“Oh, Carol.” The anger Alex was experiencing was so profound that he clenched his fists. The idea of someone beating this warm, vibrant woman filled him with impotent rage.
“I’d lost any respect I ever had for Bruce shortly after we were married. Over the next three years I lost respect for myself. What kind of woman allows a man to abuse her mentally and physically, day after day, week after week, year after year? There must’ve been something terribly wrong with me. In ways I can’t even begin to understand, all the hurtful, hateful things Bruce accused me of began to seem valid.”
“Oh, Carol…” Alex’s chest heaved with the weight of her pain.
“Then Bruce didn’t come home one night. It wasn’t unusual. I knew he’d come back when he was ready, probably in a foul mood. That was what I’d braced myself for when the police officer came to tell me Bruce had been killed in an accident. I remember I stared up at the man and didn’t say anything. I didn’t feel anything.
“I was hanging clothes on the line, and I thanked him for letting me know and returned to the backyard. I didn’t phone anyone, I didn’t even cry.”
“You were in shock.”
“I suppose, but later when I was able to cry and grieve, mingled with all the pain was an overwhelming sense of relief.”
“No one could blame you for that, my love,” Alex said, wanting with everything in him to wipe away the memories of those years with her husband.
“Now…now do you understand why I couldn’t tell you about Bruce?” she asked. “Your marriage to Gloria was so wonderful—it’s what a marriage was meant to be. When she died, your love and James’s love surrounded her. When Bruce died—” she hesitated, and her lips were trembling “—he was with another woman. It was the final rejection, the final humiliation.” She drew in a ragged breath and turned, her eyes burning into his. “I don’t know what kind of wife I’ll be to you, Alex. Over the years I’ve thought about those three nightmarish years and I’ve wondered what would’ve happened had I done things differently. Maybe the fault was my own…maybe Bruce was right all along, and if I’d only been a better woman, he wouldn’t have needed to drink. If I’d done things differently, he might’ve been happy.”
“Carol, you don’t truly believe that, do you?”
“I…I don’t know anymore.”
“Oh, love, my sweet, sweet love. You’ve got to realize that any problems Bruce had were of his own making. The reasons for his misery lay within himself. Nothing you could ever have done would’ve been enough.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“I…I can’t make myself fully believe that, and yet I know it’s true. But Alex…this time I want everything to be right.” Her eyes were clouded and uncertain, as if she suspected he’d be angry with her.
“It will be,” he promised her, and there wasn’t a single doubt in his heart.
Carol awoke when dawn silently slipped through the lush drapes of the honeymoon suite. She closed her eyes and sighed, replete, sated, unbelievably happy. Deliriously happy.
From the moment Carol had agreed to become Alex’s wife to this very morning, exactly one month had passed. One month. It hardly seemed possible.
In one month, they’d planned, arranged and staged a large wedding, complete with reception, dinner and dance.
True to her word, Carol’s mother had prepared a reception dinner that couldn’t have been surpassed. Angelina had started dragging out her biggest pots and pans the Sunday afternoon she brought Alex back to the house to introduce him to the family.
Last week, Carol’s sisters and their families had all arrived. The wedding became a celebration of love, a family reunion, a blending of families, all at once.
At the reception, Alex had surprised her with the honeymoon trip to Hawaii. The boys were mildly put out that they hadn’t been included. Hawaii would have been the perfect place to “check out chicks,” as Peter put it. To appease them, Alex promised a family vacation over the Thanksgiving holiday. Peter and James had promptly started talking about a Mexican cruise.
Carol smiled as she savored memories of her wedding day. Peter and James had circulated proudly among the guests, accepting full credit for getting their parents together.
Alex stirred and rolled onto his side, slipping his hand around her waist and tucking his body against hers as naturally as if they’d been married three years instead of three marvelous days.
Carol had been crazy in love with Alex before she married him, but the depth of emotion that filled her after the wedding ceremony made what she’d experienced earlier seem weak by comparison.
Never had she been more in love. Never had she felt so desirable. Just as she’d known it would be, Alex’s lovemaking was gentle and unselfish while at the same time fierce and demanding. Thinking of how often and well he’d loved her in the last few days was enough to increase the tempo of her heart.
“Good morning,” she whispered, as Alex turned to face her.
