Dating Daniel (Cloverleaf #4) (7 page)

“Nina, you have been stringing poor Daniel along. He doesn’t deserve that.”

Nina glared at Hannah with anger and quickly stomped away like a spoiled child, because that was truly what Nina was. She had never had to be responsible for anything in her entire life, not before their mother’s death and certainly not after. In all honesty, it worried Hannah. How was Nina going to ever survive in the world? Would Hannah always have to raise her little sister?

Hannah turned off the sink and dried her hands on a nearby dishtowel. She pondered things for a moment. What if things went well between her and Daniel? What if they got serious? What if they got married or had kids? What would she do about her father and Nina? Who would take care of things here? Hannah knew it was a lot of what-ifs, but she needed to be prepared, because if she had learned anything from her mother’s death, it was that life took you on unexpected journeys, whether you were ready, willing, or otherwise.

***

Daniel

Canadian geese flew overhead in a V formation as Daniel carefully cast the line of his fishing pole out into the still lake. The late evening swarm of mosquitoes were nipping at his neck, but this was the perfect time to fish: just as the sun was setting behind the mountains, when the heat of the day was cooling, and when the deer could be seen grazing in the fields. Daniel loved this time of the day, this brief period of calm with muted light, that lull before night took over.

“So, Hannah, huh?” Liam asked as he reeled his line back in.

Daniel was visiting his brother at his cabin for an impromptu evening of fishing. It was the best stress reliever in the world, as far as Daniel was concerned. Not that he was stressed, but fishing seem to cure all sorts of worries.

“Well, maybe.” Daniel had opened up to Liam about the day before, spending just those few hours with Hannah, and even his run-in with Nina.

Liam paused and took a swig from his beer bottle, then said, “Well, you did say you asked her out.”

“I know, but do you think it’s too soon?” Daniel asked. He was feeling a bit of remorse. He worried that Hannah would think he was simply asking her out because Nina had rejected him.

“Nah, I don’t think so. I mean, look at it like this. Nina wasn’t the right one. We all could have told you that, but you needed to figure that out on your own.” Liam sat his bottle back down on the grassy shore and sent his line sailing through the air and into the water.

“You have a valid point. I guess I was just sort of excited that a girl that looked like that would want anything to do with a guy like me.” Daniel looked away, focusing on the darkening surroundings, the quiet of nature encompassing them. He didn’t want Liam to see the truth in his eyes.

“Daniel, you’re a good guy, man. Any girl would be lucky to have you. It’s about you finding one who deserves someone as decent and kind as you.”

Daniel sighed. What Liam, or anyone in the family, didn’t understand was that Daniel didn’t see his value or worth. Girls had passed him over so many times that he was actually terrified of them. He didn’t have to ask Nina out. She’d just sort of ordered him to pick her up and take her here or there. Sure, they kissed, but it didn’t really do anything for Daniel.

“I’m serious. I’m not saying it because you’re my brother. You are one of the best guys I know.” Liam looked at Daniel, then bent down and retrieved his beer again. Daniel did the same, and they both took a long, leisurely sip. Daniel cherished moments like this with Liam, simple quiet activities like fishing. These were some of the best times. He could count on his brother to build him up when he was at his lowest, to give him sound advice, and to just be there without any kind of judgment. Liam was more than his brother; he was also Daniel’s best friend.

Chapter Seven

Rachel

“Are you almost ready, babe?”

She could hear the slight irritation in Liam’s voice from the other side of the bathroom door. Hell no, she wasn’t ready. Today was the first day of school, and as she stood in front of the mirror, she couldn’t believe how enormous she looked. Rachel had tried changing into various maternity shirts. Everything seemed so tight or made her look like a whale.

“Come on, Rachel. We need to leave or we’ll be late.” His tone turned a bit more authoritative.

“Just go ahead and go,” Rachel shouted from the bathroom, tears of frustration starting to sting her eyes.

She heard him knock, then he entered. “What’s wrong?”

Everything.
She didn’t dare tell him that. The poor guy was constantly worried about her. “I’m fine.” The tears pushed past the corners of her eyes and streamed down her face.

“Oh, babe.” Liam scooped her up into his strong arms, cradling her like she was the most precious thing.

“It’s nothing. I’m fine. I promise.” Her tears told a different story as she tried to convince him and herself that she was okay. Damn pregnancy hormones!

“I can call Karen and let her know we’re running late,” Liam offered as he kissed the top of her head.

“No, let’s just go.” Rachel ran her hands down her black maternity blouse and gray slacks. She grabbed some toilet paper and tried sopping up the mess her tears had caused.

He held her arms and looked at her, deep concern shining in his gorgeous eyes. “Are you sure?”

Rachel could only nod. If she even attempted to speak, she knew that it would only end in crying.

