One Last Objection_A Small-Town Romance

by Nancy Stopper

  “About a week ago. Been staying at Joey’s until I closed on my own house. Just moved the last box in about an hour ago.” Thank God. He’d had enough of folding himself onto Joey’s couch. And he didn’t want to cramp Joey’s style any longer. He had taken to staying at Brittany’s, and Michael felt bad for driving Joey out of his own home

  “That’s great. Glad to have you home.” Michael was, too. His childhood friendships had suffered from a lack of attention. He’d have to make up for that now.

  “Tony, you remember Joey, right? This is his fiancée Brittany.”

  “Fiancée? Joey, you been holdin’ out on me.” Tony nudged Joey on the shoulder.

  Joey slid his arm around Brittany’s waist and pulled her to him. “Naw, just happened.”

  Tony laid his hand on Lucas’s shoulder. “Lucas, it’s been a while. How are things at the station? My brother Jake behaving himself?”

  “It’s good. Jake’s been cooking up some of your mom’s recipes recently, so we’re all eating well.” Hopefully Lucas wouldn’t have to leave on a call. Although now that Michael was home for good, he had more meals with his brothers like this to look forward to.

  Tony studied Rachel and his eyes widened. “Rachel, you’ve grown up. I hardly recognized you.”

  Sawyer growled under his breath and wrapped his arm around Rachel’s shoulder. She giggled and smacked him across the chest. Michael pointed. “And that’s Sawyer, our new sheriff.”

  Tony extended his hand to Sawyer. “Congratulations. I voted for you. Thank God Watkins didn’t win.”

  “Thanks. Appreciate your vote.”

  Tony swung his arms wide and gestured around the room. “What brings you guys by my fantastic new place?”

  Michael’s gaze followed Tony’s arms. Almost every table was full. Tony was doing well. “Since I couldn’t find any of my dishes or silverware at the house, we figured we’d come check things out in person. I couldn’t break away to make it when you first opened.”

  “I’m glad you’re here now. I’ll have my guy in the back throw in a bottle of wine. On the house.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  “You got it.” Tony turned back to the table. “Joey, it’s been so busy getting things open, I haven’t had a chance to swing by J.J.’s recently. I’ll make a point to get over there soon, and you can buy me a beer. I’ll even drag this loser along.” He gestured to Michael.

  A night out with Tony was a good idea. They’d catch up and Michael could ease back into life in Oak Grove.

  They all laughed.

  Tony headed to the back and Michael retook his chair.

  Another great thing about coming home to Oak Grove—he’d be able to connect with old friends. His friendships in Philly had been few and far between. Sure there were the colleagues at the firm and buddies he played golf with from time to time. But nothing like the camaraderie that Joey and Sawyer shared. Or that he’d had with Tony in high school.

  Visiting from time to time on weekends hadn’t been enough. He looked forward to rebuilding his friendship with Tony.

  Before long, there were two pizzas sitting on raised stands in the middle of the table and everyone had wine in their glasses.

  Joey raised his glass. “To my big brother. It’s about damn time you came home.”

  Everyone raised their glasses. “Saluté.”

  Joey shoved a bite of pizza in his mouth and spoke around it. “So, Michael, did you leave any ladies pining away for you when you left Philly?”

  Michael choked on a sip of wine. He covered his mouth with a napkin and forced down the last few drops. None of them knew the only lady he’d been seeing was right here in Oak Grove. “No, nobody. When did I have time?”

  Joey nuzzled Brittany’s neck. “That’s something you make time for, man. All work and no play…”

  Michael laughed and flung his napkin across the table. In the past eighteen months, he’d become the odd man out in the Bennett family. The only one not paired off. Normally, that wouldn’t bother him. To this point, he’d been building his career, and a wife and kids hadn’t been on the radar. He figured he’d worry about that when the time was right—like after he made partner. But he hadn’t made partner, so he’d packed up his life and moved home. And was going to have a baby. With a woman he wasn’t technically dating.

