Chapter 8

I CLOSED THE DOOR ONTommy, my heart full to aching with happiness and turmoil. My baby was a little girl, and she was healthy and well. The news couldn’t have been better. A healthy baby was all any mother wanted after all, and yet there was so much that remained unknown. I wasn’t quite sure how to process it all. My life had turned upside down over the course of a mere twenty-four hours, which was wonderful and frightening all at once.

“How’d it go?” Nancy asked, walking up to me holding her mug of peppermint tea. She didn’t go far without the one thing that helped her nausea, and I understood that all too well.

“Good, I think,” I said, chewing on my lip as I debated whether to share our news before deciding I should. “We’re going to be having a little girl.”

“Oh, congratulations!” Nancy cried, throwing an arm around me, and hugging me gently but enthusiastically. “I’m so happy for you, Stacey. That’s wonderful.”

I rubbed my hands over my bump, enjoying the way the baby was kicking—lively, strong, and healthy. She was obviously excited.

“You want a cup of tea?” Nancy asked, gesturing toward the kitchen.

I nodded and followed her, loving the feel of her peaceful and happy space.

“The boys went out,” Nancy explained. “So, for now, it’s just us.” She moved to the cupboard, pulled down a mug and some more tea bags, then started making me a soothing beverage.

I sat on a stool and waited patiently, just basking in the tranquility of the moment despite some of my niggling worries.

When Nancy finally turned back around, she handed me a cup, pulled out a packet of cookies and smiled. “All right, spill! What’s going on in your head? I can tell something’s up.”

I wrapped my hands around the mug, reveling in the welcome heat against my skin. “I don’t think I quite get this whole perfect pairs thing.”

Nancy grinned at me as if that was precisely what she had been expecting me to say. “Yeah, it’s pretty weird in the beginning, isn’t it?”

I nodded my head and took a sip of the tea to try and calm my doubts, but when I put the mug back down, the anxiety in my head and my heart was still there.

“I was freaked out by it in the beginning too, trust me,” Nancy admitted. “I mean, two men and me? Oh my God. At the time I couldn’t even fathom it. But life with them is amazing. They’re the best team, and the most incredible husbands anyone could ever wish for. I have never been happier. No matter what, I know that they’re both here for me and that’s beyond comforting. You can’t buy that kind of peace.”

I sighed. “The thing is, I don’t know if David wants me, or even if I want to become part of this poly... three... deal.”

Nancy laughed but it was a happy sound, not a derogatory one. “You sound like you just need some more information, hon. What have they told you so far? Maybe I can help clear things up for you. I do have firsthand experience in this department, after all.”

I took a sip of my tea and sighed, willing to let her at least try and help out. “Well, David’s barely spoken to me, but Tommy seems to think I’m his mate... or something.”

Mate. What a weird word to use.

Soulmate seemed okay, I supposed. You heard that term bandied about in romantic contexts, in books, movies, and greeting cards. But there was something else, like a hidden meaning behind his words, I could tell.

“And David’s mate too?’ Nancy asked, her smile growing larger by the second.

I shrugged. “Well, Tommy thinks so. When I put my hand on David’s, he kind of fell down.” Which had been the strangest thing to witness, but also sort of funny. It had reminded me of those childhood cartoons where someone got hit on the head with a frying pan, making their head spin and their eyes go all googly.

Nancy clapped and practically did a little jump of joy, almost spilling her tea. “Oh my God, Stacey! That’s so great! Okay. So, you’re both of their mates, and we just have to work out the whole baby being Tommy’s and not David’s thing.”

I stared at her.

Sorry... what? Hold up!

“Um, I don’t even know if I want David for sure. We haven’t even had the chance to get to speak to each other properly, so why does everyone assume that I’ll jump into this weird—no offense—poly relationship?”

Nancy waved her hand, not in the least perturbed. “No offense taken. And the honest answer is because you won’t find more amazing men on the planet. A perfect pair’s devotion to their mate is the stuff dreams are literally made of. You won’t find men who will love you more or love your baby more. I don’t want to push you one way or another, but there’s no way you’ll be able to refuse them once they start seducing you.”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Well, obviously, I already succumbed. Just look at me.”

Tommy had seduced me with a single damn look. A single word! He was still the most handsome man I’d ever seen, though David wasn’t far behind. Each of them had their own unique appeal, so it was tough to compare them that way, really. They were sort of, well, complimentary when I thought about it.

Nancy put her hand out and tapped the marble counted with her fingernails. “I know you’re worried and a bit freaked out, but please, give them the chance. If you ever dreamed of a happily ever after with a husband, a house, babies... this is it. If you’ve got the courage to take it—and I think you do.”

I gulped down the emotions that rose within me. “What makes you say that? How can you be so sure?”

“Because you’re here!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms out wide. “You found Tommy against all odds, pregnant and alone. And I know you’ve got more of a story than you’re admitting to, but you can share it all with me whenever you’re ready. But my point is, you could have made so many other choices, and yet with a nudge from Fate, you came here.”

I rolled my eyes again and sighed as I took another sip of my tea. “Yeah. Fate. She hasn’t been so kind to me in the past.”

My first husband... my old family, finances... and my career.

“Well, if you stick around, I’m pretty sure you’re going to see that you’re in the right place.” Nancy’s smile was cheeky, satisfied, and smug as she grabbed a cookie to chomp down on.

