Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Thank goodness for maternity stores,” Marty muttered as she adjusted the way her sweater dress fell over her bump. Today was the day of Hudson’s big proposal, and it was far too cold out to not have all her limbs covered… and she was far too pregnant to fit into any of her old leggings or tights, even the ones she used to consider oversized.

The only thing that she found ‘oversized’ these days was her own body, given that she was only about a week out from her due date. She was, as they said, ‘ready to pop.’ This was true both physically and emotionally.

“Pregnancy lasts way too long,” she grumbled. “Feels like it’s going to be like this forever.”

“Talking to baby or to yourself?” Wyatt asked, entering the bathroom where Marty was getting ready.

She sighed. “Myself. Was I always this crazy or is it the pregnancy making me nuts?”

“Oh no,” he said. “I’m not falling for that trap. You’re not crazy now and you weren’t crazy before. I’ve actually heard that talking to yourself is a mark of genius and that’s my final word on the matter.”

She laughed. “I wasn’t trying to trick you, you ridiculous man, but thank you for the compliment anyway.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Here’s another compliment: you look beautiful.”

“Ugh.” She looked at her reflection and plucked again at the material of the dress. “I don’t know. Nothing feels right. I feel like an alien has taken over my body.”

“She doesn’t mean it,” Wyatt said, rubbing a hand over her stomach. “We know you’re a human baby.”

She chuckled, jostling her shoulder with his. “Very funny. But seriously, do you think I should try the other outfit instead? Was that one better?”

He looked at her as patiently as if she hadn’t asked this question a dozen times already. Marty had learned her lesson by this point in the pregnancy—she knew that just because something fit and suited her this week, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to be an entirely different shape and size next week.

With this lesson in mind, she’d purchased several outfits at a large maternity store in Providence and planned to return the ones she didn’t wear. Sure enough, the one that had fit the best when she’d put it on in the store’s dressing room a week prior no longer could fit around her belly without stretching uncomfortably.

“I think they both look good,” Wyatt said after a moment. “But I guess if you were twisting my arm, I’d say I like this one a little more. I’m not a fashion guy, but the color brings out the reddish hints in your hair.”

Marty’s hair wasn’t auburn like Darla’s, and she definitely wasn’t a true redhead like Lori, but in the right light, there were tiny hints of almost red that peeked out. Marty always liked seeing them, as they reminded her of her connection to her mother and sister.

She peered closely at her reflection. The deep blue of the dress did emphasize the dimension in her hair, which she liked… even if she did feel like she was a giant.

But that would be true of everything, she allowed. Her stomach had ‘dropped’ as her doctor had told her at her last appointment, which was a good sign that the baby was getting ready for the big debut, even if they couldn’t yet time it precisely. This movement had also stopped Marty from getting kicked in the ribs quite as frequently and had made it a little easier to breathe, both of which she was thankful for.

“Right,” she said decisively. “Let’s focus on the good things. We’re all healthy.”

“And you won’t be pregnant for much longer,” Wyatt reassured her, making her laugh.

“You really know how to sweet talk a girl, huh?” she joked. Pregnancy had been amazing in its way, but she was ready for the next step.

The Jamesons headed to the park, where they were set to join Darla, Rick, Claire, and Liam to set up Lori’s special bench so it could be decorated for the proposal. They parked in the back lot of the public park so that Lori didn’t see their cars and figure out what was going on before Hudson’s big surprise. Wyatt offered Marty his arm as he helped her pick her way across the lawn.

“This is one case where the frozen ground helps me,” she said as she moved in an ungainly fashion. She was looking forward to walking normally again. “It gives me a firm foundation.”

They reached the bench where the other four were already gathered. Liam was resting a ladder against a nearby tree while Rick unpacked two heavy boxes full of decoration supplies.

“Hi, everybody,” she greeted. “Sorry we didn’t bring any stuff!”

“You brought the most precious cargo!” Darla cooed, coming over to kiss her sister on the cheek and then blow a kiss to Marty’s bump.

“ She brought the precious cargo,” Rick teased Wyatt as the two men quickly embraced. “What did you bring, slacker?”

“I basically needed him to carry me here,” Marty said, defending her husband. “Walking is… precarious at the moment.”

“You made it and that’s all that matters,” Claire assured them. “But let’s get moving, shall we? We’ve got about half an hour to decorate and hide.”

Marty was designated as lookout, since her condition meant she was not eligible to climb ladders or lift anything heavy.

“Or bend down,” Marty said wryly when Claire dropped one of the blossoms she’d strung into garlands near her feet. “If I bend down to get that, I’ll never get up again.”

“Oh, I got it,” Claire trilled, bending down to scoop up the lost bloom. She popped back up, flower in hand.

“Showoff,” Marty teased.

Claire grinned. “Oh, you bet I am. No offense, but I’m psyched to have someone else who can do less of the physical stuff than I can. I hope you stay pregnant forever.”

“Bite your tongue!” Marty gasped, but she grinned.

Claire had been diagnosed with lupus as a teenager and had spent many years worried that her diagnosis meant she couldn’t have a full and robust life. Hearing her friend joke about the illness showed her growth into someone who could recognize the importance of managing her condition while embracing that she could still have a wonderful, fulfilling life… and relationship, as the love between her and Liam showed.

The team worked well together, and the space quickly transformed from an idyllic little hideaway to a perfect winter paradise. The garlands were made of white flowers that Claire called Christmas roses, since they bloomed in winter, interspersed with red winterberries for pops of color. Liam quickly scaled the ladder and hung the garland on one side of the bench, then moved to a tree opposite to hang the other side while Darla stood back to confirm that it was hanging straight. The way Claire had assembled it made a little floral bower, private and picturesque.

