Chapter 27-29

Chapter 27


Max pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed he wasn’t sure if he heard her right….did she just say she’s pregnant. He stood up and looked down at Lacy who was still laying in the same spot eyes closed tight.

He had to move…he had to do something so he started walking the length of his old room. Every once and awhile he would stop and look at Lacy who had now opened her eyes and was sitting where he had just been sitting watching him.

Lacy sat there and watched him pace…it was only fair to let him have his time to wrap his mind around what she had just said because she had done the same thing not too long before…but part of her wanted him to say something…anything.

“Like with a baby” he stood there looking at her…knowing full well that what just came out of his mouth was quite possibly the stupidest thing he had ever said…but at the moment …it seemed perfectly logical.

“Yes, Max, with a baby” she said with a slight smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Max came and sat down next to her and reached out for her hand and they just sat there holding each other’s and each let it sink in a little bit more.

----

Cassie wouldn’t tell her anything, Cassie figured that the news was theirs to tell not hers even if her mother-in-law had started to ball rolling. So as soon as she knew Max was upstairs Cassie got up and told Frank she was tired and they left saying that they would stop by tomorrow to spend time with everyone. Which left Lucy pacing just like her son was doing upstairs….the only difference was that Lucy didn’t know what her son did…she wanted to know if she was going to be a grandma.

“Lucy, dear, sit. They need to work things out for themselves” Sergei said as he walked over to his wife

“Yea mom relax, he has the Talbot charm everything will be fine” Will who decided to stick around said because of the way his mother was reacting…he knew something big was going on as soon as the pacing started.

Lucy looked over at her son and shook her head and smiled….she raised her boys right and they did have the Talbot charm as her son put if…everything would be fine…hopefully.

----

“So we are having a baby” Max said knowing that Lacy would want to keep the baby… Lacy just nodded and looked over at him. Max was being very calm. It wasn’t that Max couldn’t be calm but he was almost being too clam and it wasn’t making Lacy feel any better.

“A baby Talbot….you know he is going to play hockey right….lots and lots of hockey” Max looked over at Lacy with a huge smile on his face. For the first time Lacy felt calm about the whole baby thing because Max was taking everything so well it was then she realized what he said

“ A baby Talbot…” she said laughing “What if it is a girl Max…. and anyways we won’t know for awhile. I’m barely a month pregnant”

“No…its boy Talbot’s make boys” Max said leaning down and kissing her cheek but then realized that she had said a month and his smile faltered a bit…a month ago they were being careful the only two time they didn’t use protection was that night and that morning. He knew in the back of his mind that it was still certainly possible for her to still get pregnant while using protection but he wasn’t thinking that right now. Right now worst possible scenarios were going through his head as he tried to remember a month ago and some the nights she had to cancel dates because the Dr. she had worked for had some extra patients

“A month…we were careful Lacy…”

All the calm that she had been feeling washed away in that very second…She couldn’t believe he said what he said…was he thinking that she had slept with someone else. Sure when the doctor at the clinic had told her she was just about a month along and not the 2 or so weeks that she thought she was a little jolt but it was entirely possible the condom broke or something else happened. However to Lacy the fact that she was pregnant and she didn’t know when she would see Max or get the nerve to see Max was the bigger shock.

“DON’T…DON’T YOU DARE MAXIME. YOU KNOW THAT…” but she didn’t finish her statement as she had to run to the bathroom because the thought at what Max was thinking was enough to make the nauseous feeling she had since she spit the word pregnant out a reality.

Max immediately got up and followed her…as she was leaning over the toilet and emptying her stomach out he held her hair and tried to wet a wash cloth for her face….all the while that thought in the back of his head came to the forefront and he suddenly remembered that about a month ago he had once grabbed an older condom out of his drawer and didn’t realize it until after but since he didn’t see a tear in it at the time thought nothing of it…until now that is…

Lacy pulled back and took the cloth Max handed to her and leaned against the bathtub. She had spent way to much time in this bathroom today and now she was waiting for the freak out from Max but instead he just sat next to her and turned her so she was facing him.

“Lacy, I’m sorry. I don’t think that you slept with anyone else…the thought may have slipped into my head….” he had to pause because he wasn’t sure if he should tell her or not because he didn’t want her freaking out with her being pregnant and all…but quickly continued when he saw Lacy’s mouth drop open.

