“Well, I appreciate the effort,” I answered dryly before clearing my throat.
“Consider us your stand-in children,” Lina laughed. “Pamper us all you want.”
Alvita chuckled before pouring a glass of wine for each of us. When she reached the third glass, I held my hand up. “None for me, please. I’m driving home.”
This time, it was Alvita’s turn to raise her eyebrows. “Nothing?”
I was surprised at her shock, since I had been over several times for dinner and had never once requested alcohol. To be honest, I barely thought about drinking since Richard left for rehab. Maggie’s sobriety hadn’t made me feel guilty about drinking, but it made me feel indifferent toward a bottle of beer. I hadn’t had a drop since I’d lived in Pennsylvania.
“Sorry to put you on the spot like that…it’s just, I thought you didn’t drink around Maggie because she’s pregnant.”
I shook my head. “I’ve just decided to quit drinking for a while.”
She dropped the subject and left with a nod to fill a glass of water.
“Thank you, again, for letting me plan this with you guys.” Lina took a sip of her wine. “Maggie is going to be so surprised.”
“That’s the plan.” I felt terrible about lying to Maggie about my plans for tonight, but she would know everything soon.
Alvita sat down and handed me a glass of ice water. “Where did you say you wanted to have it again?”
“Our place. But I will need help decorating and getting things organized. I’m taking her out to dinner, but one of you will have to take her out for the day while I set up there.”
“Okay, so you want to take turns keeping her out of the house?” Lina asked.
I stole a cracker and cheese from the intricately decorated board. “Yes, but we’ll have to start the day late because she gets tired throughout the day. I want to let her sleep in, so she’s not exhausted after spending most of the day out of the house. Maybe you could pick her up from our house around eleven? Then Mike and Alvita can come over and help me get started on the decorations.
“That’s perfect,” Alvita replied. “Do you have anyone else coming to help?”
“Yeah, my buddy Felix from the team is also coming over.”
Lina’s face tightened at the sound of his name. “Felix Aguado?”
“You know him?” My eyebrows raised, curious about her sudden discomfort.
She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “Sort of. But anyway, where do you want me to take Maggie for the day?”
“You know, there’s a beautiful new shopping center that just went in near downtown Sheridan—lots of little boutiques and restaurants. I’m sure you both would enjoy that,” Alvita jumped in.
“That sounds like a great idea.” Lina’s unease still hadn’t left her face, but the peppiness in her voice never wavered.
“Perfect. Mike and I will handle the food, Jack. There’s a great catering place just down the road that serves about every dish. The club uses them all the time.”
“Great. I’ll be able to help out until Lina returns with Maggie. We’ll go out for a small dinner and come back here around seven.” Maggie would have no idea what was going on. While she knew we were going out for her birthday, she would be none the wiser that all of our friends from the club would be waiting in our living room to celebrate her. Everything lately had been about the baby, but this day was dedicated to Maggie. She was the most perfect woman in my life, and the least I could do was show her even a fraction of how amazing she was. I also couldn’t wait to show her how real this thing was between us.
“Jack, can I just say how incredible of a husband you are for doing all this for Maggie,” Alvita praised. “I don’t know how you two perfect souls found each other, but I can tell there is no one better for either of you.”
My stomach plummeted. Even while our relationship was great now, that didn’t stop me from wondering if I was really the best person for Maggie. Nothing ever lasted long for me. I had a habit of detaching myself from good things out of self-preservation. If I loved someone too much, there was a chance they wouldn’t love me back. I wasn’t going through that again. The pressure of never knowing whether or not your love was requited enough. It was exactly why I turned to sex—no chance of being vulnerable and forgotten. Maggie loved me now, but how could I know it was a sure thing? How could I know this would be real for the long run? How could I know I wasn’t my mother?
Since Maggie and I had confessed our love for each other, I was sure set that we were forever. That nothing would stand in our way of being lovers or parents. But now I started to wonder…was there a possibility that this was only for convenience? Would we still be here if not for the baby? What happened if she decided she didn’t need me anymore? What if she pulled away?
Did I need to pull away first?
Holy shit.My entire world was turning upside down.
“Thank you, Alvita. There is no one else I’d rather be with.”
My only fear was that she wouldn’t always feel the same way.
