“I can feel you staring at me,” she said without turning from her work.
“I can’t help it, you are all I see.” Link sat down on the stuffed chair in the corner. “Marry me. Today.”
“Link, not this again. I told you I don’t want to get married just because I’m pregnant.”
“I’m not asking you because you’re having my baby; I’m begging you because I can’t imagine ever being without you. Besides, who else would rescue me from crazy actresses and vindictive ex in-laws, or whatever the hell Sasha is to us?”
“I’m living with you, can’t that be enough for now?” Madison dropped her brush onto the palate and walked over to him.
Why did she have to be so stubborn? He pulled her into his lap and dropped his head to her shoulder.
“I want it all. I never knew it until I met you, but I want the whole wife, kids, picket fence, soccer-game weekends, and dog thing, and I’m terrified you’ll bolt on me if I don’t make things crystal clear for you.” He kissed her lightly on the lips, her hands moving up his bare chest and stopping to frame his face. They both turned toward the hall at the sound of the doorbell.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Maddie asked anxiously, her voice rising up at the end.
“Sort of, but not what you think. I fired Bethany as my manager, so you can stop worrying about her.” Madison had few kind words for his pushy manager. He’d been happy to get rid of her and was even glad about signing over his share of the club to Mickey. He dropped a quick kiss to her lips. “We have a new family member coming today. It’s a surprise.”
“Huh? I get the Bethany thing, but we already have new family members coming; Isabel is due any day now, and this baby is expected by Mardi Gras.” Madison patted her tiny baby bump and got up off of his lap.
“You’ll see. Wait here.” Link hopped up and rushed down the stairs, excitement pushing him to take multiple steps at a time. He checked the peephole before opening his door. A huge grin split his face.
“She’s perfect. Come on in,” he called, waving the man at the door into the foyer.
“She is such a sweetheart. The doctor has cleared her but she still needs spray applied once daily and a follow-up visit in two weeks. I’ll be coming by every day like we discussed to help all of you adjust.” The man handed the small bundle over to Link and looked up the curved staircase.
Madison was coming down, her curiosity too much to wait. She stopped at Link’s side, warily watching the towel-covered package he cradled. A quiet whimper slipped from between the folds.
“What the heck do you have?” she asked, stepping back from the noise.
Link unwrapped the swaddled creature. “This is our new family member. She doesn’t have a name yet, but she’s an eight-week-old golden retriever.”
“Are you sure? She looks, uh…” Maddie leaned in closer to the puppy, taking in the bald spots punctuated by tufts of blonde hair.
“She was in a barn fire in upstate New York. Her mother and the rest of the litter all died. She’s lost a lot of her hair, and the vet says it probably will never grow back. She’ll never be a beauty, but I figured since you like your sister’s ugly cat, Beast, so much, maybe you wouldn’t mind. She is the sweetest thing. Oh, and John here is going to help us train her and everything because, well, this is my first pet and I want to get things right.”
As if on cue, John handed Link a canvas bag of supplies and made his escape. “I’ll check back with you tonight to find out how her first day was. Call if you need me.” The door closed softly behind the trainer.
The puppy licked at Madison’s hand. “Oh, she is a sweetie. She’s perfect.” She reached for the squirming bundle. “I always wanted a dog, but we moved around too much when I was a kid.” Madison snuggled her face into the soft fur still left around the dog’s neck.
“I think we should call her Beauty. And I can’t wait to start looking at houses outside of the city. Someplace with a lot of land and a pond for fishing. Let’s go this weekend. You have to help me find something with studios for both of us and, I dunno, whatever else you want.” Link was watching Madison hold the puppy and it was like he could see their whole lives ahead of them. Suddenly anything was possible, and he felt like he could finally be himself.
“What if we just find something simple, something I can afford to pay half of?”
“Baby, I’m really rich, so get over it. You and our baby are going to have a lot to put up with so consider the money a small comfort. There will always be tabloid issues, privacy issues, fans, and tours to contend with. The tradeoff is that we can afford to live comfortably, and any nuttiness we get into will be labeled eccentric instead of bat-shit crazy.” He winked slowly at her and pointed to the small rings piercing his eyebrow and nose. His spikey dark hair in disarray and his shirtless chest fully displayed the completed dragon tattoo. Madison reached out to stroke his chest.
“It’s not that I don’t want to live well, I just don’t want to live above my means. I want to succeed on my own, not because you’re handing me everything I dreamed of on a silver platter. I want to be successful because of my art and ambition. I feel like you even funding my tattoo business is cheating.”
“Let’s just have breakfast.”
Epilogue
New Year’s Day
Link
“Honey, we gotta get moving or we’ll miss the plane,” Link called to Madison, fully expecting her to stall another ten minutes. She just couldn’t stand the idea of not seeing her niece for two whole weeks. He didn’t blame her—Isabel and Thomas’ four-month-old daughter, Ava, was just about the cutest damn baby he’d ever seen. She was all smiles and bright blue eyes with just a few tufts of auburn hair sticking up on her head.
