To say this shit has been bothering me, well, it’s a huge understatement. So, I’ve devised a plan. It was always my intention to take her back to her apartment when they were finished with it, so that’s happening tonight. What she doesn’t know is that my mom came down to babysit so I can take Maggy out on a proper date.
We’ve never gone on a proper date.
So, this is going to be my way of telling Maggy how I feel about her.
That I love her.
Because I do. More than I can say.
And it’s not because she had my child. I think I loved her that first night but confused it with lust. That first night, here, she made me feel for the first time in years. She made me laugh, smile, and she made me want things I thought I’d never want again.
I know how I treated her. Behaving badly that next morning was me protecting myself. Then, when she told me about the baby, well, what did you expect? I’m damaged goods. Somehow, though, Maggy Fitzgerald has managed to put me back together. Maggy and Brynn.
So, yes. I love her.
Now, the question is, does Maggy Fitzgerald love me back?
And that, my friends, is the million-dollar question.
* * *
“A date?”
Maggy’s standing next to Brynn’s crib with a shocked expression on her face. “Tonight?”
“Yes. A date. Tonight. And before you ask, Mom’s going to be here in about fifteen minutes to babysit.”
“Oh.” I swear, I’m not sure I can put a name to the look on her face, because it’s half surprise, half anger.
“You don’t want to go?”
She shakes her head, and I feel like my world is spinning out of control, suddenly. “I do. It’s just…”
“What?”
“A girl needs more warning than this.”
“It’s just dinner.” Well, not just dinner, but it’s not like we’re going somewhere formal.
“I have nothing to wear.”
“Yes, you do.” I smile brightly. Walking out of the room, I grab what I need from mine and return to hers. “I bought you a present.”
There’s that look again.
Shit. Am I doing this wrong?
“What is it?”
Handing her a silver shopping bag that says Nordstrom on the side, I say, “Look inside.”
Gingerly, she takes it from me. Setting it down on Brynn’s dresser, she peeks inside. I watch her reach in and slowly pull out the dress I bought for her. Grasping it by the shoulders, she stares down at the navy-blue dress. It’s kind of plain, but the clerk said, “The fit-and-flare silhouette is very flattering on almost every woman.” I’m not sure what that all means; all I know is that I liked the fact that it’s going to be tight up top and poof out a little on the bottom.
“You’re not saying anything.” Which, with Maggy, I’ve discovered, is a bad thing.
“I’m speechless.”
In a good way?Damn it, woman, say something else.
