The Truth About Fairy Tales (31 page)

             
“Jackson? You’re here. But…”

             
To anyone else but a man in love, that probably sounded crazy, but he only smiled at me before he took me in his arms.

             
“I missed you too much, little bit. I couldn’t stand the thought of being away from you even for one night. I just couldn’t do it. So I did a terrible thing. I forced my pilot, who was with his wife at a very expensive restaurant having dinner, to make this trip. I fully expect the guy to quit.”

             
“You didn’t.”

             
“I did, but it was worth it to see your smile. Although, Sidney almost gave it away. You didn’t hear all the commotion he was making in there?”

             
I was laughing and smiling so much that all I could do was shake my head before kissing him. I loved this man.

             
“I’m so glad you came, but I can’t believe you did. You know you can never be away from me ever again, not even for a single night.”

             
“That’s not going to be a problem for me, little bit.”

             
“Jackson, I want to talk about it.” I knew he didn’t need to ask me what. He knew.

             
“Good, I’m glad. It’s about time. Tell me what you want.”

             
“I don’t want anything big, do you? I know you have all that money and I’m sure people will be expecting you to get married in some elaborate ceremony, but I hope you’re okay with not doing that. I don’t want anything big.”

             
My little girl voice was back, begging him to understand. He did. I should never have doubted this man’s compassion.

             
“Honey, you are an exceptional lady and nothing about our relationship has been anything like what I expected so I wouldn’t want our marriage to be any different. I don’t care how we get married. I just want to be married to you. Everyone else will just have to deal with it. It’s our wedding, after all. So tell me what you want and we’ll do it. Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you.”

             
“Can we just have a few friends and family and have it at our house? Oh, and I was thinking maybe Fred could perform the ceremony?”

             
Jackson Riley smiled back at me in that understanding way of his. "That sounds perfect. Do you have a date in mind?”

             
“I was thinking the day we met. I mean for the first time not…”

             
Jackson grinned and he understood exactly what I was thinking. I couldn’t say the night we’d slept with each other, but he knew.

             
“I think that would be perfect as well. That gives us exactly three months. Is that enough time?”

             
“Yes, because it’s going to be simple and small, remember?”

             
“How could I forget? Now come to bed with me, Mary Margaret. You look tired.”

             
I was, but I was also so excited to see him and to be making plans for our future together that it was a long time before either of us could think about sleep.

             
“Gran is going to be shocked to find you here in the morning…oh, wait, it’s morning already. I mean later today.”

             
Jackson leaned over me and smiled and I knew the truth. My grandmother already knew. How else would he have gotten into the house?

             
“When did you guys plan this?”

             
He started to laugh at my shocked expression. “I’m not going to tell you that, little bit. Now go to sleep.”

             
I woke very late the next morning. I was exhausted and still a little blue, but Jackson was with me and I was with my family. I was happy.

             
I found Jackson, Lee, and Gran sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee when I stumbled downstairs still half asleep.

             
“Well, look who’s finally up? We were just about to write you off for breakfast.”

             
“Sorry, Gran, I guess I was tired.” I planted a kiss on her forehead.

             
“Well, of course you were. Now, let me make you something to eat. You look like you could use some eggs and bacon.” She stood up and began busily digging out pans from the cabinet while a small part of me thought about protesting. I couldn’t. Gran needed to help me through my pain. This was the only way she knew to do that. I let my grandmother make me a full breakfast including toast and I ate every bit of it, much to everyone at the table’s surprise.

             
“I don’t think I’ve seen you eat that much in years. It’s about time,” my grandmother told me after I’d finished off the last little bit of bacon.

             
“If I keep eating like this, I’m going to get terribly fat.”

             
“Jackson, will you set this child straight.”

             
“Your grandmother’s right, little bit. You will never put on weight; you have a perfect figure.”

             
That little comment was a little too personal for my grandmother’s breakfast table. I was blushing and Jackson was laughing at my innocence, much to my grandmother and Lee’s dismay.             

             
I turned to look at Gran, but found I couldn’t ask the question that I was almost certain I knew the answer to already. I’d never told my grandmother that Jackson and I were living with each other and even though Lee had told me she knew, I still couldn’t quite bring myself to say the words. Now I was wondering if I’d been putting off telling her the truth without cause. I was almost sure she’d guessed as much at Christmas because she kept winking at me.

             
That night over my grandmother’s meatloaf, Jackson and I told my family that we’d decided on a date for our wedding.

             
“We’re hoping that you would do the ceremony, Fred?” I asked after everyone recovered from the shock of me committing to marriage.

             
“I’d be honored. I’m so glad you’ve decided on the date.”

             
The rest of our visit there was a happy one. I almost let myself forget about the loss of our baby for that weekend. After attending services at Fred’s church, we left for home and life went on.