They were having a pizza with Thomas and Isabel and then flying out of JFK to the Caribbean island of North Caicos. Madison had been visiting almost every day since Ava came home from the hospital. The sisters were ooh-ing and ah-ing over every burp and smile the little tyrant made. Link saw the writing on the wall. His own home was soon to be taken over by a newborn, and he couldn’t wait. Madison was eight months pregnant with his son, and he had never been happier. He’d already bought a few simple model sets he wanted to put together for the baby’s room.
“I know, I know, but I just have to snuggle Ava a little bit longer before we can go.” Madison rocked the swaddled infant, swaying her hips back and forth. “Oh, I think your son likes his cousin already. He’s kicking up a storm in here.” She cradled Ava in one arm and rubbed her swollen belly with her free hand. “Yep, he is doing somersaults tonight.”
Link walked over to place his hand on Madison’s stomach and waited for the next kick. He felt a pointy bulge ripple across her pregnant belly and watched the fabric of her blouse move.
“Baby, I think we got ourselves a future drummer. He is practically doing a four beat in there. But we gotta go. I’ve been waiting for months to take you to the Caribbean and get you into my house. We are not missing our flight.”
“I know, I know. I’m glad we’re doing the baby-moon thing but I’m just not crazy about being in a swimsuit at eight months pregnant. What if someone mistakes me for a beached dolphin and throws me back in the water?”
“Maddie, you have never looked sexier than you do now. You are so beautiful, you practically glow, and I can’t wait to see you skinny-dipping in the pool. In fact, the quicker we leave, the sooner we will be there. This is the last chance we will have to be just the two of us. Pretty soon our son is going to rule our roost just as much as baby Ava is running this house.” Link reached for Ava, adoring the way she had so trustingly fallen asleep in Madison’s arms. “You are going to be a fabulous mom. So great, that little Tiberius might wind up normal even with me as his father.” Link watched the baby pucker her little lips and sigh in her slumber.
“There is no way we are naming him Tiberius. I thought our nod to Star Trek was naming him William?” Maddie put her hand on her hip and waited.
“That’s awful. Oh my God, I just realized, when we get married I can’t change my name.”
“You promised you’d take my name. I want us all to have the same last name. That was the deal when I agreed to hold off on the wedding until after the baby came. So no renegotiating,” he whispered, fearing to wake the infant.
“I just can’t picture signing Madison Jackowski on things. This name thing is just so 1950s. Why don’t I keep my own name?”
Thomas and Isabel entered the living room, their eyes, as always, searching for the baby before resting anywhere else.
“Okay you two, quit hogging her.” Thomas held out his arms to take the baby. “It’s time for my little songstress to go to bed. Her big brother wants to read her a story.”
“How about you guys step aside and let me take her for her feeding.” Isabel stepped in front of Thomas and took the baby. “You can change her after she nurses, and Christopher can read her Goodnight Moon.”
Link chuckled at his friend’s expense. “I’m sure Hollywood Wire would love to get pictures of Becket’s front man changing diapers.”
“Laugh it up, Link. You’ll be elbow deep in dirty nappies soon enough. Good thing too, as you’ll be too busy to get in any trouble. Madison, keep him in line would you? I’m sick of seeing you two on the telly as it is.”
“No more drama for us. The next time our photos show up better be Canterbury Records PR releasing some wedding stills. I’m not letting Maddie stall anymore.”
Christopher switched the TV station, and every adult turned to see the all-too-familiar face take up the screen.
“This is Sasha Morgan bringing you another special report for Fifteen Minutes of Fame. Tonight I have the follow up on Peyton XXX and her recent flip out after being released from rehab. Apparently breaking up marriages and drugging rock stars wasn’t enough to convince American’s former “It” girl that she needed help. Our camera crews caught up to her having a breakdown at a Piggy Wiggy Market after being confronted by the widow of drug-dealing Paparazzi photographer Francisco Campelli. What an amazing coincidence that Maria Campelli would bump into her late husband’s mistress just where convenience store surveillance cameras could pick up the action.” Sasha smiled seductively on the screen.
Madison clicked off the remote before the footage could roll. “Enough bad television. Let’s catch that flight. We’ve got a baby-moon to get to and a wedding to plan.”
The End
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About the Author
T.D. Hassett grew up reading the romance greats—Jackie Collins, Julie Garwood, and Judith McNaught. She was certain that life should be like a romance novel, with lots of passion, some incredible adventures, and a guaranteed happily ever after. She attended college in New England, earning a B.A. in History and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology before changing her mind again and studying education. Currently Ms. Hassett lives in Connecticut with her very patient husband and two young children. Her rambunctious family shares their home with three crazy cats and a darling golden retriever named Delilah. Her eccentric relatives and their quest to make her feel like the only normal nut in the family tree inspire her writing.
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