The Love Series Complete Box Set (105 page)

We’re going home today as a family.

My family.

Our family.

A stray tear rolls down my cheek. It’s one produced of pure happiness. Reid peeks back at us through the rearview mirror, and even though there are no tears in his eyes, I know he feels the same way I do right now.

Complete.

When we pull up to our apartment fifteen minutes later, I catch sight of the wooden stork announcing Braden’s birth staked to our small patch of front lawn.

“Don’t look at me,” Reid says defensively. I told him that I didn’t need a whole bunch of fanfare over me coming home or anything like that. As proud as I am of my little family, I’m still a nineteen-year-old, who had to drop out of college because she got pregnant. It may be silly, but there’s still a part of me that feels ashamed.

Reid twists to face me in the backseat. “It was all Momma and Mel. And you know I didn’t have a chance in hell at stopping them.”

He’s right. It’s possible that those two might be more excited about this baby than we are.

Yeah, they’re
that
excited.

Which explains why they’re already here to greet us as we begin unloading the car. “I got it, Maddy.” Melanie grabs the bag from my hands and hugs me to her side. I love that she came home just for me. She just moved into her own off-campus apartment with the girls. It’s weird that we’re both going down very different paths now. Yet, no matter how far apart it may seem like our lives are drifting, we’ll always be there for each other. I know this with absolute certainty.

“Thank, Mel. You guys didn’t have to be here. You know that, right?” Yeah, that goes over like a lead balloon with Momma who pulls a face at me from behind Melanie.

“You’re right, Maddy,” Momma quips and smiles at me. “We don’t
have
to be here, but a freight train couldn’t keep us away.”

With their help, we manage to get everything unloaded from the car—flowers, baby gifts, our bags and, of course, our son.

We walk Braden into his nursery and change his rather stinky diaper. We’re still not great at it and he wiggles so much, that within a minute, I’ve got poop smeared on my hand and I feel like I’m going to damage him in some way. Reid’s no better. Who would have ever thought it would take two adults to change the diaper on a six-pound baby?

We must’ve done something wrong, because when we’re just about done Braden gives his lungs a whirl and screams like a banshee.

I snap his onesie and pull him into my arms. “Shh, little guy. It’s okay.” Reid stands next to me, his hand on my back for support, but I feel like a failure. I can’t even change my son’s diaper without him crying. And now, he just won’t stop.

Great.

As if she senses my frustration, Momma pokes her head into the room. “You okay in here? Can I help?”

It’s as if her question opens a flood gate. I lose it. “I was just trying to change him . . . he wouldn’t stop moving . . . I got crap all over . . . then he started screaming . . . I . . .”

Damn hormones.

Rubbing calming circles on my back, Reid coos into my ear. “It’s okay, baby. You did great.”

“He’s right, Maddy. Besides, you’ll get the hang of it and be able to change a diaper one-handed in no time.” I don’t know why I originally thought I didn’t want anyone here when we got home. Where would I be without Momma?

“Thanks, Momma. What do we do now?” Reid and I look over to her like she’s holding the Holy Grail. Yeah, we feel that clueless right now.

“I think you could both use a little nap. Let me take him off your hands.” Cuddling Braden in her arms, she’s all too eager to play grandma for a little bit. “Reid, go get Maddy some Advil and you should both get some rest. You’re going to need it if you plan on making it through the night.” Well, those words make my gut churn with nervousness. Maybe some pain meds and sleep aren’t such a bad idea, after all.

I’m not sure if it’s the sight of my own bed, or the thought of cuddling up with Reid, or the knowledge that Momma is taking care of Braden, but the second I step into our room, exhaustion washes over me. Reid steps behind me and very gently wraps his arms around my not-so-skinny waist. “I’m so proud of you, Maddy.”

“Me? For what? Not snapping our kid’s leg off while I was changing him?” I scoff sarcastically. Seriously, I hope it gets easier.

“Yeah, there’s that.” He pops a sweet kiss on my temple before turning me around to face him. “But mostly, I’m proud of you because you’re amazing and that baby is going to love you so much, no matter how horrible you are at changing his diaper.”

I snuggle into him and thank God that I have Reid by my side. When he feels me yawn against his chest, Reid moves to the dresser and pulls out one of his T-shirts. “Arms up, Mommy.” He grins goofily at me, but I welcome his help getting changed. Then, we curl up together in bed and fall asleep almost instantly.

Sometime later, a gentle tapping on the door wakes me from my sleep. “Someone’s hungry.” Reid stands from the bed and Momma hands Braden to him. I push up in bed and situate myself so that I’m comfortable. The nap and the Advil worked wonders for me and moving is becoming a little less difficult—for now, at least.

“I’ll leave you guys alone. Melanie and I are going to run to the store and pick you up a few things. We’ll be back soon.” She waves from the doorway and Reid slides into bed next to me. He puts a pillow on my lap and helps me get Braden in the right position. When he’s all latched and ready to go, Reid wraps an arm around my shoulder.

“I love you,” he whispers into my ear as he stares amazed at his nursing son.

By the time Momma and Melanie make it back from the store, Reid, Braden and I are in the living room lounging on the couch.

Reid moves to help Momma with the bags and Melanie sits down next to me. Reaching for the baby, I pass him over into her arms. Staring down into in his cute-as-a-button face, Melanie smiles and I see tears building in her eyes. “He’s so beautiful, Maddy. I can’t believe you’re a mommy.” She reaches over and laces her fingers through mine.