“It’ll be okay,” Liam tried to reassure her as he pulled her tightly against his chest. Rachel inhaled his scent: the same sexy mix of his aftershave and soap she had fallen in love with months ago.

***

They drove together in Rachel’s silver BMW, the sun blinding them as they drove in the direction of town. The beginning of September still had the feeling of summer. It was warm and beautiful, but by the end of the month, when the students and teachers had gotten into the groove and settled in, the leaves would start to change and there would be a crispness in the air. Then fall would turn the leaves on the trees a bountiful array of colors, and the scents of summer would be forgotten and replaced with warm cups of cider and wood smoke from chimneys as the cold nights took hold of Birch Valley.

As they arrived in the heart of the small community, they saw children with their new shoes, backpacks, and clothes walking to school. The parking lot of Birch Valley Elementary was not full yet, and they easily found a place to park.

“You ready?” Liam asked as he undid his seat belt.
God, he’s so handsome.
Rachel wanted to kiss him right there, well, amongst other things. Again, damn pregnancy hormones. The green button-down shirt he wore tucked into his dark wash jeans brought out all the hues of emerald in his eyes. His hair had been freshly cut at her insistence, and he had even shaved that sexy jawline she loved kissing. Yes, this man was all hers.

Liam got out of the car and went over to her side to help her out. All visions of sexiness were lost as she realized that she must look like a helpless cow. Unable to remove herself out of the low bucket seats, she felt frustrated. Liam extended his hand and practically yanked her out of the car. Straightening her blouse and inhaling deeply, Rachel waited as Liam gathered his backpack from the trunk. He swung it onto to one shoulder, took her hand, and led her to old brick building, where their love story began.

***

Liam

Once inside the school, as they crossed into the bright foyer, Liam spotted Karen, the school secretary, as she rounded the corner. “Oh my, look at you.” Karen squealed in delight. “You’re just glowing, you beautiful dear.”

Rachel smiled, but Liam could see she was uncomfortable. He knew his wife was feeling anything but beautiful or radiant. Liam smiled to himself at the word
wife.

They were approaching two months of wedded bliss, though he’d hardly call it that. He loved her, more than he ever thought possible, and that love continued to flourish and grow as each day passed. But they had met some challenges—one being her hormones. She was crying one minute, laughing another, and then right back at crying. Liam didn’t know where the tears began or where they stopped sometimes. The latest marital issue, one that was weighing pretty heavily on Liam, was their intimacy. They shared this almost combustible type of passion. He missed it, but he was terrified of somehow hurting Rachel. He wasn’t quite sure about how that factored in with pregnancy. She tried to reassure him, but he couldn’t shake his fears. Unfortunately, he could see that it was taking its toll on both of them.

“Oh, Karen, please.” Rachel shooed her away.

The bell buzzed and children started filing into the school. Liam bent down and gave Rachel a quick kiss. In the background he heard someone say, “Mr. O’Brien is kissing the principal.” He couldn’t help but laugh. Little did any of these students know that Ms. Montgomery was now Mrs. O’Brien. A happy little thrill surged through him. “Stay off your feet,” Liam instructed before he jogged toward his classroom.

***

Rachel

“Worried about the wifey, I see,” Karen teased as they both smiled and greeted the children.

“You could say that.” Rachel could feel the smile on her lips as she watched her husband disappear in the sea of students.

“So, tell me. How’s married life? How are you feeling?” Karen was not only her right-hand woman at work, she had also become almost a mother figure to Rachel when she had moved to Birch Valley.

“Well, married life is good. Pregnancy life, ugh,” Rachel admitted reluctantly, feeling her smile drift away.

A concerned scowl appeared on Karen’s softly wrinkled face. “How so?”

Another bell chimed, and the once-crowded foyer was now nearly empty of students. Rachel and Karen went back to Rachel’s office to catch up. She plopped down in her comfortable office chair behind the large mahogany desk, kindly left to her by Mr. Anderson, the lovely man she’d replaced. Rachel noticed there was not nearly as much room, and she felt a little constricted in the limited space. Karen noticed right away and started to move the desk forward.

“You have gotten quite a bit bigger since I saw you in July,” Karen commented, taking a seat in front of the desk.

“I know. I’m huge,” Rachel complained. “I’m not due until November, Karen. How much larger am I going to get?”

“Dear, don’t worry about it. You’re gorgeous.” Karen paused briefly. “You know, we do need to think about your baby shower.”

“Seriously? You can’t even wait a full ten minutes. You and Mary are the same. She just hit me up last night at dinner.”

“Can you blame her? I certainly don’t. Rachel, these things need to be planned. I’m sure you would like to have your mother here for it, and maybe your lovely friend?” Karen asked firmly.

“I know. I just hate party planning.”

“Trust me, I’m well aware. However, the beauty of a baby shower is that we get to do the planning. You just show up, play games, collect gifts, and be all adorably pregnant.”