  That was something he could fix… right away. A baby needed both of their parents. It made perfect sense that he and Maggie got married. He just needed a ring.

  He checked his watch. He’d dash to the jeweler in Cedar Hill after lunch and propose to Maggie over dinner.

  A proper proposal deserved more than bar food from J.J.’s. He’d pick up a few dishes from the bistro down the street from the jewelers and reheat them when he got to Maggie’s. They made a delicious cheesecake, too. He couldn’t forget the sweets. Maybe he’d snag some candles and sparkling cider. No champagne while she was pregnant.

  Maggie had made fun of him and all of his research. But he couldn’t help it. He didn’t know anything about babies or pregnancies and he didn’t want to do something stupid. There was a shitload of information on the web, and now he had several books. The frustrating part was that a lot of the information he was finding contradicted each other. Shoot, if Maggie followed all of the diet recommendations he’d found online, she would drink nothing but water for the next nine months. That seemed to be the only thing all the various experts agreed on.

  Not nine months, six months. She was already twelve weeks along. Time was moving quickly. He had to get to work.

  RIGHT BEFORE SEVEN p.m., Michael stepped up to Maggie’s door and raised his hand to knock, then lowered it again. He patted the ring tucked firmly in his pocket. After dinner, when she wasn’t hungry and could relax on the couch, he’d get down on one knee. A bit traditional, yeah, but he was a traditional kind of guy. He had the house with the yard, ready-made for a family. Add a wife and kid and he’d be set for a perfect life. He and Maggie hadn’t started with this end in mind, but nothing said they couldn’t change their plans. And then he’d have his happily-ever-after… like his brothers.

  Maggie had to agree to marry him. She just had to. He didn’t expect her to accept right away, though. She’d take some convincing. But he was up to the challenge. This was too important for him not to fight for.

  Drawing in a deep breath and steeling his nerves, he knocked on the door… and waited.

  It was taking her a long time to answer. She’d probably fallen asleep on the couch like the other night.

  Or maybe she’d fallen on the floor. He’d read that pregnant women could get clumsy. What if she was wearing some of those ridiculous stilettos that he loved and had tripped over Rascal? She could be laying there hurt.

  He jiggled the handle. No joy. At least she’d locked the door. He knocked harder. “Maggie. Are you okay? Maggie, open up.”

  The door swung open and a bleary-eyed Maggie stared back at him. Rascal wove around her feet like he didn’t have a care in the world, while Michael had worked himself almost frantic standing outside the door. He pulled Maggie to him and ran his hands down her back. Thank God she was okay. “You didn’t answer. I was worried something had happened to you.”

  “My last client cancelled so I snuck in a nap. I’m sorry I worried you.”

  He heaved out a big sigh. “It’s okay. It’s just now that I’m living in Oak Grove and you’re pregnant, my emotions are running a bit high.”

  She quirked her eyebrow at him.

  So, okay, maybe he was being neurotic. But he’d never been a father before. He didn’t know how to act.

  “A bit?” She smiled and stepped back for him to enter.

  He kissed her on the nose and headed to the kitchen, yelling behind him. “I brought dinner. How about you relax on the couch, play with Rascal, and it’ll be on the table in about ten minutes?”

  That would give him a few minutes to calm down, too. Now that he’d seen her, he didn’t want to wait until after dinn
er to propose. As soon as he got food on the table, he would ask her. She had to say yes. It just made the most sense.

  Chapter Seven

  “MARRIED? ARE YOU out of your freakin’ mind?” Maggie shoved a bite of chicken marsala in her mouth so she wouldn’t say anything she’d regret. There was no way she was marrying Michael. Pregnancy was no reason for them to change up their relationship. She liked it just the way it was, thank you very much.

  Michael sat across from her, his mouth gaping. He finally snapped it shut, a look came over his face, and Lawyer Michael showed up. “It makes sense, Maggie. You’re pregnant with my child. We should get married. Then I can take care of you.”

