Authors: Stevie MacFarlane
Maggie imagined that if a twinkling star could laugh, it would sound like Molly.
“Well, not everything. I do have my standards you know,” she informed her, taking Maggie’s hand in hers. “Some things are just off-limits,” she giggled, as she saw what Maggie was thinking. “Exactly!”
Maggie bolted upright, her face beet red as Molly patted her hand and released it.
“I know that Nick is Jason’s father. I’ve always known, although never having seen Nick in person, it was a little cloudy. I never told anyone, not even Patrick. It’s not my secret to share.”
Maggie nodded. “Thank you for that. What else?”
“I know that you have been in danger. I minded my own because I could see that between Rory and Nick you were being looked after. I can’t always tell how serious it is. Sometimes I just sense a little fear or pain but not always the source, and I wouldn’t want to stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong. Once, a few years ago, I felt Colleen was in some sort of trouble. I flew up the stairs into her old bedroom and found Noah… Well, let’s just say that I couldn’t give her any assistance even if I’d wanted too. Not without answering to Patrick for it. I quietly shut the door and promised myself I would be a little more careful in the future before I jumped in blindly.”
“Patrick?” Maggie scoffed. “He’s as gentle as a teddy bear, not like Rory or Nick.”
Now Molly blushed crimson. “You’d be surprised.”
“Oh,” Maggie thought her throat suddenly felt dry. Geesh, if even Patrick—sweet and funny Patrick—did stuff like that, then it must be an epidemic. Someone should alert the press. Maybe there was an antidote.
The sound of Maeve ringing the dinner bell on the back porch carried clearly to the lovely women, and Maggie rose, pulling Molly up with her.
“Anything else I should know, Molly? Like the winning numbers in tonight’s lottery?” Maggie asked, giggling as she looped her arm through Molly’s.
“Just one more thing, dear heart. Nick loves you so very much. I’ve felt it for a while, but today when I took his hand, it was like a flash of lightening—very powerful.”
“Oh, he’s powerful all right,” Maggie mused, rubbing a hand over her backside.
Molly laughed and disengaged her arm from Maggie’s. Skipping backward, she distanced herself from her.
“There is just one tiny thing more,” she drawled, mischief glowing in her eyes. “If you do decide to marry Nick, just leave ‘obey’ in the ceremony. It will be much less entertaining but…” Spinning, Molly ran lightly through the foyer and down the hall laughing merrily all the way.
Maggie gave chase but never got close to catching her before Molly entered the kitchen and hurled herself into Patrick’s arms.
Dinner was quickly put on the table. Every available hand was either put to use carrying or slapped by Maeve for sampling before grace. When all eighteen were seated, Sean led them in thanking the Lord for His bounty and blessings. Immediately dishes started making their way around the table. Country ham, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, fresh green beans, cabbage salad, and hot flakey rolls were all passed amid chattering children and indulgent adults. Sean was at the head of the table with Maeve at the other end. To Sean’s left were Michael, Ryan, Molly, Patrick, Noah, Colleen, Lilly and Rose. To Maeve’s left were Caitie, Devlin, Todd, Jason, Nick, Maggie, Bridget and Rory. It was definitely a full house, and the teasing stopped for a while as everyone enjoyed the delicious food.
“My Ma always told me the sign of a good cook was silence at the table, but this is ridiculous,” Maeve stated smiling.
The family sitting on Maggie’s side of the table faced the others and the full mirror behind them. Maggie couldn’t help notice the similarities in Nick’s and Jason’s mannerisms, although she tried not to stare. They held their forks the same way, cut their meat the same way, even picked up their napkins and wiped their mouths at exactly the same time. The black hair, the startling blue eyes, the same stubborn chin. Dear God, she thought, how did no one else see it? I should have never seated them together. Fascinated, she could not pull her eyes away from that damn mirror.
Maggie had no idea how much time had actually gone by before she realized she was not alone. Next to her she could see the shock on Bridget’s face reflected in the mirror. She heard Rory’s sigh as he bent his head. Across from her she saw the pity in Molly’s eyes, the curiosity in Noah’s, and the dropped jaws of Colleen and Patrick. Her mother had her napkin to her mouth, as if she was afraid of what was going to come out of it as she also watched Nick and Jason. Her Da reached for his beer and chugged it down, unable to believe he’d been so blind.