“…but it slipped out in the same second….I love you and you love me….things can happen…they happened to us and now we are having a baby Talbot” he stopped and place his hand on her still flipping stomach.

She wasn’t sure how he had dug himself out of that hole or how she let him do it so easily but she was exhausted and emotionally drained….she was just going to blame it on the hormones she knew were starting to go out of wack so she put her head on his shoulder.

“A baby Talbot…and we are going to be ok right?”

“Of course we are going to be ok….but right now we need to go tell my parents…my mom is going to freak…in a good way” he added quickly so she would stay just like she was “ then we will rest for tonight because it has been slightly crazy. Tomorrow we tell your parents and then…we go back to Pittsburgh together…I’m not leaving without you and the baby”

Lacy just nodded and reached out to the hand Max outstretched as he pulled her up so they could deliver what they had decided would be good news to his parents…not knowing Lacy’s dad had decided to make an appearance downstairs.

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Chapter 28

“Where is my daughter” Francis demanded as Lucy opened the door and immediately went into protective mother mode knowing what the man standing in her door way thought of her son’s profession and relationship with Lacy.

“Your daughter came over here willingly…she left your house and your demands”

“I want to see her right now…. We have things to discuss privately without the help of you and your family”

Lucy was now ready for a fight now “She is upstairs talking with my family, my son, because they love each other…they want to be together. She is a grown woman know you can’t….” but she was cut off by Lacy and Max coming down the stairs and she turned and looked and couldn’t help but smile big and the sight of their hands linked together”

“Dad what are you doing here”

“ I am here to bring you back home...” Francis spit as he looked at Max.

Max just pulled Lacy closer to him. He was going to stand up to her father for her… but Lacy spoke up first.

“ I don’t think so. Those two weeks were the worst of my life…I am a grown woman I am not going to listen to your demands about med school because it isn’t going to happen…it didn’t happen the first time you wanted it and it won’t in the future…I am my own person and I’ll say it to you again ” she started raise her voice but Max put his hand on her back and started rubbing they had talked about keeping the stress to a minimum like the Dr. had suggested.

“We have already had this discussion…you wouldn’t listen so I came here and I am staying here until Max and I head to back to Pittsburgh,” her just as her mother was walking up the steps stopped her

“Francis what are you doing…” they had their own argument about coming over here. Laberiane had decided once they saw her car and knew she was ok that she loved Max, no one could change her mind back then and now that her baby was grown up she had to let her be…let her love. She also realized though she and her husband had wanted to best for their children it wasn’t always the same thing and was going to let Lacy be and hope that they could salvage a relationship.

“ I am getting our daughter back to our house and then we will figure out what happens next”

Laberiane shook her head and was about to say something when Max stepped in.

“I haven’t said much so now I am going to… I love your daughter more than anything. I know I fucked up a lot when I was younger and ended up breaking her heart because of it…and if you hate me because of that fine…but everyone deserves a second chance your daughter sees that…and gave me one, for that alone I am the luckiest man in the world. I am not going to sit here and let you talk to her like she is five or worse not even in the room. She told you how she feels that that is it….sorry if you don’t like it.”



Francis just stared at Max as he began turning that shade of red that Lacy recognized and then took a step forward toward them. He had every intention of grabbing Lacy and dragging her if it was necessary but Max stepped in front of Lacy ….nothing was going to happen to her or the baby she was carrying…he didn’t care what he had to do to protect the two most important things in his life.

“You have no right” and he took another step forward even as his wife was trying to grab his arm….he was taking it to far.

“ I have no right…what NO RIGHT TO LOVE HER…TOO LATE….NO RIGHT TO WANT TO SPEND FOREVER WITH HER….AGAIN TOO LATE…SHE MAY NOT HAVE A RING RIGHT NOW BUT SOMEDAY SHE WILL.”

Max was going to keep going but Lacy put her hand on his arm and squeezed…this was not keeping the stress level down at all. She just wanted it all to be over with and since they were here she was going to tell them and then it was up to them what they were going to do with it….she wanted to tell them and then go back upstairs with Max and sleep before they left for Pittsburgh tomorrow. He turned around and looked at her and saw the look in her eye and decided to stop remembering the stress they were not avoiding right now.

Lacy nodded at him and stepped up beside him.

