The Sweetest Gift (The Gift) (17 page)

“No, you’re probably right Maggie,” he conceded.

“Let’s play that song you wrote with Justin, ‘No
Forwarding Address’,” Ray said in a conciliatory tone.

“Sure,” she said.

The band played through the tune and Maggie was gratified
by how good it sounded. When they were done, Maggie touched Ray’s arm and
thanked him.

“That was an amazing experience, Ray. Thanks for that.”

They finished up with a couple more of the band’s
standards and then the show was over. The band went back to the dressing room
to decompress. Justin’s parents, Denise and the children showed up, the kids
were bubbling over from the excitement of the show.

“I’m guessing that you had a few words with Ray about
his cocaine use,” Denise said.

“Yes, I did,” answered Maggie.

“Well, thanks for doing that. I’ve been trying to get
him to stop using coke for a while now.”

“Maybe he should consider going into rehab, it really
helped my ex-husband Zak. I know a good place if you’re interested.”

“Thanks, Maggie. I appreciate it,” Denise said and
smiled at her.

“So how did you like sitting in the sky box, kids?”
Maggie asked.

“It was really cool,” said Gabe. “I really liked the way
the instruments reverberated around the arena. Sometimes when the drummers were
playing their solos, it seemed like the arena became a giant drum too.”

“That sounds really interesting, Gabe. I’d like to hear
that sometime. Maybe the next time Justin plays here with his band, I can sit
in the box with you,” Maggie replied.

Jake looked unhappy at the thought.

“When are we going home, Mama?” he asked.

“The day after tomorrow, Jake. We’re going to fly back
to Nashville for a couple days and then we’re going back to Louisiana.”

“Are we going to come back here, Mama? I like hanging
out with Stella, Cassady and Hunter,” Belle said.

“Sure, we can come back,” said Justin. “We can always
stay in my place in Sausalito or at my parents’ house in Tiburon.”

“You’re welcome to stay with us any time too,” said Ray
and he smiled at Belle. “I’m sure that Justin will be back to play some more
gigs with the band.”

Maggie wasn’t so sure about that, but she decided to let
it go for the moment. She and Justin had some decisions to make about where
they were going to live and how they were going to make a living, and she wasn’t
sure how they were going to resolve these issues.

“It’s getting late, guys. So say goodbye and let’s head
for home,” Justin said.

The kids hugged each other goodbye and everyone walked
out to their cars in the parking lot. Justin’s parents said goodnight and got
into their car and drove home to Tiburon. Justin loaded his bass into the back
of his van and the kids got in the back seats. After making sure everyone had
their seat belts on, Justin drove the van back to Sausalito.

.

Chapter 20

It was late by the time they got home. Maggie
and Justin had to wake up the kids since they had all fallen asleep in the van
on the ride back. They trudged wearily into the house and got into bed and fell
asleep almost instantly. Justin brought his bass into the house and left it in
his bedroom. He and Maggie were still wound up from performing, so they took a
bottle of wine and some glasses out on the patio.

“What did you think about playing at the Coliseum,
Maggie?” Justin asked.

Maggie thought for a moment as she tried to put the
experience into words.

“It was pretty exciting and fun for a while. It’s an
amazing experience to sing in front of that many people.”

“Yeah, it is…” Justin agreed.

“But on the other hand, it’s not that satisfying in some
ways in terms of making music. I was having trouble hearing the band that well,
so sometimes I wasn’t sure when to come in. It’s probably different for you
because you’ve played with them for a couple years.”

“No, I think I know what you’re saying.”

“Also, I don’t think I like being so removed from the
audience. There really isn’t that much direct interaction between the band and
the fans. I really prefer playing in a small club like the Bluebird Café.”

“Well, who wouldn’t, but it would be hard to make a
living from playing in clubs that only hold a hundred people. My band makes
most of their money from touring, so that’s why we play so many shows in
arenas. I don’t always like it though.”