Nancy had said “if,” but I knew full well I wasn’t going anywhere. Even if Tommy came to his senses and realized that I wasn’t good enough for him, I would be staying in town. My baby—my daughter—deserved a family, and I knew I couldn’t give her everything she deserved on my own. I believed in the age-old adage “it takes a village”. Life was always better when you had a community of those you could trust behind you.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I think I’m going to go lie down for a while,” I said, pushing off the chair and wincing at the pain that shot through my butt. My back was ridiculously sore. I really needed to rest and stretch out.

“Go for it,” Nancy said, waving at me as I waddled away. “Are you here for dinner?” she called after me.

“Ah, no,” I said, holding my belly as it grew heavier with each step, “Tommy’s taking me to David’s restaurant.”

Nancy grinned at me. “It’s really nice there. You’ll enjoy it!”

I took my world-weary body and trundled up the stairs, taking her word for it. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and didn’t wake up until the sun had gone down.

***

MY ACHING BACK WOKEme up, and although I was tempted to just roll over, resettle and go back to sleep, a niggling need to get up and check my phone stole over me. I managed to get up out of bed and saw that it was past six o’clock in the evening. “Shit.”

Tommy had already messaged me twice, but he hadn’t called, probably not wanting to wake me in case I was still sleeping.

I quickly messaged him back to say that I’d just woken up and if he could give me half an hour to shower and change, I’d be ready for dinner.

He messaged straight back to say he hadn’t called because he was afraid to wake me and that he’d see me in thirty minutes.

I chuckled as I waddled to the bathroom in all my six-month-pregnant glory. I didn’t doubt that when he said thirty minutes, he meant to the second, so I couldn’t dawdle. I undressed as fast as my burgeoning form would allow and stepped into the shower.

It hadn’t escaped my attention that I didn’t deserve a man like Tommy. An accomplished, gorgeous man.

A freaking doctor of all things! What girl doesn’t dream of landing a doctor?

And there was a huge part of me that hated the fact that I’d fallen pregnant and now he had to deal with me forever. I felt guilty as hell if I was being honest. I’d just lobbed into his life, and he was expected by one and all to be a gentleman and take me in like a stray kitten. I sighed as the hot water ran over my aching muscles.

The horrible feelings of doubt and insecurity kept coming as I washed my expanding body and got dressed into one of the three outfits I owned that still fit me. A simple black maternity dress I’d found at a thrift shop. It was definitely the nicest thing I had. Running a comb through my long locks, and adding a quick lick of lip gloss, I’d just managed to get my sandals on and walk downstairs to find Wade chatting with Tommy in the living room.

“Hey,” I said, smiling at the man who was practically beaming at me.

“Tommy says you guys are having a girl. Congrats!” Wade said.

“Thanks,” I answered, holding my belly protectively as I so often did. “It’s nice to know, actually. I wasn’t sure I wanted to initially, but now...” I shrugged. “I’m happy.”

Little girls’ names had occupied my thoughts since early on in the pregnancy, pretty, traditional ones like Maragaret and Daphne. But for months now I’d been forced to focus on surviving, and I hadn’t really cared what gender the baby turned out to be. It had only mattered ultimately that they were healthy when they arrived.

“Are you ready to go?” Tommy asked. “You look great.”

“Thanks,” I said. “You do, too.” My gaze roamed over the beauty that was the father of my child. He was wearing a casual white linen shirt and a pair of perfectly fitted blue jeans that made me want to take a photo and put it on a bulletin board for everyone to admire. He was literally front cover magazine material.

“Let’s go then,” he said, opening the front door and holding out his hand for me to take.

I waved goodbye to Wade and took hold of Tommy’s hand. “Thanks for picking me up.”

“Of course,” he said, not letting go of my hand as we walked down the sidewalk to the curb.

I stared at the huge black SUV, much like the one Nancy had. “Is this your car?” I asked.

“It is now,” he replied with a grin, opening the passenger side door as he did so. “After I dropped you off, I went car shopping this afternoon. I figured we needed something a little more family friendly.” His smile was so genuine and beautiful it brought tears to my eyes. He was already changing and adapting to being a father without complaint or having been asked.

He is so amazing.

I gulped back the emotions that wanted to unravel me into a blithering, hormonal mess and managed an answer. “But it’s Sunday. Who was open today?”

Tommy shrugged casually. “A patient of mine owns the car dealership in town. He did me a favor. Hop in.”

I slid into the car, breathing in the new car scent while Tommy shut the door and hurried around to the driver’s side. My eyes were hot and filling with tears, and I had to focus on calming down so I didn’t ruin the evening.

“Are you all right?” Tommy asked as he turned on the ignition.

I nodded, holding back a sniffle. “Yes. I’m just impressed you went out and bought this car for us. It was thoughtful.”

He laughed, and it was like music to my ears. “I’ve been waiting for you for decades, Stacey. And this baby is a dream come true. I can’t wait to meet my little girl.”

I gripped my belly, my forced laugh shuddering in my chest over the serious notes in what Tommy was saying. “Well, I can. I’m not looking forward to the birth.”

Tommy reached out and gripped my hand. “I’ll get you the best OB around, Stacey. We’ll take care of you, I promise.”

“Good, because I want drugs,” I said, “Lots of drugs. Pain and I are not friends.” I didn’t have healthcare, so there was no way I could afford a luxury birth. Not in the country, especially.

“Whatever you want, you can have,” Tommy assured me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world to treat the mother of his baby like a literal queen. “But first, dinner.”

We drove to the Steak House, and I fidgeted the whole way. I’d hoped Tommy would want to help me with our child when I went searching for him, but he was acting like he was ready to change his whole life just to be with us. It was more than I’d ever dared hope for. It was definitely in the realm of dreams...

And if this is one, I’m not sure I ever want to wake up!