“While you are here…We have something to tell you…” she paused just for a second “I’m pregnant…we are having a baby”

Lucy got a huge smile on her face and practically floated over to her son and Lacy and wrapped them both in a hug…whispering congratulations through her tears. After Lucy let go and walked over to her husband who also had tears in his eyes Lacy turned her attention back to her parents…she saw the tears in her mother’…they looked like tears of joy but she wasn’t completely sure… then she saw her fathers face which had turned a shade darker

“Like I said we are having a baby. You guys can do what you want with it. I will always love you but I have a second family here if you don’t accept Max and the baby…he makes me happy and we both with make this baby happy.”

Her mother wanted nothing more to walk over to her youngest daughter and take her in her arms but her husband was blocking the way.

“We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Pittsburgh and we are going to build a life there….whether you approve or not” she said the last part to her father.

She and her father had a short staring contest before he turned and stormed out of the house. Her mother still stood in the same spot but the tears were running down her face now with a small smile…her baby was grown up and having a baby of her own…she was standing up for what she believed in which even though her father seemed to forget that was also something they had taught their children she hadn’t.

“Laberiane….LETS GO”

She looked at her daughter and Max one more time and the tears started to fall…she turned around and left following her husband out the door.

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Chapter 29



She couldn’t sleep, she wanted too, god she wanted to. Lacy had only slept in short patches for the past week and knew that exhaustion had to be setting in if it hadn’t already. She closed her eyes again and hoped it would work this time. It didn’t she opened her eyes again and grabbed her phone. Seeing that it was almost 5:30 in the morning got a grown as she shifted so we was laying on her back again but this time instead of staring at the spot in the ceiling Lacy shifted her head so she could look at the man who was sleeping peacefully next to her. IT really wasn’t fair they had both had a hard few weeks but he was sleeping like a baby.

That thought cause Lacy to move her hand down to her still flat stomach. She rubbed where she knew she would feel their baby move in a few short months. As she moved her hand up back to her midsection she felt Max’s arm and she started to rub up and down his arm, hoping that it would relax her enough so she could get some sleep.

Instead max felt the light movement on his arm and he opened his eyes just enough to see Lacy staring at the ceiling. He had felt her shift throughout the night but had though she was just moving around in her sleep. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes even though he wasn’t sleeping deeply and lifting his head up to look at her and saw the outline of dark circle, and then he knew she hadn’t been asleep at all.

“Lac, what’s wrong baby?”

“Can’t sleep” she said turning to look at Max who now had his upper body propped up on his arms she he was slightly above Lacy.

“Why not” he asked knowing it was stupid to ask but couldn’t think of anything better to say…he was still half asleep as it was and they had a long drive ahead of them.

Lacy didn’t really say anything she just stared at what was becoming her favorite spot on the ceiling she didn’t have a definite answer for him.

Because his arms were starting to tingle he laid back down but on his side so he was facing her and turned her gently so she was facing him. Knowing she was thinking about what she wanted to say. So he waited as patiently as he could and started rubbing light circles on her back.

“I don’t know Max, so much has happened. And when I think one thing is settled or accept that life is just happening something else gets added to the mix.”

“Ok…” he stopped not know what she was talking about because even though there had been tension downstairs and tension when he first walked in he thought everything had gone fairly well. He was hoping she wasn’t done explaining so he could try and figure it out.

“ Like today…” she looked at Max and heard him take a deep breath like he was worried about something so she rubbed her hand down his face hoping to calm him down before she started again.

“…when I woke up I was ready to finally call you and talk to you but when I went downstairs for the morning I was bombarded with your brothers and then a pregnancy test. Then the clinic just to verify which was terrifying to do by myself even if Cassie was there with me…I wanted you there…”

“Lacy…I will be there from now on though…you know that right???” Max couldn’t keep the worry out of his voice.

She smile and nodded but then kept going “…I was laying her trying to see how I could bring up “I’m pregnant” into the conversation I had planned out in my head with you, but you showed up before I could. When you put your hand on my stomach Max I was so scared that you already knew and you were mad…we never ever talked about kids before and with us just getting back together….”

Max silenced her with a kiss. When he pulled back he looked down as his hand moved down to her stomach taking her hand with his and stopping on her stomach….where their baby was.

“Lacy I could never be mad about this” as he glanced down to where there hand were still resting.

Lacy looked down and then back up at Max.

