Forbidden (24 page)

“Thanks for the ride here,” Jon said. “Nice meeting you.”

“Mom, enjoy your Christmas gift.” Katie kissed Maggie on the cheek. She headed down the driveway and sounded her horn as she drove away.

Maggie waved and blew a kiss. “I’m sure you’re freezing, so come inside.”

Jon stepped into the hallway. “I am but now I’m with you, you can warm me up.” He pulled her in close again and kissed her on the nose.

She closed the front door. “Come into the living room. I put some logs on the fire about thirty minutes ago thinking Katie would be staying awhile.”

Jon rubbed his hands together and followed her through to the next room. Beautiful, a roaring fire in a brick fireplace. Otherwise, the living room was furnished in neutral colours, with two large couches, photos of what he guessed were all three of her girls and, yes, her granddaughter too.

“I take it my daughter has something to do with you being here earlier than you’d planned.”

“Katie was worried about you,” he said.

Maggie turned to face him, brows raised.

“Maggie, I know about the baby.”

She sat on one of the couches, again tearing up.

Jon rushed to her, cuddling. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get pregnant.”

Maggie put her hand on top of his. “It’s not your fault. We both have to take responsibility.”

“I take it this didn’t happen during phone sex.” He nuzzled the side of her face.

Maggie laughed.

“You feeling okay?” he whispered in her ear.

“Just very tired, which the doctor said is perfectly normal, especially for a pregnant woman in her forties.”

“Katie said you’d had an ultrasound… That’s why she asked me to come earlier than I’d planned. She said you were upset after it.”

Maggie burst into tears.

“Hey, hey, whatever’s wrong with the baby we can deal with it. We’ll get through this together.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I didn’t think things could get any worse, but they did.”

“So what’s wrong with our baby?”

“I think I should show you.” Maggie stood, walked to the cabinet in the hallway and brought back the ultrasound image and handed it to Jon.

He looked at it and pushed his hand through his hair. Blurry, but…

“Shit, we’re having twins.”

“I’m so sorry,” Maggie sobbed. She collapsed beside him.

Jon immediately wrapped his arm around her.

She set her head on his shoulder. “Please tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m not sure right now. I suppose I’m in shock, like you must have been.”

“I know you told me more than once you didn’t want children.”

“That’s true but we’re going to have two of them, and we can’t take it back so it's pointless worrying or being sorry. We’ll just move forward, okay?”

“But—”

He put his index finger over her lips. “I’d be lying if I said I’m overjoyed about what’s happened. I just wanted you all to myself. But things have changed and we’ll be fine. Really, we will, Maggie.”

Chapter Twelve

Maggie looked tired but still wonderful, and he loved her house. Despite looking like a show place, every room was comfortable and inviting. He already felt at home. He was sure his favourite spot would be the couch close to the fire. He still hadn’t warmed up completely since he’d landed in New York.

He’d done his best to keep awake as long as he could but had finally given in two hours after Maggie had made him a cup of hot chocolate, telling him it would ‘take the chill out of his bones’. He’d slept all through the night and woken up to hear the shower running. He glanced at the clock. Almost seven. Maggie probably had to go to work soon. No doubt his unexpected arrival had thrown her off her regular schedule.

 
He got out of bed, shivering despite the heat whooshing out through the central air system. Maine winter weather would take some getting used to. He headed into the bathroom to ask Maggie if she wanted him to make breakfast. She was just heading out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her, her wet hair piled on top of her head, secured with a clip.

“You sleep okay?” she asked.

“Great. I didn’t even hear you come to bed or get up this morning.”

She looked too sexy and tempting not to at least kiss her. He pulled her in close, pressing his lips to hers. She opened her mouth to him and they kissed just like they had many months ago. It felt so good to be back with her, holding her like this.

“You’re going to make me late for work.”

“Sorry, couldn’t resist you.”

They held one another for a few minutes, neither of them saying a word.

“Feels like there’s a tummy coming between us now. Can I take a look?” Jon finally asked.

Maggie stepped away and parted the towel.

Yeah, she was pregnant all right. He ran his hands over her belly, noticing its button was already starting to push outwards. He still couldn’t believe that he’d got her pregnant and was going to be a father.

“You felt them move yet?” he asked.

“I think so. It was before I knew I was pregnant and I just put it down to gas passing through but I guess as a mother of three I should have recognised baby flutters.”

He ran his hands over her belly again. If an unplanned pregnancy was going to happen to him, Maggie would be the only person he’d want to have his baby…babies. Any other woman, he’d offer child support and leave it at that. But not Maggie. They were in this thing together and for the long haul.

“How about I make some coffee and you can eat the ensaimades I brought for you?”

“Make it orange juice because I’m trying to cut down on caffeine. And I suppose you’ll be expecting two blowjobs now.”

They both burst out laughing.

