Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (184 page)

A
few
pieces
of
lingerie
appeared,
causing
Aggie
to
blush
furiously,
something
the
rest
of
the
ladies
all
seemed
to
find
inordinately
amusing.
Libby
seemed
to
wince
as
Aggie
picked
up
one
box
and
read
the
card
attached.
“It’s
from
my
new
mother!
I
can’t—oh
no.
Not
really…”

“Well,
I
wanted
to
be…
encouraging.
I
thought
it
might
be
a
nice
thing
to
get
from
a
mother,
especially
since
your
mother
wasn’t
doing
well
enough
to
come
last
minute.”

Poor
Libby
couldn’t
have
said
anything
worse.
Tears
filled
Aggie’s
eyes
as
she
pulled
the
ribbons
from
the
package.
Her
mind
filled
with
questions
of
what
her
own
mother
would
have
brought.
Sure,
they’d
mail
it
or
bring
it
to
the
wedding,
but
not
to
have
her
mother
there
that
day
,
already
hurt.
To
be
reminded
of
it
was
a
second
blow.

Nestled
in
lovely
pink
tissue
was
the
prettiest
pair
of
matching
bra
and
panties
that
Aggie
had
ever
seen.
Her
hand
traced
the
lace,
marveling
that
it
felt
soft
instead
of
scratchy
.
There
was
uncertainty
on
Libby’s
face,
making
Aggie
feel
terrible.
She
hurried
across
the
room
and
hugged
Luke’s
mother.
“Thank
you.
It
means
a
lot
to
me.”

As
Aggie
passed
the
last
gift
to
her
right,
she
looked
out
over
the
group
and
sighed.
The
feeling
of
contentment
was
unreal.
These
people,
even
those
she
didn’t
know,
had
come
together
to
give
her
a
special
day.
The
effort
in
gift
giving
alone
seemed
incredible
to
her.

“Can
I
just
say,
and
I
know
it’s
probably
tacky
to
do
it,
that
I
appreciate
every
single
gift.
Even
if
each
one
had
been
a
toaster
or
a
waffle
iron
or
a
regular
iron—”

“That
I’m
pretty
sure
Aggie
doesn’t
know
how
to
use,”
Tina
interjected.

“
It
would
have
been
amazing
that
you
took
the
time
to
find
them
and
bless
me
with
them.
However,
I
just
really
appreciate
how
much
work
you
guys
went
to
in
order
to
give
me
a
variety
of
things
that
I
don’t
already
own.
That
little
vase
from
your
own
windowsill?”
Aggie
smiled
at
Theresa
Torres.
“It’s
perfect.
I’ll
always
think
of
you
when
I
put
the—ahem—flowers
in
it
that
the
little
ones
bring
me.”

“Oh,
dear.
She’s
getting
sappy.
I
think
it’s
time
we
send
her
home
so
Luke
can
enjoy
the
benefits
,
and
we
don’t
have
to
be
embarrassed.”

Milliken says:
Hey sweetie, how was it?

Aggie says:
Not the same without you

Milliken says:
I’m sorry.

Aggie says:
Don’t be sorry. I just missed you.

Milliken says:
  The doctor  has me on some strong  antibiotics and

promises (after I threatened him with sure death otherwise) that I’ll be fine by the wedding.