“And you’re an aunt and Godmother too.” I drop that last piece out there, but it really shouldn’t be a surprise.

“Really?” she gasps and covers her mouth with the hand that’s not currently cradling Braden to her chest.

“Of course, Melanie. You’re the only sister I’ll ever have and the only aunt he’ll ever have.” The tears that were building spill over and down her freckled cheeks.

“Thank you so much, Maddy. I . . .” Her words disappear behind her happiness and we sit together chatting about nothing while Momma and Reid make dinner.

“Thank you for dinner, Momma. It was perfect.” I lean back in my chair as I finish my last bite of pasta.

“Of course, sweetie. We all know how well you and that kitchen get along.” I stick my tongue out at her, but she’s right. I can’t cook to save my life. Standing from the table to clear the dishes, Momma adds, “Now, there’s plenty of leftovers in the fridge and I’ll stop by tomorrow with a few more dishes you can put in the freezer.” The woman is seriously sent by God.

After dinner is all cleaned up, Momma and Melanie get ready to leave. Hugging me tightly, Momma kisses my cheek. “If you need anything at all, please don’t be afraid to call me.” Looking between Reid and me, she adds, “No matter what time, understand? I can be here in five minutes if you need me.”

“Thank you, Momma. We will.” Reid hugs her and Melanie goodnight and softly closes the door behind them.

We sink down onto the sofa and enjoy the silence that we know won’t last very long. Looking up at the clock, Reid says, “He’ll probably want to eat in about a half an hour.” He pulls me to his side and I relax into his body. Clicking on the television, he starts flipping through the channels before settling on SportsCenter.

“The apartment feels different now, doesn’t it?” I ask as he’s lightly tracing circles on my upper arm. The motion is hypnotically soothing.

“It does. He makes it feel different. It feels like a home, now.” Reid plants a soft kiss on the top of my head, and as if he can tell we’ve just gotten comfortable, Braden starts crying from his room.

Reid stands and helps me up from the couch. “You ready for this, Mommy?”

“Nope, not a bit, but I’ve got you, so it’s all good.” He wraps his arm around me and we walk down the short hallway to take care of our son.

I won’t lie; the night didn’t go perfectly. Tears were shed—and they weren’t all Braden’s. We may have gotten only about three hours of sleep, but we survived. It may not have been pretty and God knows it wasn’t stress-free, but we did it together. And that’s how I’ll always remember it.

Chapter 1

Summer

August 2014—One Year Later

“Hey, babe,” I call out as I toss my keys on the sidetable by the front door. Dropping my messenger bag to the floor, I loosen my tie as I glance at the pictures next to me.

The framed smiles of my mom and Shane stand proudly on the table. After we moved in, Maddy finally decided to go through a few boxes of pictures that her Aunt Maggie left for her when she died. So now, mixed in with pictures of our happiest memories—the day Braden was born and the day we were married—are now pictures of Maddy and her parents from her childhood. Nestled in between all of the people who are most important to us, stands the jar of sand from the beach in Montauk. They might not all be with us physically, but in spirit, our families are still very present in our daily lives.

I hear dishes clattering and the garbage pail being slammed shut from inside. Hearing her muffled curses makes me laugh. Something is obviously stressing her out, so I make my way into the kitchen to check it out. Wrapping my arms around Maddy’s waist from behind, I pull her close to me and inhale the sweet scent of her hair.

Then, I catch sight of the kitchen.

“Did a tornado blow through here or something?” I kiss the top of her head and feel her sag against me.

On an exasperated sigh, she huffs, “No, there was no tornado. Just me thinking I could actually bake our son his first birthday cake.” That explains the flour dusted across her forehead, which I now notice as she turns to face me.

I can’t stifle the chuckle. “You should have known better, Maddy. You and this kitchen are enemies.” That comment earns me a smack to the arm.

“Why don’t you just order something from the bakery? You know, like I suggested a few weeks ago.”

Flopping into a chair, she takes stock of the kitchen. “Yeah, maybe. But I just want to try one last time. It’s important to me for some silly reason.”

“Sweets, it’s not a silly reason.” I squat down in front of her and lift her chin. “You’re an amazing mom. I love that you want to make it as special as possible.” I pop an innocent kiss to her lips and feel her smile. “Now, what can I do to help?”

Just as she’s about to tell me what to do, Braden giggles from his nursery. “Do you think you could take him out to the park or something for a little bit so I can figure this cake situation out?” she asks hopefully.

I kiss the tip of her nose. “You got it,” I say as I swipe my thumb across her cheek where a bit more flour is dusted. Taking one last glance at the mess spread out across the counters, I think maybe I should place an order with the bakery just in case.

“Hey, little man.” Braden is sitting in his crib playing with a stuffed animal, but when he hears my voice, he quickly pulls himself up using the railings and reaches for me to pick him up. Nuzzling into my chest, I squeeze him tightly. “What’d you do today, buddy?” His response of bubbles and coos is all I need to smile and laugh. “Really? Well, it sounds like you’ve had a rough one. Want to hit the park with me?” He’s only one, but I swear, when he hears the word park, he looks at me like I just asked a dog to go for a ride in the car. Wiggling in my arms, I can tell he’s excited about it.

“Okay, okay. Let’s go then.” I grab a few things and make my way back into the kitchen, where I catch the tail end of Maddy’s phone call.

“Who was that?” Braden reaches for Maddy grunting for her to hold him.