. "Oh, all right. You go find his diaper bag and bring it to me, please. We'll be in the bathroom."

  Rob exhaled and nodded. "I can do that. Be right back."

  "Uh, yeah, hurry." Maddie put Sam in the tub and stripped his clothes off. She ran a little warm water and washed him off.

  "One diaper bag." Rob joined them in the bathroom.

  "How about a washcloth and towel?"

  "Yep." He rummaged through a drawer and handed them over.

  "Could you get a diaper and an outfit from the bag, please? And there should be some lotion in there somewhere."

  "Diaper, clothes, lotion…got it."

  Maddie rinsed off the howling baby and wrapped him in the towel Rob supplied. "There you go bubba. It's okay now."

  "Calm down, boy." Rob kissed Sam's head. He said to Maddie "Want to bring him to the bedroom to dress him?"

  "Yeah." She followed Rob and they sat on the bed and dressed Sam together. He stopped crying when he was dressed and warm again.

  "All better." Rob hugged the baby to him. He smiled at Maddie. "I'll practice on the wet diapers and move up to those other ones, okay?"

  She laughed. "Yep. That was a particularly icky one. I'm going to need to wash his car seat cover and clothes pretty quickly here."

  "You remember where the soap and stuff is?"

  "Yes, I do. If you'll keep an eye on him, I'll go throw everything in the washer."

  "I will. Think you might check on Soph? I can't hear her."

  "Sure." She stood up, kissed Sam's head and Rob's cheek, and went outside to look for Sophie.

  They spent the rest of the day putting Sam's room together in what had once been Rob's office. They left his desk and filing cabinet in one corner, and moved the rest of the furniture to the garage.

  "I hate to make you give up your office." Maddie looked around the room.

  "Not a big deal. As long as I have my desk, all I need is a little corner. For now, anyway."

  There was plenty of room for Sam's stuff along with the desk. Rob hung the little O-State jersey on the wall proudly. Maddie chuckled. "I never thought of it as a wall decoration."

  "I like it." Rob hugged her. "It reminds me what his name is, every time I look at it."

  "You're afraid you might forget?"

  He smiled back. "No, but remember, I've only known about the boy for a day. You've had a while to get used to the idea of him. It's still sinking in for me."

  She leaned back into him. "I'm sorry about that."

  He kissed the side of her head. "You did what you thought was best, at the time. I'm just glad I know, now."

  "Me, too."

  "Do you know who else needs to know about this? Quite a few people, actually, like my parents, but I was thinking about Rosa and Smoky. We need to go talk to them, face to face, tomorrow. We don't want them, or Fred and Emma, to hear about this from anyone but us."

  Maddie sighed. "I can't believe I didn't know they got married. But it was hard to talk to Rosa and hear about Smoky and everyone. I couldn't talk about Sam, which was pretty much the only thing I had going in my life."

  He kissed her cheek. "Not anymore, beautiful." They heard the back door slam and Bo bounded into the room before Sophie. "You have a family, now. Maybe more than you bargained for."

  "No way." She squeezed his arm, and smiled at Sophie. "Hey, girl. What's happening?"

  "I'm hungry!" the child announced.

  Rob let go of Maddie and picked up Sophie. "And you are filthy! Holy smokes, munchkin, you find a mud hole?"

  "Yeah, it was cool!"

  "Oh, sweet Jesus." Rob rolled his eyes.

  Maddie chuckled. "Come on, Soph. I'll put you in the tub, while daddy figures out something for dinner." She looked at Bo. "You go with daddy. You're confined to the outside until you get a bath, too, buster."

  "Come on, Bo." Rob shuffled the dog toward the back door. "We've been banished."

  Maddie smiled, and headed toward the tub.

  After dinner, Sophie wanted to swim. Maddie yawned. "I'll watch, but I'm exhausted tonight. It's been a busy couple of days."

  "I'll swim with you, Soph. Get your suit on." Rob grinned at Maddie and raised his eyebrows. "I'm energized, for some reason."

  She laughed, and carried Sam out to the pool deck so they could observe the swimming.

  "We'll have to get Sam some of those swim diapers, so he can come in with us." Rob helped Sophie put on her arm floaties and they got in the water.

  "And a tiny little life jacket,"
Maddie said. She leaned back on a chaise lounge and settled Sam on her chest. The setting sun warmed her, and she closed her eyes, relaxed.

  "We can hold him." Rob splashed some water on her.

  Maddie didn't open her eyes. "Yep, we can hold him with a tiny little life jacket on."

  Rob chuckled. "The water feels great. Sure you don't want to come in, Mad?"