The silence was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Nick reached under the table and took Maggie’s cold trembling hand in his as he met her eyes in the mirror.
Only the littlest children were oblivious, and Jason continued to eat with a teenager’s appetite until he too noticed the silence. Looking up, he grinned as he realized everyone was staring at him.
“What? Do I have corn on my face or what?” he joked, wiping his face with his napkin and looking into the mirror to make sure he was presentable. And then he saw it. In a heartbeat he saw it. The resemblance was unmistakable, and he stared, unable to wrench his eyes away. The only saving grace, as far as he was concerned, was when he finally pulled his eyes away and saw shock on the faces of his family. At least he hadn’t been the only one kept in the dark. Jason looked back into the mirror one last time and let his father see his sadness. Then standing with a maturity and grace that belied his years, he laid his napkin on the table.
“Excuse me,” he murmured, and strode out of the dining room.
Maggie jumped up to go after him, but Nick put her firmly back in her chair.
“Sit, I’ll go,” he said and quickly followed his son.
Slumping back into her seat, Maggie’s chin quivered as huge tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Children,” Maeve stood and clapped her hands. “If you’re finished, you may be excused. We’ll call you when it’s time for dessert. Off with you now.” And they all stampeded out.
Rory bumped Bridget out of her chair and slipped his arm around Maggie, offering his support.
“Come on, Cupcake, it’ll be all right. The truth had to come out sooner or later.
It isn’t the end of the world, and Nick and Jason are good friends. That’s a start.”
“He’ll never forgive me,” Maggie sobbed, laying her head on the table.
“Colleen, you and Bridget take Maggie’s house keys and go over and get the children some clothes. I think it’s best they stay here for a few days,” Maeve said, turning to Maggie. “It will give you and Nick a chance to straighten this out and Jason a chance to cool off. I’m sure it will be fine, darlin’,” she told her patting her on the back.
“Patrick, you and Noah go out and keep an eye on the little ones. Molly girl, be an angel, run and get Margaret a cold washcloth for her eyes.” She didn’t have to tell Rory to leave; he just did, leaving Maggie alone with her parents.
Sean hadn’t said a word, just watched the entire thing play out silently. Now that they were alone, he had plenty to say.
“Maggie, how could you not even tell your Ma and me? Have we been such bad parents that you couldn’t confide in us?”
“No, Da, it wasn’t like that. I was so ashamed and scared. I didn’t know what to do. Nick had broken up with me, and he never even knew about Jason. I tried to tell him, but he was so mad he didn’t even open my letters,” she sobbed, wiping her nose on her napkin.
“Then Jim offered to marry me and I promised not to tell Jason that Jim wasn’t his biological father. I never would have told. But when Nick came back for Christmas last year, he saw Jason, and he knew. I don’t know how, but he just knew. And how did I know that Jim was going to die?” Maggie struggled to pull herself together as she continued. “I wanted to tell Jason so badly after Jim passed, but I didn’t know how. What was I supposed to say—oh by the way, Jason, the man who raised you wasn’t your real father? Your biological father didn’t want anything to do with you, just thought you should know? No, there was no way I could have hurt him like that. Better he thought his father died loving him, than to know he didn’t have any interest in him at all.”
“To be fair, Maggie, did Nick know you’d had his child?” Sean asked, trying to get the timeline straight in his head.
Maggie got up and began to pace, twisting her napkin fretfully.
“No, not until recently,” she replied sniffling.
“And what happened when he found out?” Sean continued, grilling her gently.
“He was angry, of course, very angry. He wanted his rights and was prepared to go to court to get them. I tried to get him to see reason and not upset Jason. Truthfully, he has been patient about—”
“Patient,” Sean growled, jumping up from his chair and slamming his hand down on the table. “The man’s got the patience of a saint as far as I’m concerned. Margaret, how could you do such a thing? Keepin’ a man from his only son for
fifteen
years? The very least you could have done was tell him the truth long ago and let him decide if he wanted to be in Jason’s life, but to be denied even the opportunity? Why if anyone had tried to keep me from a child of mine, I would have killed them with my bare hands. You should consider yourself very lucky, my girl, that Nicholas Kord is the kind of man he is.”