  God, he didn’t get her at all, did he? They’d already discussed the fact that she didn’t need ‘taking care of’. Even the words left a bitter taste in her mouth. She didn’t like Lawyer Michael very much. Lawyer Michael analyzed everything to death. He was the one who did things that “made sense”. Well, getting married didn’t make sense to her. If she ever got married, she would be head-over-heels in love with the guy.

  She didn’t love Michael. Right now, she didn’t even like him very much.

  All of a sudden, everything Michael had done tonight made sense. The candles on the table, the sparkling cider, the nice dinner. This was all a set up. She shoved another bite of food in her mouth and chewed slowly. The best way to deal with Lawyer Michael was using logic. “Michael, we don’t love each other. Besides, I’m never getting married.”

  “Why not?”

  They rarely talked about their pasts when they were together. That wasn’t what their relationship had been about. But he deserved an explanation. That was the least she owed him as the father of her baby. He meant well and his heart was in the right place. He just didn’t know her at all.

  Except for her tastes because, wow, she couldn’t have picked out a better ring if she’d chosen it herself. A princess cut diamond surrounded by diamond chips in a beautiful platinum setting.

  What was she going to say? Oh yeah, why didn’t she want to get married. “If you grew up with my parents, you’d understand. You have fantastic parents and three great siblings. Me, it was just me and the nannies.”

  “Where were your parents?”

  “Their lives were too busy for a child, unless they needed to trot me out as the perfect society daughter in the perfect society family. My dad cheated on my mom their entire marriage. She finally kicked him to the curb, but since then, she’s maintained a string of playboys and society types who couldn’t be bothered with a stepdaughter. Your parents are the exception, not the rule. Forgive me if my perception of marriage is a bit jaded. Besides, we’ve got a good thing going here. Why should we mess with that?”

  Michael furrowed his brows and tilted his head, a gesture she’d come to realize showed he was thinking. “And yet you became a family counselor.”

  She understood his confusion. How could someone who hadn’t had a healthy relationship in her life give others advice?

  “I guess after growing up the way I did, I was determined to help people not be that way. Most of my friends growing up had great parents and a great family. At least if I couldn’t have a healthy, normal family for myself, I could help others.”

  “But that’s the thing, you can have that.” He covered her hand. “We can be a family. You, me, the baby. We’re gonna be great parents together. I promise.”

  She tensed her fingers when what she wanted to do was snatch her hand away and tuck it in her lap. Those two words meant nothing to her. How many times had “I promise” slipped through her mother’s lips, only to leave Maggie alone and hurt when she didn’t show up like the other girls’ parents? She’d learned a long time ago that she couldn’t trust anyone but herself. Besides, Michael caressing her thumb like that was way too tender, too emotional, for her liking.

  She didn’t do tender. She didn’t do intimate. Their relationship was passionate, explosive. One that shouldn’t have to change just because she was going to have a baby.

  But she couldn’t make selfish decisions anymore. She had to consider what was best for the baby. And for Michael. He was right about one thing—he deserved a place in this baby’s life. It wasn’t Michael’s fault things were turned so upside down right now.

  “We don’t have to be married for you to be here for the baby. I never planned to exclude you.”

  His eyebrows sank and his lips flattened into a straight line. “You didn’t tell me right away.”

  Fair enough. That wasn’t about him, though. “I know, and I’m sorry. I already told you… I wasn’t keeping it from you. I was so surprised myself and I had to get my act together first. And I wanted some more information from the doctor before I talked to you. I didn’t want to tell you and then… and…” She sniffed. Now that she’d adjusted to the idea, she couldn’t imagine anything happening to the baby.

  She studied Michael. This pregnancy had thrown him for a loop, too. She wasn’t being fair to him. She slid onto the chair beside him and took his hands. She glanced at the ring box sitting open beside her. “I overreacted and I owe you an apology. I could blame the pregnancy hormones, but that would be a lie. I was just so shocked that you proposed. What you’re saying about doing this together makes a lot of sense. It’s a good plan. But we don’t love each other, so marriage shouldn’t be a part of it.”

  “I do love you, Maggie.”