* * * *

Maggie couldn’t concentrate on much at work that day. She kept thinking about the tempting man who was now staying at her house. He always sent her temperature rising and her libido into overdrive and she couldn’t wait to get home to him.

She pulled out some swatches and flicked through them. They were going shopping as soon as she got home. Jon wanted to buy sweaters and a pair of gloves. She needed new bras. If her previous pregnancies were anything to go by, she’d gain four bra sizes by the time she had the twins.

She leant back in the chair and rubbed her belly. Jon seemed to be taking the news about impending fatherhood just fine. For now. When the two little ones arrived, he might feel differently. Two in one shot was a lot to ask anyone to deal with, let alone someone who didn’t want even one. Once he got to the changing, the crying in the middle of the night, the colic part of fatherhood, he might make a beeline for the door. She hoped not because she couldn’t raise one baby let alone two by herself. Not at this stage of her life.

* * * *

Jon flipped through the photo albums he’d found on the bookcase in the family room. He was sure Maggie wouldn’t mind him peeking. The first photo was an old family shot of Maggie, her ex, and her daughters when they were children. The next one was Maggie holding one of her babies.

Shit, he hadn’t admitted it to her but he was scared of what was happening. This whole fatherhood thing. When he’d seen the ultrasound image of two babies he’d almost passed out. But he had to be strong for Maggie. Truth was she concerned him. Working long hours, carrying twins… Worse, he’d have to go back to Mallorca after the holidays to finish out his contract at the clinic. She’d be all alone until he could get back to her.

And then there was the question of where he was going to work. He should head to one of the local hospitals tomorrow and maybe put the wheels in motion.

The front door opened and, a few minutes later, Maggie stepped into the room with a few snowflakes on her shoulders.

“I might need to buy some long underwear while I’m here,” he said before he planted a kiss on her lips.

“I thought you had me to keep you warm.” She took off her coat and shook off the rest of the snow.

“I do and I’m going to snuggle up close to you in bed tonight.”

“Then we should head to the mall as soon as we can.”

* * * *

Maggie liked shopping with Jon, Christmas carols flowing through the mall, Christmas trees glittering all around them. And holding hands. A few people had glanced their way when they’d walked by. She was sure they’d noticed the age difference but, thank goodness with her loose-fitting coat, no one could see that she was also pregnant.

“You sure you don’t need to rest, get something to drink maybe?” Jon asked.

“I’m fine, really.”

“Okay, but don’t overdo things.”

“You want to come to my doctor’s appointment with me tomorrow afternoon?”

“Sure, I’d love to. And then I want to take you out for a meal to some place we can get all dressed up, somewhere romantic, if that’s okay with you?”

“That sounds like—”

“Maggie.” A woman from the local Chamber of Commerce called a cheery greeting. Of all the people to run into, she was the nosiest of the bunch. Today she was wearing a mink coat and long black boots and, of course, her customary rings on almost all her fingers.

“I thought that was you,” she said, looking at Jon, then glancing at his fingers intertwined with Maggie’s.

“Hi, Jeanie. Jeanie, this is my friend, Jon, he’s visiting from Mallorca. Jon, Jeanie’s a fellow member of the local Chamber of Commerce.”

He let go of Maggie’s hand and shook Jeanie’s before slipping his straight back into Maggie’s palm.

“And what do you do, Jon?” Jeanie was checking him out, eyeing him from head to toe without blinking.

“I’m a doctor.” He glanced at Maggie. Had he sensed Jeanie’s eyes on him, too?

“Really? You look too young.”

Maggie squeezed Jon’s hand. He grinned.

“Are you here doing some Christmas shopping?” Maggie asked.

“Yes, I’m nearly done. How about you?”

“Just browsing,” Maggie said.

Silence fell, and then Jeanie said, “Well, I should get going. Nice to have met you, Jon. Maggie, hope to see you at our next business breakfast.”

“I’ll be there.”

Maggie watched as Jeanie walked away, pressing numbers on her cell phone as she threaded through the crowds.

“She’s one of the biggest gossips around so I’m sure the news will travel fast that I have a young lover. And I can’t wait to see her face when she learns that I’m pregnant.”

Both of them burst out laughing.

* * * *

This was wonderful and exactly how he'd imagined things would be for them. Both sitting on the couch, snuggling in front of a warm fire. He with a bottle of beer, Maggie with, well, he’d imagined her sipping wine, but now she drank sparkling water. Her head rested on his chest as they listened to a CD of romantic Christmas music.

He took a swig of beer before kissing Maggie’s forehead. She ran her hand down his belly, then let it travel upwards under his sweater as she kissed him on the lips. They continued to kiss as she reached for the waistband of his jeans. She tugged at the button until it opened, then slid his zipper down over his hardening cock. He was becoming aroused just thinking about what she had in store for him.