“Good morning.”
Their eyes met and spoke in silent messages.
He was telling her he loved her. She was saying she loved him back. He was saying he needed her. She echoed that need.
Alex kissed her again, lightly, his lips as weightless as the creeping sunlight.
“Oh, love,” he whispered reverently, spreading moist kisses over her face. “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of making love with you.”
“I certainly hope not.” She smiled at him, brushing a stray curl from his brow. She fought back the ready tears that his love brought so easily to the surface. But it would’ve been impossible to restrain them. Alex didn’t understand her tears, and Carol could find no way to explain.
He tenderly wiped the moisture from her face and kissed her eyes. “I can’t bear to see you cry. Please tell me if there’s anything I can do….”
“Oh, no…” After all the times they’d made love, learned and explored each other’s bodies in the past three days, he still couldn’t completely accept her tears, fearing he was the cause. Once again, Carol tried to make him understand. “I…I didn’t realize making love could be so wonderful…so good.”
Alex momentarily closed his eyes, his look full of chagrin and something else she couldn’t name. “We didn’t take any precautions last night.”
His words triggered a slow easy smile. “I know, and I’m glad.”
“Why? I thought we decided to wait a few months before we even considered starting a family.
“What do you think your chances of getting pregnant are?” he asked after several minutes of kissing and touching.
She smiled again. “About a hundred percent.”
The room went quiet. When Alex spoke, his voice was strangled. “How would you feel about that?”
“Unbelievably happy. I want your child, Alex.”
His mouth found hers again for a kiss that grew wilder and wilder. Nestling her head against his strong shoulder, Carol sighed. She felt happier than she’d ever imagined possible. Happy with her husband, her family, herself.
Epilogue
After all the years Carol had worked as an obstetrical nurse, after all the birthing classes she’d taught, she should be able to recognize a contraction. Still, she wasn’t a hundred percent sure and had delayed contacting Alex until she was several hours into labor.
Resting her hands on her distended abdomen, she rubbed it gently, taking in several relaxing breaths. Twins! She and Alex were having twins. He felt as excited, as ecstatic, as she did. Maybe even more so…Everything was ready for their babies. The nursery was furnished with two cradles, each with a different mobile hanging above it, and Alex had painted a mural, a forest scene, on the wall for his daughters. All their little sweaters and sleepers were stacked in twin dressers he’d lovingly refinished.
Carol took another deep breath as the next pain struck. Then, knowing she shouldn’t delay much longer, she reached for the phone and called Alex at the office.
“Yes,” he cried impatiently. This last week he’d been as nervous as…a father-to-be.
“It’s Carol.”
She heard his soft intake of breath. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“You wouldn’t be calling me at the office if you were fine,” he countered sharply. “Is something going on that I should know about?”
“Not really. At least not yet, but I think it might be a good idea if you took the rest of the afternoon off and came home.”
“Now?”
“If you’re in the middle of a project, I can wait,” she assured him, but she hoped he’d be home soon, otherwise she was going to end up driving herself to the hospital.
“I’m not worried about me,” he said. “Are the babies coming now? Oh, Carol, I don’t know if I’m prepared for this.”
“Don’t worry. I am.”
Alex expelled his breath forcefully. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Alex,” she cried. “Don’t speed.”
She used the time before his arrival to make some phone calls, then collected her purse and her small suitcase—packed several weeks ago. Finally, she sank into her favorite chair, counting the minutes between contractions.
From a block away, Carol could hear the roar of his truck as he sped toward the house. The squealing of brakes was followed by the truck door slamming. Seconds afterward, Alex vaulted into the house, breathless and pale.
She didn’t get up from her chair; instead, Carol held out both hands to him. “Settle down, big daddy.”
He flew to her side and knelt in front of her, clasping her hands in his. It took him a moment to compose himself.
“This is it, isn’t it? We’re in labor?” he asked when he’d found his voice.
“We’re in labor,” Carol told him and stroked his hair.
“How can you be so calm about this?”
She smiled and bent forward to brush her lips over his. “One of us has to be.”
“I know…I know…you need me to be strong for you now, but look at me,” he said, holding out his hands for her inspection. “I’m shaking.” Gently he laid those same shaking hands on Carol’s abdomen, and when he glanced up at her, his eyes were bright with unshed tears. “I love these babies—our daughters—so much. I can’t believe how lucky I am. And now that they’re about to be born, I feel so humble, so unworthy.”