“I guess the difference is that Tucker and I make most
of our money from record sales. We play some tour dates, but mostly to support
the record not to generate enough income to live on.”

“I’ve been making really good money playing with the
band, and I think I would find it hard to give that up,” Justin said.

“I don’t think I asked you to do that,” Maggie answered
quietly.

“But where are we going to end up living, Maggie?”
Justin asked.

“I’m not sure, Justin. We’re going to have to discuss
it, but I’m too tired right now.”

“O.k., Maggie. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

They didn’t wake up until noon the next day. Maggie had
been right about the children being exhausted the day after the concert. They
all slept in late and were lethargic and cranky once they got up. Justin gave
them some time to recover, but then he suggested that they spend the afternoon
visiting his parents in Tiburon since they were flying back to Nashville the next day. The children were quiet in the van on the way over to Justin’s
parents’ house and once they got there, they were content to lounge in the
chairs out on the deck. Justin’s parents were looking weary too.

“I don’t know how you do it, son,” Justin’s mother said.

“Oh, we’re just used to it.”

Maggie thought to herself that a lot of musicians relied
on pharmaceutical assistance to get them through the exhaustion of touring, and
then would have to compensate for that with sleeping pills at night. It was no
wonder that the toll from drug abuse was so high.

“I mostly had problems sleeping after a concert,” Maggie
said. “I don’t know what I would have done when we were on tour if it wasn’t
for Justin.”

Maggie and Justin smiled at each other remembering the
times that they toured together with her bluegrass band Little Maggie.

“It’s a good thing that you had each other to rely on,”
Justin’s mother said.

“And now we will always have each other to rely on,
Maggie.” Justin looked thoughtful and was silent for a minute or two. “I’m not
so sure that I’m going to want to continue touring with the band after we get
married,” Justin continued.

“What are you saying, Justin?” Maggie was a little
shocked by this.

“It’s taken us a long time to get together. I don’t want
to jeopardize that.”

“So, if you don’t tour with your band, then what are you
going to do?”

“I’m not sure, I’m going to have to think about it. The
band is taking a three month hiatus, so I don’t have to decide anything right
away.”

“Well, I’d like to go back to Louisiana and finish
recording the new album with Little Maggie,” she said.

“What about your world tour with Tucker, Maggie?” Justin
asked.

“I’m not sure that Tucker is going to want to go ahead
with that after we tell him that we’re engaged.”

Maggie and Justin looked at each other. They were
starting to realize that they both might have to make sacrifices in their
careers in order to be together. Jake stood in front of Maggie, gesturing that
he wanted to sit in her lap. He put his arm around her neck and she kissed him
on top of his head. She looked over at Justin and smiled. They both knew in
that moment, that any sacrifice would be worthwhile so that they could be
together as a family.

On Monday morning, they got up early to pack for their
flight to Nashville. Maggie found it a little harder to close the suitcases
with the additional sweatshirts and t-shirts that they had picked up along the
way. Justin was going to bring his bass and Maggie wanted to bring her new Weaver
mandolin. Justin didn’t want to check the instruments as luggage, so they
decided to bring them on as carry-on items. Therefore, they would have to check
everything else.

When Justin was done loading the van, they made one last
sweep of the house to make sure they hadn’t left behind anything important.

“Do you have Tucker’s ring, Maggie?” Justin wanted to
know.

“Yes,” she said flashing the ring at him. It was now on
the ring finger of her right hand as Justin’s ring was on her left hand.

“I’ll never get over how big that diamond is. It’s the
size of a ping pong ball. Tucker must have spent a fortune on it.”

“I’m sure he did. I always felt kind of guilty about
that. I’ll feel better when I give it back to him.”

“You better give it back to him. It’s a little weird
wearing two engagement rings given to you by two different men,” Justin teased.

“I know, I know. I’ll feel better when this is all
straightened out.”

The children were already waiting impatiently in the
car. Maggie and Justin took one last look and locked the house and walked out
to the car.