  She scoffed. “Yeah, in a ‘I can’t wait to rip your clothes off’ kind of way.”

  He rolled his shoulders and smirked. Cocky bastard. “Well, yeah. But that’s not all. I love that you are this prim-and-proper doctor but you wear kick-ass shoes because you like them. I love that you want to help people have something you’ve never had. I even love that you are a highly-educated professional who doesn’t have her personal life completely lined up. That just means you’re human.”

  “You’re in like with me?” Because none of those things were real true love. True love meant you couldn’t live without the other person, that every moment was consumed with thoughts of that person, that you couldn’t wait to be back together. That wasn’t what she and Michael had.

  “I think that’s a good place to start. I know a lot of people who fall in love but they don’t like each other very much.”

  Very true. But if and when she ever decided to get married, she didn’t want it to be because she was friends with the man. Marriage should be based on love. “I’ll make a deal with you. I won’t say no now. I’ll think about it.”

  That boyish grin she loved grew on his face. “That sounds good.” He nudged the ring box forward. “I want you to keep this while you’re thinking. If you don’t like it, we could go pick one out together. Whatever you want. Just so you give us a chance.”

  She fingered the beautiful diamond. They didn’t need to change rings. This one was perfect. If she decided to marry him. And that was a big if. And no way would she put the ring on… yet. Their relationship was based on sex. Who knows if they’d even get along enough to want to be married. She snapped the lid closed and slid it into his hand. “That’s sweet, and the ring is beautiful. It’s exactly the one I would have picked out. But I want you to keep it for now. As a reminder that I’m considering your proposal, okay?”

  Michael stared at the closed box for a minute and then jerked his chin in approval. He slid the box into his pocket. She followed the movement, surprised at the stab in her heart when he relented so easily.

  They finished dinner followed by a slice of cheesecake to die for. Michael switched the conversation to his new office that Brittany, his future sister-in-law, had designed for him. She was an architect working for a local veteran’s charity. Like Maggie, Brittany was a transplant to Oak Grove. Maggie should really get to know Brittany better. She was going to be this baby’s aunt, after all.

  AFTER DINNER, MICHAEL settled Maggie on the couch in the living room while he cleared the dishes. He’d show her how having him around could make her life
easier. She didn’t believe this was love and maybe she was right. He didn’t know, but they seemed to be on the right path toward something more serious. Over time, they could grow to love each other.

  Lots of people had arranged marriages. This wasn’t much different than that. But they had a lot more going for them. He really did like her, and they were explosive between the sheets. But was that enough basis for a relationship? Well, no matter how much Maggie objected, they were friends and he genuinely liked her. Michael was willing to start there.

  He popped the last dish in the dishwasher and set the machine to run. After a quick swipe of the counters, he dried his hands and left the kitchen.

  Maggie’s head laid on the back of the couch as she stroked Rascal. Deep, rumbling sounds vibrated from the cat. As soon as Michael got close, Rascal lifted his head, let out a loud hiss, and scrambled off the couch.

  Maggie laughed. “Some things never change. That’s what you get for shoving him out of his chair at the table.”

  Michael lowered himself to the couch. Now that he and Maggie had talked about their relationship, his mind drifted back to this afternoon. To seeing Rachel again and knowing it was only a matter of time before she asked about her biological father and what the firm’s PI had handed Michael before he left.

  Maggie ran a finger down his forehead and between his eyes. “You look like you have something on your mind.”

  “Yeah.” Ever since he’d seen Rachel and his brothers together today and had to keep the information to himself, he’d been troubled. Maybe Maggie could help. That was another thing about her. She really was a good listener. Not because she was a shrink. That was just who she was. “I wanted to talk to you about Rachel.”

  Maggie’s leg tensed and she pulled herself away from him. “Michael, you know I can’t tell you anything about our sessions. I shouldn’t have even mentioned that I was seeing her.”

  “That’s okay. She had already told me. She doesn’t know about—” He motioned his hand back and forth. “—us. I nodded and acted like I didn’t know you.”