Sean sighed deeply and sat back down shaking his head. “I realize you were very young when you married Jim and had Jason. I must admit, I had my misgivin’s even then, especially as you seemed so in love with Nick yet were determined to rush into marriage with another. You were headstrong then, and your headstrong now. And fifteen years of marriage to a man who gave you your own way entirely too much hasn’t been to your benefit. Now you’ve got a hell of a mess on your hands.”
Maeve came and stood behind Sean with her hand on his shoulder. Her eyes were sad, but Maggie could tell from her tightly compressed lips that she was having a hard time not speaking her piece too.
“Oh Da, Ma, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you the truth in the beginning,” she cried. “Please forgive me.” Maggie raised her pleading eyes to her parents. She trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Finally Sean rose and came around the table, gently enfolding her in his arms.
“Of course we forgive you, Maggie, but this is your mess, and you’re goin’ to have to clean it up,” he scolded, patting her back. “I’ll talk to Jason if he’ll hear me, but as far as Nick is concerned, you’re on your own. I don’t imagine he’s too pleased with you right now as this whole thing could have been avoided with a little honesty. Ah, here’s Molly. You take yourself on home now. Molly will drive you. Pull yourself together. The children will be fine here, at least overnight, and we’ll see what tomorrow brings. Maggie, is there anything else we should know, anything you’ve been deliberately keepin’ from us?”
Maggie danced from one foot to the other, wringing her napkin and fighting an inner battle with her conscience. Her amber eyes avoided her Da’s as she struggled to do the right thing. Finally she caved.
“Aw hell, Da,” she groaned. “Just ask Rory. Tell him I release him from his promise and to tell you everything.”
“I’ll do that, darlin’, and I hope for your sake this is the last of the secrets.”
“I hope so too, Da, I really do. Ma, give the kids a kiss for me and tell them I’ll see them soon. I don’t want them to see me like this. It will only worry them.”
“I will, darlin’. You go on home and get some rest. I imagine Nicky will be over sometime soon and for goodness sake, fix yourself up a little,” she whispered as she hugged her goodbye. “Sometimes a little dab of perfume goes a long way to soothin’ a man’s temper. And I’ll send him with some shortcake—that always puts your Da in a better mood.”
Maggie rolled her eyes and hugged her mother.
“I think it’s going to take a little more than shortcake and perfume to get myself out of this one, Ma,” she whispered back.
Molly was waiting for her in the foyer and handed her the cool washcloth. Maggie pressed it to her eyes for a moment, and then ran it around the back of her neck.
“Thanks,” she sighed in relief.
“No problem. Let’s go,” Molly answered heading out the door and pulling Maggie along to her car.
Molly drove an ice blue Fiat convertible with a white interior, and although they all referred to it as the “toy car”, Molly loved it.
“I can’t believe you’re still driving this roller skate,” Maggie teased as she folded herself into the passenger seat.
“Are you kidding? This is the perfect car,” Molly replied pulling away from the curb. “It handles like a dream. It’s fast and fun, and the best part is your brother can’t fit into it. In another couple of years the boys won’t be able to either,” she laughed. “Sometimes a woman needs her space, and this is mine. Plus, when the time comes for the boys to start driving, I won’t have to loan it out,” she finished, obviously proud of her forward thinking.
“Geesh,” Maggie replied. “You were really thinking ahead when you bought this. Wish I had that talent, especially lately.”
“To be fair, dear heart,” Molly replied reaching over and patting Maggie’s hand. “I have a little help with that,” she continued tapping a finger to her temple.
“Right,” Maggie sighed. “I could use some help about now.”
“Be careful what you wish for,” Molly warned. “It’s not always a pleasant gift, but I will tell you this. Sometimes fighting against the fates is just a waste of time and energy. As the old saying goes, ‘what will be, will be’. Maybe you should relax a little more and trust that everything that’s happening is exactly how it’s supposed to be. Like it or not, you’re just along for the ride. Like now,” Molly laughed as she rounded the corner and hit the gas hard. The little car took off like a shot, and Maggie squealed in delight. Their hair was flying, and the speed as they raced down the road was exhilarating.
Molly is right, Maggie thought as she laughed. This is a great little car.
Colleen and Bridget were just locking up the house when Molly dropped Maggie off at the end of her driveway.