Page 36 of Nick: His to Claim

Maggie danced from one foot to the other, wringing her napkin and fighting an inner battle with her conscience. Heramber eyes avoided her Da’s as she struggled to do the right thing. Finally she caved.

“Aw hell, Da,” she groaned. “Just ask Rory. Tell him I release him from his promise and to tell you everything.”

“I’ll do that, darlin’, and I hope for your sake this is the last of the secrets.”

“I hope so too, Da, I really do. Ma, give the kids a kiss for me and tell them I’ll see them soon. I don’t want them to see me like this. It will only worry them.”

“I will, darlin’. You go on home and get some rest. I imagine Nicky will be over sometime soon and for goodness sake, fix yourself up a little,” she whispered as she hugged her goodbye. “Sometimes a little dab of perfume goes a long way to soothin’ a man’s temper. And I’ll send him with some shortcake—that always puts your Da in a better mood.”

Maggie rolled her eyes and hugged her mother.

“I think it’s going to take a little more than shortcake and perfume to get myself out of this one, Ma,” she whispered back. “Everything coming out like this, and hurting Jason isn’t going to sit well with him.”

Molly was waiting for her in the foyer and handed her the cool washcloth. Maggie pressed it to her eyes for a moment, and then ran it around the back of her neck.

“Thanks,” she sighed in relief.

“No problem. Let’s go,” Molly answered heading out the door and pulling Maggie along to her car.

Molly drove an ice blue Fiat convertible with a white interior, and although they all referred to it as the “toy car”, Molly loved it.

“I can’t believe you’re still driving this roller skate,” Maggie teased as she folded herself into the passenger seat.

“Are you kidding? This is the perfect car,” Molly replied pulling away from the curb. “It handles like a dream. It’s fastand fun, and the best part is your brother can’t fit into it. In another couple of years the boys won’t be able to either,” she laughed. “Sometimes a woman needs her space, and this is mine. Plus, when the time comes for the boys to start driving, I won’t have to loan it out,” she finished, obviously proud of her forward thinking.

“Geesh,” Maggie replied. “You were really thinking ahead when you bought this. Wish I had that talent, especially lately.”

“To be fair, dear heart,” Molly replied reaching over and patting Maggie’s hand. “I have a little help with that,” she continued tapping a finger to her temple.

“Right,” Maggie sighed. “I could use some help about now.”

“Be careful what you wish for,” Molly warned. “It’s not always a pleasant gift, but I will tell you this. Sometimes fighting against the fates is just a waste of time and energy. As the old saying goes, ‘what will be, will be’. Maybe you should relax a little more and trust that everything that’s happening is exactly how it’s supposed to be. Like it or not, you’re just along for the ride. Like now,” Molly laughed as she rounded the corner and hit the gas hard. The little car took off like a shot, and Maggie squealed in delight. Their hair was flying, and the speed as they raced down the road was exhilarating.

Molly is right, Maggie thought as she laughed. This is a great little car.

Colleen and Bridget were just locking up the house when Molly dropped Maggie off at the end of her driveway.

“I know it’s not the time,” Colleen told her as she loaded the kids’ clothes in her car, “but I expect the full story sometime in the near future. It boggles my mind that you could evenkeepa secret this long. I swear you were the biggest tattletale I ever saw when we were growing up. If you weren’t running to Ma and Da, you were running to Rory,” she continued as she climbed into her vehicle. “And how Ma didn’t sniff it out—she’s like abloodhound on a scent when it comes to things we don’t want her to find out?—”

“Oh, Colleen, give it a rest will you,” Bridget told her rolling her eyes as she pulled Maggie into a big hug. “Don’t mind her, Maggie. We all know she’s got middle child syndrome.”

“Yeah, and you’ve got spoiled brat syndrome. Now come on, we’ve got to get back,” Colleen retorted starting the car and digging a cigarette out of her purse.

Maggie and Bridget looked at her like she’d lost her mind as she lit it and inhaled deeply with a sigh.

“I thought you quit smoking, Colleen? Noah’s going to flip if he catches you,” Maggie told her as Bridget slid into the passenger seat.

“He’s not going to find out, as long as you two keep your mouths shut,” she informed them as she turned to back out of the driveway. “Call me tomorrow, Maggie,” she yelled out the window.

“God, what wouldn’t I give to be a fly on the wall here tonight,” Colleen sighed as they drove away.

“You and me both,” Bridget agreed.

Chapter Twelve

It didn’t take Nick long to catch up with Jason and he suspected that was intentional on Jason’s part. Jason could have easily outdistanced him on foot, but chose to walk at a normal pace. Nick joined him about a block away, and they walked in silence for several more.

Nick knew the boy would have questions, and he said a silent prayer that he would have the right answers. More than anything in the world, Nick wanted to be the kind of father Jason would want in his life and be proud to acknowledge. He was certainly proud of his son, and even though he couldn’t claim credit for raising him, genetics had to count for something. Jason was strong and smart, with a maturity far beyond his years. Nick hoped it wasn’t too late to give his son time for fun.