  "Maybe, tomorrow," she murmured, and dozed off.

  When she woke up, later, Rob was lifting Sam from her arms. "What are you doing?"

  "We're done swimming." He pulled the baby close to him. "And you were sleeping. Come on, you're going to bed." He lifted her by one arm.

  "I'm okay," she said disjointedly.

  "I know you are. Very okay. And very tired. You're going to bed."

  "But, Sam…" she complained as Rob took her to their room. He stopped to put Sam in his bed, then came back to Maddie.

  "Sam's fine. I'll bring him in to you when he wakes up, then put him to bed after that. You need to rest while you can. You're exhausted." He pulled her shirt and shorts off, and tucked her in bed in her underclothes. "I have no idea where your nightgowns are."

  "Have to unpack my stuff," she muttered.

  "Tomorrow," he whispered, and brushed back her hair. He kissed her softly and said "Sleep, now. I love you."

  "Love you," Maddie repeated, and fell asleep.

  She woke when Rob brought her the baby in the morning. "Oh geez, I didn't even hear him."

  Rob smiled and handed Sam over. "You were tired. So was he. He slept straight through after I brought him in at eleven."

  "What time is it?"

  "Seven. He slept almost eight hours. Country life must agree with him."

  Maddie smiled as she nursed Sam. "Good! I could get used to this eight hour business."

  Rob put his head on her stomach and watched her feed the baby. "He's so beautiful, Mad. You do good work."

  "I had help."

  "Okay, I'll take some credit, too. We do good work."

  "I hope so." Maddie smiled at him as she switched sides. "With this new 'no condom' kick you're on, we may be testing that theory sooner than later."

  "Good!" Rob grinned. "I want a little girl with red hair and freckles, just like her mama."

  Maddie yawned. "I want a nap!" She chuckled as Rob tickled her, and she passed Sam over to be burped while she adjusted her nursing bra.

  "Don't worry about fastening that." He leered over his shoulder at her as he carried Sam off to his bed.

  "I'm sleepy!" she called after him.

  "Then you can just lie there." Rob winked.

  Maddie smiled.

  She rested up during the day. Later, Rob helped her unpack her things and took her suitcases to the garage. "They don't have to go under the bed anymore?" she teased.

  "You won't need them until we go on a vacation, and that might be a while. I'm not even sure we're going to get a honeymoon."

  "I don't need a honeymoon." Maddie looked around their house. "This place is as close to heaven as I can imagine. I'm happy, right here with our family."

  "God, you're easy." He grinned and hugged her from the side. "A real cheap date."

  She chuckled. "Isn't that why you asked me out to begin with?"

  He smirked. "If I'd wanted easy, I would have asked out Rosa. She had a more desperate look than you did."

  "I had a more horny look, wouldn't you say?"

  He laughed and hugged her again. "Of course. That's why I chose you."

  "I knew it!" She shook her head.

  "We both knew it, remember? The first time we met, there was a spark. I couldn't wait to get back and see you at the end of the day."

  "I remember. I felt the same way. I floated around for a week."

  He chuckled. "I'm not sure if it was love at first sight, but as Kenny Rogers would say, something damn sure like it."

  She faced him and slid her arms around his waist. "It's love now, buddy. No doubt about that."

  "No doubt." He kissed her, and they held each other tight.

  A little while later, he asked, "So, I was thinking about driving over to Smoky's, but we barely have a vehicle to fit all of us."

  "We can take my car."

  "That'd be great, if my legs were retractable," he teased. "We need something bigger. I'm wondering if we get an SUV, do you want to keep your car or trade it in?"

  "Trade, please! I'd love to drive an SUV. Got anything in mind?"

  "Why don't we go to town and look? I'd like to find something in-stock, but if we have to order I want to get it done, ASAP."

  "Ooh, goodie. I never get to car shop."

  "Well, gather up the crew and let's go see what we can find."

  They found exactly what they were looking for at the dealership Rob liked to deal with. A black Ford Expedition with room for eight, low mileage and in excellent condition. "What do you think?" he asked Maddie while they test drove it.

  "I love it. What do you think?"

  He pulled over and stopped. "I do, too. But I want you to drive it and make sure. Let's switch."

  "Oh, I can't!" Surprise tingled through her.

  He dragged her to the driver's side and buckled her in. "Well, you'll have to if we buy it."

  "It's so much bigger than my car."

  "Yep, you'll get used to it. Come on." He buckled himself in the passenger seat and told the kids, "Hang on back there!"

  Maddie shot him a look and started driving.

  "See, it's not so bad."

