Hide and Seek (24 page)

There was a small knock at their door, and they smiled at each other. "Come in," Rob called, pulling the sheet over Maddie.

"It's our wedding day!" Sophie hollered, and jumped in bed with them. She was wearing the white dress with pastel flowers Maddie got her for the wedding.

"Yes it is." Rob chuckled and kissed the side of her head. "Excited to walk down the aisle?"

"I'm going to be the bestest flower girl, ever!" she announced, and rolled over close to Maddie. "Are you going to help me fix my hair?"

"Of course. But not until later, okay? We need to hang up your dress and put on some shorts. We don't want the dress to get dirty."

"Aw, I want to wear it!"

"Tonight, I promise. We have lots to do before then. Fred and Emma are coming over to help us get ready, and Smoky and Rosa. If you want them to push you in your swing, you have to be wearing shorts."

"You're being stalked." He rolled on top of her and tickled her. "Every chance I get today I plan to grab you and make out. Possibly do more, if the opportunity presents itself."

Sam cried louder and Rob rolled off the bed and stood. He leaned down to Maddie for a kiss, then stuck his head under the sheet and kissed her stomach. "Good morning, new baby. It's our wedding day. Be nice, now, and don't make mommy sick."

"No promises!" Maddie squeaked, and he grinned at her as he slipped into pajama bottoms. He held up her robe and wrapped it around her as she got out of bed. He tied her belt and pulled her to him for one more kiss. They smiled at each other and went their separate ways.

Maddie made sure Sophie's dress was hung up, then let the child help make pancakes. She kissed Sam on the head as the boys came to the kitchen to get a baby bottle. "Here you go." She handed one to Rob. "All warmed up and ready to go."

He grabbed her butt with one hand and kissed her on the mouth firmly. "Exactly how I like my baby bottles and my women."

"That's 'woman', singular," she reminded him. "Only one woman, from here on out."

"I think I can deal with it," he called back, grinned at her, and went to the living room to feed Sam.

They ate breakfast and straightened up the house together. Maddie went over the list, and everything seemed under control. She wandered through the back yard and marveled at how beautiful it looked.

"Everything ready?" Rob joined her outside.

"Far as I can tell. Rosa and Smoky are bringing the cake and the food. I'm letting them worry about that. Everything else looks fine. Oh, I was going to double check the lock on the pool. We don't need people jumping in there tonight."

"It should be locked." Rob went and checked it. "Yeah, it's fine. Well, the kids are down for naps, so you know what I was thinking?"

"Probably, yeah." She grinned.

"No, you don't." He put her arm around her and led her toward the house. "I was thinking we might want to catch a nap, too. We'll be up late tonight, and I don't want to tire you out."

"You were not thinking that!" She shoved him playfully, and they went into their room.

"I was." He flopped on the bed. "You've been tired lately, and I'm concerned about you. Would you at least try to rest?"

She lay down next to him. "That's it? A nap? What happened to the stalker who was going to jump me every chance he got?"

"You were right. We need to save something for the honeymoon." He brushed her hair back from her face. "Besides, I heard you throw up after breakfast. I'm worried about you."

She snuggled next to him. "I'm okay. I was sick for a long time with Sam. New baby isn't tossing me any breaks in that department."

"Okay, so we rest a little bit, now." He held her tightly, and buried his face in her hair.

"I could rest." She closed her eyes, feeling secure and loved.

Maddie woke up alone and looked around her room. It made her smile just calling it, 'her room'. She heard voices in the kitchen, and listened to see who they belonged to. She heard Smoky, Fred and Rob talking. Sam squawked and was quickly silenced by a woman. Maddie couldn't tell who, but it didn't matter. She smiled, and relaxed.
It's my wedding day
. She felt like a princess. She thought about getting up, but it was luxurious just to lie there, so she did.

Eventually, she made her way out to the kitchen, where her family and friends had gathered. "Hey, gorgeous." Rob smiled at her. "Have a good nap?"

"Yes, I did, thank you." She glanced around. "Whoever's watching the kids, thank you, too."

Rosa smiled. "Leonard is pushing Sophie on the swing. I think Fred is walking Sam around, filling him in on nature facts."

He grinned and shrugged. "They're going to peck and peck at you until you tell them what they want to know. Be my guest." He kissed the side of her head and went through the back door.

Maddie looked at Rosa and Emma, who smiled at her expectantly. "All right! I'm pregnant, again! I know we're freaking crazy—" She was interrupted by the hugs of her two friends.

"You are going to have such a beautiful family!" Emma squeezed her.

"God, I haven't even popped out one and you're on your second." Rosa slapped her shoulder lightly, then hugged her. "Leonard's going to be so jealous."

"Rob is really excited." Maddie smiled. "He wants a whole houseful of kids. We agreed to take them one at a time, and see how it goes."

"This truly is a great day!" Emma clapped her hands.

"I hope so." Maddie looked around nervously. "Something in the pit of my stomach says things are going too smoothly. What's going to happen to screw it up?"

Emma and Rosa took charge, and before long, Sophie was looking the part of the princess. They curled her hair, painted her nails and gave her a touch of make-up, which thrilled Sophie to no end. "Can I go show daddy?" She looked in the mirror and preened.

Maddie laughed again and shook her head. "We don't believe in the bad luck business. We have a lot of good luck going on right now, and we're concentrating on that."

Maddie looked at her. "Did you know Rob asked Dionne for custody? He thought it would be better for Soph to be here with us than with a babysitter night and day in the city."

"Let's see your dress!" Rosa helped Maddie remove it from the bag. It was white with tiny roses on it. The neckline was off the shoulders elastic, the fabric was loose in the bust, shirred tightly around the waist, and flowed downward from there to a three-quarter length.

Maddie wagged her brows and went to the bathroom to get dressed. She removed her bra and slipped into the dress, pulling it up carefully while holding her breath that it still fit.
It does.
She turned around a couple of times and liked the way she looked. She hadn't gone bra-less for ages, but now that she wasn't nursing Sam, she thought she could again. "Well?" She stepped out.

"Beautiful!" Emma said, and Rosa nodded.

"Coop's eyes are going to pop." Rosa grinned. "Let's do your hair and make-up real quick, before he comes nosing around."

Maddie chuckled and let them take care of her. She wanted her hair full and fluffy, and Rosa got it that way. "Not too much hairspray!" Maddie coughed and waved it away.

"It'll be fine, stop it." Rosa sprayed her again. They gave Maddie just a little make-up, she didn't need it, but it brightened her face a bit.

Rob said quietly to Rosa, "I saw quite a lot of her this morning, I hate to tell you, and from several different angles."