Rick and Claire, meanwhile, wiped off the bench so that none of the ice shards that seemed to speckle every surface in winter remained, then laid down a dark, woolen blanket so the engaged couple-to-be didn’t get damp or cold. Wyatt set up a little table that Marty recognized from Darla’s art studio, draping it in a tablecloth and putting a bucket with champagne and flutes on top.

“Is there ice?” he asked, looking around.

“It’s about eight degrees out,” Rick said. This was an exaggeration, although it was cold. “I didn’t think we needed it.”

“Good point,” Wyatt said, shrugging. He tilted the champagne in the bucket.

“Oh, yeah,” Claire said, stepping back to join Darla so she could get the full picture. “This looks good.”

And not a moment too soon either, Marty realized as she saw Hudson’s car pull into the parking lot, the one much closer to Lori’s special spot than the one they’d all used.

“They’re here!” she called. “Time to hide!”

Everyone hurried to hide in the trees… except for Marty, who waddled to hide in the trees, and Darla, who helped with an arm around her sister’s waist.

“I can’t wait until you’re pregnant,” Marty hissed when Darla chuckled at Marty’s uncertain gait. “What until you feel like this is your first time walking, your balance is so bad. I’m gonna tease you so hard.”

“I look forward to it,” Darla said as she tugged Marty behind the safety of the trees.

A few paces back from the bench, there was a small clearing, large enough for them to all huddle together. Marty leaned into Wyatt’s warm embrace as he rested his chin atop her head.

She let out a tiny groan of relief when his arms supported her in such a way that he held some of the weight of her stomach for her. She had to admit that maybe trudging around a frigid park when she was nine months pregnant hadn’t been her brightest idea. Her back had been killing her for the past few hours.

Even so, she wasn’t about to miss her mother’s big moment.

Lori’s voice started to become audible. Marty and Darla’s glances collided as each sister fought to remain quiet despite their excitement.

“Sweetheart, I love you—you know that. But it is cold out here. The park will still be here in the spring, you know.”

She loves him , Marty mouthed to her sister. Darla was already starting to well up. Claire had her hands clasped to her cheeks made rosy by the cold.

The men were attempting to act stoic and unaffected, but the glimmer in Rick’s eye and the crooked smile on Liam’s face told another story.

“Buck up, Lor!” Hudson responded cheerfully. “You’re a lifelong New Englander. A little frost doesn’t scare you!”

“Yeah, yeah. Just know that when I only have nine toes, it’s your faul—wait, what’s going on?” Lori’s confusion suggested she’d seen the decorated park bench that currently looked more like a winter wonderland than a convenient place to sit.

“Do you like it?” Marty had never heard Hudson sound so shy. Claire looked like she was about to keel over from the cuteness of it. Marty pressed her hand to her belly as the baby gave her an abnormally hard kick, as if wanting to be part of the situation.

“Yes, it’s amazing,” Lori breathed. “But why…?” She was starting to sound like she knew something was up, something more than a mere winter walk.

“I just wanted to make today special,” Hudson said.

That was their cue. The three women in the clearing exchanged a quick look of excitement before they stepped out from behind the trees so they could cluster behind the bench.

At their entrance, Lori looked at them, mouth open in an O of surprise. “Girls? Claire? Rick? What are you all doing here?” she asked, clearly increasingly confused as more and more members of their soon-to-be family stepped into the open.

While she was gaping at the new arrivals, Hudson had dropped to one knee in front of her. When Lori turned and saw him, her hands flew to her mouth.

“Lori Sims,” Hudson said, voice shaking slightly with emotion. “Some people fall in love at first sight. That was not our story. When we first met, we had different loves, and they are people we continue to miss every day.”

Darla’s hand reached out to squeeze Marty’s. Marty felt tears start to flow at the mention of her beloved father. One of the reasons, Lori had once told them, that she knew Hudson was good for her was that he had no desire to try to erase her marriage.

“Life went on. We kept meeting. And, uh, we didn’t exactly fall in love right away then either.”

He paused while everyone chuckled at this understatement. Lori and Hudson had been practically local legends in their rivalry over the years. Even Lori let out a laugh from behind her hands, although hers sounded a little watery.

“And then one day,” Hudson continued, “I came running up this very path and saw you sitting on that very bench. And you looked… Well, you always look gorgeous, Lor, so obviously that day you looked great. But you looked like somebody had ruined your day. And I had the wild hope that you would let me help fix it, whatever it was that was bothering you. And then, in some total miracle, you did.”

“The Burrows house,” Liam muttered wisely, looking intensely proud of himself for knowing this part of the story.

“Working with you was about a million times better than fighting with you,” Hudson said. “And talking with you while working with you was even better than that. Before I even knew it, you’d stolen my heart.” He winked up at his girlfriend. “Once you even stole a kiss… and then ran away with it.”

Again, there was collective laughter as they all recalled Lori’s initial panic in her and Hudson’s early relationship. It had been no laughing matter at the time but now that they all knew things had turned out well, it made for a charming anecdote.

“I love you, Lori Sims. I think you’re the best dancer in the whole world. You’re the only person who can steal a listing out from under me and not make me mad. I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have a second chance at love with you, but I admit, I’m greedy for more. So what do you say? Will you make me even happier than I already am and say that you’ll?—”

“Oh no!”

The exclamation interrupted Hudson before he could finish his question, but it didn’t come from Lori. Instead, everyone’s heads swung around to look at Marty, confused why she’d suddenly interrupted the romantic proposal.

“I—I’m so sorry, Mom,” she said, stammering as the reality of the situation took hold. “But I… I think my water just broke.”