  "No, it's great." To her amazement, she got the hang of it quickly.

  "We could order a new one, if you want to wait."

  "I don't need a new one, this is perfect."

  "I think so, too." Rob checked it out, and nodded.

  They waited inside as the dealer had the SUV detailed and got the paperwork in order. A couple of hours later, they drove it off the lot. "This is so cool," Rob grinned, and Maddie had to smile at his enthusiasm. She loved it when he looked like that, so much like a little boy.

  He took them to McDonald's for dinner before they headed to Smoky and Rosa's house. "Come on, Soph. You two stay in here," Rob said to Maddie. "I'll wave when you should come out."

  She nodded. She brought Sam to her lap, hummed softly to him as she watched Rob and Sophie ring the doorbell. Maddie cracked her window a bit so she could hear the conversation.

  "Hey, look who's here!" Rosa smiled at them. "Leonard, Coop and Sophie are here," she called into the house.

  "Hey!" Smoky met them at the door. "What are you guys up to?" He glanced at the SUV. "Jesus, are you driving that, Coop? You didn't get rid of your truck, did you? I might faint dead away!"

  Rob smiled. "Of course, I didn't. But I just needed something with a little more room." He waved to Maddie, and she got out of the SUV with Sam.

  "Oh my God!" Rosa squealed and ran out to Maddie. "What in the world—?"

  "Hey, sweetheart." Maddie smiled as Rosa hugged her. "I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch. I've been a little busy."

  "Obviously! Look at him! Oh, Leonard, look at him!"

  "Well what do you know?" Smoky smiled at Rob.

  "Surprised the shit out of me," Rob told him out the side of his mouth. "But, it was a good surprise. Meet, Samuel Robert Cooper. Sam."

  "Come inside, you all." Rosa motioned, and led Maddie in. "Oh, Maddie, can I hold him?"

  "Sure." They got inside and sat down. She handed Sam to Rosa, who cradled him gently with Smoky looking over her shoulder.

  "Why didn't you tell me?" Rosa scolded Maddie, but continued smiling at Sam.

  "I wasn't sure how to go about that. I'm just so thankful Rob finally got up the nerve to come looking for me."

  "What are you talking about?" Rob puffed out his chest. "I wasn't nervous."

  They all looked at him and burst into laughter. He joined them. "Okay, I was nervous as hell. Then, when I found her, she was wearing this wedding band. I thought I was going to die."

  "It was
for respectability," Maddie said. "But now I have a real one." She held up her left hand, flashing her ring.

  "Oh, Maddie, it's beautiful!" Rosa smiled at her. "And, so is this baby! How old is he?"

  "About two months. He's a sweetie, isn't he?"

  "The sweetest." Rosa looked at Sophie. "What do you think, Soph? A new little brother for you!"

  "He's nice," she agreed. "Sometimes he smells funny. But mostly he's good."

  They chuckled at her accurate assessment.

  Maddie looked at Rosa and said, "I'm so sorry I haven't kept in touch. It was so weird for me. But Rob told me you got married."

  Rosa smiled at Smoky and nodded. "A couple months ago. It was a small ceremony. I thought about calling you…" she trailed off, and Maddie knew Rob had been at the wedding.

  "Its fine, Rosa. I'm so happy for you both. Really."

  "And look at you guys!" Rosa smiled at Sam once more, but he started to fuss.

  "Come here, buddy." Rob reached for his son, and Sam quieted in his arms.

  "Wow, you've got the touch." Rosa grinned.

  "Yeah, Sam definitely loves it here." Maddie smiled at Rob. "He slept eight hours last night, for the first time ever. And I've got to admit, it's wonderful having help with him."

  "Things are good." Rob smiled back. "Very, very good."

  "We're happy for you," Smoky told them.

  "We wanted to tell you in person, before word got out," Maddie told them. "We appreciate you guys, and your friendship means a lot to us."

  "Don't make me cry!" Rosa hugged Maddie, and walked them to the door. It was a good visit, and Maddie was glad they went.

  Things went the same with Fred and Emma, who were pleased but not surprised that Rob and Maddie were back together. They were thrilled with Sam, and gave Sophie milk and cookies while they all talked. It was dark when Rob carried Sophie to the SUV, and Maddie buckled Sam in to his seat.

  "I'm beat." Rob yawned as he drove toward home. "But it was a good day."

  "Yeah." Maddie settled into her seat comfortably. "Your friends are so nice."

  "Our friends, Mad." He squeezed her hand. "They love you. They're happy to have you back in my life, just like me. Well, maybe not as happy as I am, but you know what I mean."