“Oh, Alex…”
“I guess we’d better go. Is there anything we need to do first?”
“No. I’ve phoned my mother and the doctor, and my suitcase is by the door.” She made an effort to disguise the intensity of her next contraction by closing her eyes and breathing slowly and deeply until it passed. When she opened her eyes, she discovered Alex watching her intently. If possible, he looked paler than he had before.
“Are you going to be all right?” she asked.
“I…I don’t know. I love our babies, but I love you more than anything. I can’t stand to see you in pain. I—”
His words were interrupted by the sound of another car pulling into the driveway and two doors slamming. James burst into the house first, followed by Peter, both looking as excited as if it were Christmas morning.
“What are you two doing home from school?” Carol demanded.
“We heard you were in labor. You don’t think we’d miss this, do you?”
“You heard?” Carol echoed. “How? From whom?”
The two boys eyed each other. “We’ve got our sources,” James said.
This wasn’t the time or place to question them. “All right, we won’t discuss it now. James, take care of your father. Peter, load up the car. I think it might be best if you drove me yourself. James, bring your father—he’s in no condition to drive.”
Their sons leaped into action. “Come on, Dad, we’re going to have a couple of babies,” James said, urging his father toward the late-model sedan the two boys shared.
By the time they got to Ford Memorial, Carol’s pains had increased dramatically. She was wheeled to the labor room while James and Peter were left to fend for themselves in the waiting room.
Alex was more composed by now, more in control. He smiled shyly and took her hand, clutching it between both of his. “How are you doing?”
“Alex, I’m going to be fine and so are our daughters.”
Janice Mandle came bustling in, looking pleased. “Okay, we all ready for this special delivery?” she asked.
“Ready,” Carol said, nodding firmly.
“Ready,” Alex echoed.
With Janice’s help and Alex’s love, Carol made it through her next contractions. As she was being taken into the delivery room, Alex walked beside her. The pains were coming faster, but she managed to smile up at him.
“Don’t worry,” she whispered.
“I love you,” he whispered back. He reached for her hand again and they met, palm to palm, heart to heart.
“Grandma, can I have seconds on the zabaglione?” James called from the large family kitchen.
Angelina Pasquale’s smile widened and her eyes met those of her daughter. “I told you my cooking would put some meat on his bones.”
“That you did, Mama,” Carol said, exchanging a private smile with her husband. She and the babies had been home for a week. Royalty couldn’t have been treated better. James and Peter were crazy about their sisters, and so far the only tasks allotted Carol had been diaper-changing and breastfeeding. She was well aware that the novelty would wear off, but she didn’t expect it to be too soon. Angie and Alison had stolen two teenage hearts without even trying.
“I brought you some tea,” Alex said, sliding onto the sofa beside her. His eyes were filled with love. From the moment Carol was brought to the delivery room, the light in Alex’s eyes hadn’t changed. It was filled with an indescribable tenderness. As she gave birth, his hand had gripped hers and when their two perfect identical daughters were born, there’d been tears in both parents’ eyes. Tears of joy. Tears of gratitude. They’d each been granted so much more than they’d ever dreamed. New life. New love. A new appreciation for all the good things in store for them and their combined families.
The soft lilting words of an Italian lullaby drifted toward Carol and Alex. Eyes closed, Carol’s mother rocked in her chair, a sleeping infant cradled in each arm. The words were familiar to Carol; she’d heard her mother sing them to her as a child.
When she’d finished, Angelina Pasquale murmured a soft, emotional prayer.
“What did she say?” Alex asked, leaning close to Carol.
A smile tugged at the edges of Carol’s mouth. Her fingers were twined with Alex’s and she raised his knuckles to her lips and kissed them gently. “She was thanking St. Rita for a job well done.”
ISBN: 978-1-4268-4364-8
RIGHT NEXT DOOR
Copyright © 2009 by MIRA Books.
The publisher acknowledges the copyright holder of the individual works as follows:
FATHER’S DAY
Copyright © 1991 by Debbie Macomber.
THE COURTSHIP OF CAROL SOMMARS
Copyright © 1990 by Debbie Macomber.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
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