“I know that now but at the time I mean I was pulled away from my new life a life that I fell in love with, pulled away from you after I fell in love with you again. I couldn’t stand up to my family just like always and then I couldn’t get the nerve to talk to you….” a tear escaped her eye and ran down her face...for almost two weeks she couldn’t and wouldn’t fight for the life she wanted.

“ Is that what you are upset about. Because that is over…we are moving on. You, Me, and the little one”

Lacy couldn’t help but giggle and smile a little bit at how grown up Max was being about everything…it was a complete 180 from the Max a lot of people knew or thought that they knew. Max looked at her laughing and smiling and couldn’t help but smile himself and wondered if she knew how happy he was when she was smiling or how absolutely beautiful she was when was laughing.

He continued “ and as far as your family goes you did stand up to them…”

“but”

“No buts Lac, it may not have been in Pittsburgh… but you did…you did stand up to them Lacy. They wouldn’t listen to you and everyone went along with your father no questions asked but you to a stand and came here.” He paused there to kiss. They may have been having a serious talk but he had missed kissing her, he missed everything about her. Since he had gotten back and they had been reunited so to speak he hadn’t been able to keep his hands to himself. At first because he had to make sure she was real but then it became like always he couldn’t get enough of her and they had almost three weeks to make up for.



After he broke the kiss he went on.



“ and when we went down stairs tonight to share good news but instead we walked in on the makings of World War 3 . I was ready to do it for you tonight because I wasn’t able to in Pittsburgh and if I had well we could have avoided a lot of this but that is beside the point…” he said and stopped to kiss her again.



“Max….”



“I’m not done just yet….you beat me to it and I was so proud of you….you stood up for yourself…for me…for our new family.” He said he couldn’t stop the tear that ran down his face as he looked down at her.



She looked up at him and tried to hold back her own tears as she wiped his away. She loved this side of Max that not a lot of people got to see. They sat there for a minute just looking at each other.



“and not to mention it was HOT” he finally said breathing



She started laughing…that was the Max that most people got to see…. “ HOT” she said before laughing again.



A smile broke out on his face “ What baby…it is so true”



Lacy picked up her head and kissed him he tried to deepen but Lacy pulled away. She still had one more thing on her mind.



“But really do you think everything will be ok. I mean yea I stood up to him but he still left and did you the look on my mom’s face...when I said….when I said that I was pregnant”



Max quickly realized that this was the issue, he knew that they both expected the reaction from her father but he knew exactly what she was talking about…he remembered the look on her mothers face. He hadn’t been able to place it he thought he had seen a slight smile but then instead of saying anything like his mom had…she went along with Francis when he stormed out the of house.



He didn’t know what else what to do so he kissed her again. Picking up his head and looking down at her he knew she was hoping for an actual answer because he knew Lacy had always been close even though her mother backed her father 100% and that strained things between Lacy and her mothers , when they had first got back together Lacy had said that exact thing…but he knew that she loved her mother more than anything and wanted to be close to her…but it hadn’t been possible for a long time …but Max still felt guilty that he started it.



“ I don’t know what to say Lac…I wish I had an answer for you…god I wish I did…so you could relax …so you could have everything that you want…but I don’t. The only thing I do know is that I love you with all of my hear and I meant what I said downstairs…I want to spend forever with you.”



Lacy couldn’t form words… she felt the tears running down her face… Did he just propose??? She heard what he told her father downstairs but it hadn’t registered until just a second ago. If he was proposing her dream was finally coming trues….Having Max’s heart forever and for the first time she truly believed that she had always had his heart.



Max realized he just proposed…in bed while they were talking about family…and he didn’t have a ring. He wasn’t sure if she thought he was serious he hoped the tears were a good thing but she hadn’t said anything and he was getting worried he didn’t want to wait for an answer.



“Lac”



“Hmmm” was all she could get out she was trying fully wrap her mind around everything including a possible proposal.

“Will you spend forever with me?”



Lacy just nodded as Max plunged in for another kiss….Sliding his arms under her and around him, he wanted to be close to her but he still held most of his weight away from her because of the baby but he had no intention stopping the kiss until they both needed air.



Finally pulling up for air but no unwrapping their arms from each other Max put his forehead against hers.



“From now on we start new…you…me…the little one…and anyone who can be happy for us”



She nodded and pulled him down for another kiss….and then pulled away…. “New beginnings”