             
My first time to visit Genna at her house after the miscarriage was hard for both of us. Seeing Genna so close to giving birth with all the little baby things around made me want to cry. Both of my friends sensed that. For the first time ever they didn’t know what to say to comfort me. In the end, I told them just having them there was enough. But I was happy to change the subject. I told them about the wedding and I think they were the most surprised. I wondered if secretly they were thinking I’d never go through with it.

             
“I’m glad you finally committed to Jackson. He’s good for you. I know it’s been hard and you’ve been through a lot, but Jackson loves you. He’ll be there for you,” Genna told me.

             
“You guys are going to be my bridesmaids, right? I mean, I don’t think I can do it without you two.”

             
“Are you kidding? The opportunity to be ringside at the biggest event of the year? I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” my sometimes-sarcastic friend chimed in.

             
“Well, it’s not going to be all that. We’re keeping it small, just family and friends. I don’t like crowds.”

             
I heard Serena laugh and shake her head. “Oh, I’m not talking about big as in the ceremony; I’m talking the fact that Maggie Monroe is actually getting married in the first place. We’d just about decided it wasn’t going to happen.”

****

              As it turns out, planning a wedding, however simple, takes a whole lot of time and effort. I found it more overwhelming than actually trying a case.

             
The fact that I could throw myself into the planning, with the help of Jackson and my good friends, helped me get through the loss of the baby.

             
Jackson was still working long hours and the time we did actually have together became precious. I didn’t want to waste a second of it talking about wedding stuff.

             
One morning while both of us were getting ready for work and running late, it hit me that with all the preparations for the wedding, not to mention the busy work schedule the two of us were keeping, I’d forgotten to get my birth control pills refilled.

             
“Shit,” I blurted out loud enough to bring Jackson back into the bathroom where I was trying to finish drying my hair.

             
“What’s the matter with you?”

             
I was busy trying to calculate in my mind how I was going to find the time to get the darn things filled when I met his glance in the mirror.

             
“Nothing, I just forgot to get these little things refilled and now I’m out. I’ll have to do it on my way back from court this morning.”

             
Jackson came and took the dryer from my hand, clicked it off, and pulling me back against him.

             
“Tell me again why are you still taking those things?”

             
Our gaze met in the mirror. A thousand different standard excuses flew through my mind, none of which made sense to me any longer.

             
“I don’t know.”

             
“So stop taking them, and let’s just see what happens. If you’re worried, call Doctor Raymond. We’re three months away from getting married. We both want children if possible, so why keep taking them?”

             
I could only nod before turning around in his arms to kiss him warmly. I loved this man. I wanted to have his children. I prayed that would be possible.

Chapter Seventeen

              Jackson didn’t know it, but one night every week when I told him I was out with the girls I was secretly taking a cooking class. I was positively becoming an old fashioned woman. I wanted it all—the house, the family, the husband. I wanted to learn to cook for my man.

             
I planned surprising him one night with a beautifully prepared gourmet meal. Tonight, as we worked together on dinner, I had to settle for Jackson doing most of the difficult stuff while I still pretended I couldn’t boil water. He trusted me to toss the salad.

             
We were just cleaning up when his cell phone rang.

             
“Go, I’ve got this. It’s the least I can do, considering you’ve done everything else.”

             
“You made the salad.” He tried to make me feel better before leaving me with the dishes.

             
A few minutes later, Jackson was back and looking so solemn that I almost dropped the glass, I was holding. My first thought was something’s wrong. Someone was hurt.

             
“What is it?”

             
“No, Maggie. No, it’s not bad news. That was Layne. Genna’s at the hospital. She’s gone into labor. Genna asked him to call me.”

             
“Why didn’t he call the house?” I didn’t even finish the thought when it hit me and I understood. Of course, my precious friend was worried how hard it was going to be for me seeing the birth of her baby. “Oh…” I murmured, the ache in my heart reminding me of our loss. As hard as it was to deny at times, it was always right there with me. “We should go to the hospital. I want to be with her.”

             
“Are you sure you’re okay with this? I mean no one would blame you.”

             
“No, I want to be there with Genna. What about you, Jackson? You know you don’t have to come, if you don’t feel like it?”

             
Always when I remembered the loss, I was reminded of this strong man next to me. He was hurting just as much as I was, in his own quiet way.

             
“Let’s both go see Genna and Layne's baby.” He smiled tenderly and took the glass I’d all but forgotten from my hand.

             
Serena and Jeff were there already when we arrived. “Any word yet?” I asked my friend who was busy pacing the waiting area.

             
“No, nothing, but it shouldn’t be too much longer. She’s fully dilated. How are you two?” Serena finally stopped prowling the waiting area long enough to land in front of Jackson and I.

             
“We’re okay, Serena.” Jackson glanced at me and we both knew this was going to be one of the hardest moments we’d have to face together. No matter how much happiness we felt at the birth of Genna’s child, there was always that reminder of what we’d lost.