Justin noticed that there were tears in Maggie’s eyes.
When they got in the car, he took her hand in his.

“We’ll be back, Maggie,” he said.

“But not too soon,” Jake said from the back seat.

.

Chapter 21

Maggie, Justin and the children were relieved
to finally land in Nashville after a long flight. They retrieved their luggage
and rented a car to drive to Tucker’s. Maggie found herself feeling increasingly
nervous the closer they got to Tucker’s estate. As they drove down the long
driveway past the rolling pastures, Maggie found herself switching the rings.
She put Tucker’s ring back on the ring finger on her left hand and Justin’s
ring on her right hand.

Justin looked over at her and raised one eyebrow.

“I don’t want him to know anything until I have a chance
to talk to him first,” she whispered.

“You better talk to him right away then, because the
kids might accidentally spill the beans,” said Justin.

“What beans?” Jake piped up from the back seat.

“Nothing,” said Maggie giving Justin a look. “I guess
you’re right.”

After they parked in front of Tucker’s house, Justin
suggested to the children that they walk with him down to the stables since they
had been cooped up in the plane for so long. Maggie walked up the front steps
to the house by herself, just as Tucker opened the front door.

“Well, howdy,” he said. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

He leaned over to kiss her and took her by the hand to lead
her into the house. They went into the living room and sat on the couch.

“So how was your trip?” he asked. “Did you like San Francisco?”

“Yeah, it was great. The kids enjoyed it too. We did all
the tourist sights.”

“I heard that you played at the Oakland Coliseum with
Justin’s band.”

“That was pretty intense. I’m not sure that I actually
liked that.”

Tucker suddenly looked at Maggie seriously.

“Darlin’, I think we need to talk,” he said.

Maggie felt her heart skip a beat.

“Yes,” was all that she said.

“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking while you were away,”
Tucker said. “And I don’t think that we should get married.”

Maggie was taken aback.

“Why not?” she asked.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about Jake and what he needs,
Maggie. He needs to have his mother and father together. He needs to live in a
stable family. I know what I’m talking about. I’ve always felt bad that Clara
had to grow up without the support of two parents. She needed me all the time,
and I just wasn’t there for her. She has never really forgiven me for that, and
I can’t say that I blame her.”

Tears started flowing down Maggie’s face. Tucker reached
in his pocket for a handkerchief and dabbed at Maggie’s tears.

“I’m so sorry darlin’, but I really think it would be
better if you married Justin.”

“Oh Tucker,” Maggie sobbed. She put her arms around his
neck and cried uncontrollably.

“Maggie, please don’t cry. You know that it will be
better this way. I’m too old to make you happy anyway. You should be with
someone your own age like Justin.”

He comforted her in his arms until she stopped crying.
She took Tucker’s ring off her left hand and gave it to him.

“Oh no, darlin’. I want you to keep that. What am I
going to do with it?”

“Maybe you’ll want to get married again and you could
give it to someone else,” she said.

“No Maggie, I don’t think I’m ever going to want to get
married again. I love you, you know. I would like nothing better than to marry
you, but it’s not fair to Jake.”

“You said when I told you that Justin was Jake’s father
that it wouldn’t change how you felt about me,” Maggie said sadly.

“It didn’t, I still love you. But I think Jake needs to
grow up with both of his parents.”

Maggie hadn’t anticipated how desolate she would feel
about breaking it off with Tucker. And the fact that he initiated the break up
made her feel even worse. Maggie heard Justin and the children coming up the
front steps to the house, so she went upstairs and locked herself in the
bathroom where she could be alone with her tears.

The children ran up the stairs to their rooms as Justin
peered into the living room.

“What’s going on, Tucker?” Justin asked.

“I just had to tell Maggie that I didn’t think we should
get married. I think that Jake needs to be with both his parents. I think that
you and Maggie should get married, Justin.”

“Well, to be perfectly honest, I do too Tucker.”

“Good, then it’s settled.” Tucker suddenly looked
relieved.