“Still sounds like a lot on my part,” Rachel said sarcastically.

“Oh, you stop. You have been hanging around that stubborn O’Brien boy too long. I’ll phone Mary later and start figuring stuff out so that you can let your folks know.”

Rachel nodded as Karen rose from her seat and left the office. She sat there all by herself, with only her thoughts to keep her company. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Rachel had two people with her—little, tiny people who were taking turns kicking her as hard as they could. The twins seemed to be tag teaming her with an assault she hadn’t quite felt before. As Rachel rubbed her belly, begging her babies to stop, she caught sight of the heart-shaped paperweight Liam had given her. Inscribed, it read,
You have my heart,
when, in truth, he had hers. She would be lost without that man. He had been so caring and gentle with her, patient almost to a fault. God love him. Liam was the best thing that ever happened to her. Rachel picked up the paperweight. The cold metal was heavy in her hands. It wasn’t just the physical weight, but the words too. For him to have already felt that strong connection with her, to be so bold to leave something with such a powerful statement on her desk, that took guts and pure bravery. Nope, Rachel was a coward. She had struggled owning her own feelings for Liam. Only months later after he’d given her the paperweight, he’d become her husband and the father of her babies. Well, father first, then husband.

Rachel laid her head on her desk, feeling exhausted and almost overwhelmed at the thought of being back to work. She heard a knock on her door. “Come in.”

Maggie poked her head in. “Did I catch you at a bad time?” She looked worried as she entered the small office.

“No, why?” Rachel sat up straight in her chair.

“I don’t know. You look, well…”

“I know, like crap, right?” Rachel finished for her.

“No, just like you’d rather be anywhere but here. I just dropped off Mel and wanted to pop in and say hi.” Maggie took the same seat Karen had been in earlier. She wore a light sun dress, which glorified her perfectly round belly. A muu muu, now that was an idea. Why hadn’t she thought of that before?

“I was just having a hard morning. I couldn’t find anything that fit or was comfortable enough. I don’t know. These hormones, they are just all over the place.” Rachel felt frustration brewing again, and another set of tears was ready to pour.

“Rachel, trust me, I have so been there.” Maggie offered her a sympathetic smile.

“I know.” Rachel groaned. “Does it get better?”

Maggie seemed to be choosing her words carefully. “It does, eventually.”

“Eventually?”

“Okay, here’s the thing no one ever tells you. After you have the baby, it takes awhile for your hormones to go back to normal. Hell, they never really do. Maybe it’s more like we adapt.” Maggie started to laugh, but Rachel found nothing funny about this. She was being driven mad with her feelings fluctuating all the time. The very thought of these tidal waves of hormones never ending, well, that was more than she could bear right then.

Shaking her head and trying to keep from crying again, Rachel asked, “So how are you feeling? How’s the lil guy?”

“Squirming around like he owns the place. I feel a little more tired now, but we have less than a month, so we’re excited.” Maggie’s eyes shone with such happiness, it made Rachel’s hormones kick into overdrive.

“I can’t wait to meet him. He’s going to be just the most adorable thing ever,” Rachel commented as she wiped away some loose tears.

Maggie got up and went behind the desk to hug Rachel. “I can’t wait to meet your precious babies. This is such a wonderful time, Rachel.”

As they embraced, Rachel did feel better from being hugged by her sister-in-law and best friend. They chatted a little while longer, and Maggie confirmed dinner plans for them all in a couple days. She also asked Rachel to help with some final touches on the nursery, which got Rachel thinking. Her and Liam really needed to start thinking about their nursery. They had double the work to do.

***

Maggie

As Maggie made the short walk from the school to the O’Brien Construction shop, she couldn’t but feel a bit concerned for Rachel. Granted, she herself hadn’t been all that happy about being pregnant the first time, and not even that thrilled the second time around. She knew how Rachel felt. Maggie understood the worry of getting pregnant so soon in a new relationship and what others would think all too well. Oh yes, Maggie could sympathize big time. However, Maggie had been lucky. When she had gotten pregnant with Melanie she was living in Seattle, away from the small gossip and curious stares. Poor Rachel was not so lucky.

“Finally,” Patrick shouted from his office as Maggie entered the metal building. The business had been in their family since Grandpa Paddy opened it up so many years ago.

“Good morning to you too, Patrick,” Maggie hollered back.

Daniel peeked out from his office. “What are you guys shouting about?”

“Morning, Daniel,” Maggie said as she sat her purse down and turned on her computer. She had gone from working nearly full-time to only a couple of hours a day a few days a week. Maggie actually missed being there with her brothers full-time. There had been some tense times, but they always seem to manage to get through them.

Daniel and Patrick appeared by the counter which separated her work area from the shop’s entrance.

“What?” Maggie playfully snapped at her brothers.