Playing for Keeps (19 page)

Maddie looked nervously at her baby, and Rob chuckled.
"Have you ever been away from him?"

She shook her head and bit her lip.
"Just at work, but he was right next door."

Rob slipped his arms around Maddie and pulled her close.
"I promise you, I'll protect him with my life." He whispered in her ear "He's my son, Maddie."

"
I know." She swiped at her tears and let Rob hold her for a minute. "Okay." She rubbed her face one last time and stepped back. "Sophie, got everything you need?"

"
Yep!" She was already belted in. Rob gave her a tickle and shut her door.

Maddie kissed Sam
's forehead and buckled his seat into the truck. "See you at home, little guy." She closed the door and turned to Rob.

"
That sounds nice." He smiled at her.

"
Yeah, it does. I'm going to stop by the post office and put in my change of address. We'll be a few minutes behind you."

"
We'll be waiting." He kissed her one really good kiss, and she smiled.

"
Drive carefully."

"
You, too. I love you."

"
Yee haw!" Maddie whooped, and grinned as she got into her car. "Lord I love hearing that!" She started to back out then stuck her head out the window. "Oh, hey, I love you, too."

Rob grinned and started up his truck.

When Maddie and Sophie arrived at Rob
's house, he was already unpacking the truck. He stopped to smile at them, then yelled, "Hey Bo! Maddie's home!"

The dog came bounding out the front door to greet the girls.
"Hi, Bo!" Maddie ruffled his fur. "How's my big boy?"

"
He missed you," Rob assured her. "He hated the city."

Maddie grinned.
"And how did 'the city' feel about Bo?"

"
Hate…not too strong a word…yeah, definitely…hate."

Maddie laughed and gave Bo a hug. Rob handed her a box
. "Take this inside and watch what he does."

"
Okay." Maddie carried the box in and set it on the floor in the living room. Bo followed, looked around, and went to lie down next to Sam's car seat protectively. "Aw, sweet." She smiled at them.

Rob set a couple
of boxes down on top of hers. "He's been lying next to the kid since we got here. Sam slept the whole way home."

"
Home." Maddie looked around. "I almost can't believe I'm here." She wandered into the kitchen, then the bedroom. "God, everything looks the same."

"
Boring." He stood behind her. "You need to Maddie-ize the place. You know, put your stuff around so I can see you're really here."

She turned to face him.
"Well, we've got two vehicles full of
stuff
to bring in. By the time you're done unloading that, I bet you'll believe we're really here."

"
That's not what I feel like doing." He backed her up toward the bed.

"
Rob." She shook her head.

"
Uh huh." He smiled, nodding, and inched her backward.

"
Sophie…"

"
…is playing on her new swing set. Can't you hear her?" They listened for a moment, and heard Sophie playing contentedly.

"
We can't do this," she protested as he laid her back gently.

"
I know," he admitted. "But I can kiss you for a few minutes, can't I?"

"
Oh yeah." She rolled into his arms and they kissed passionately.

"
God, I'm glad you're back," he murmured and ran his hands through her hair.

She looked around uncomfortably.

"What's wrong?"

"
A weird thought just went through my mind." She shook her head.

"
Tell me."

"
You don't want to know. It's crazy, ever since I got pregnant I've had some rather strange thoughts."

He chuckled.
"Like the hunting accident?"

"
Yeah, like that." She looked at him. "Nothing I'd ever act on, of course."

"
Well, thanks for that. But, I'm worried. What was your weird thought just now?"

She looked at him.
"Did you make love to Dionne in this bed?"

He looked at the ceiling.
"That is a weird thought. Are you sure you really want to go there?"

"
I'm a big girl. I just want to know."

He looked at her.
"Actually, that's an easy one to answer, because no, I did not. We were here twice, but she brought so much work with her, both times, it pissed me off. I spent my weekends taking care of things that needed to be done around here and running around with Sophie and Bo. They were very happy to be here."

Maddie smiled.
"Are you telling me the truth? I don't want you to lie, just because you think that's what I want to hear."

"
The truth is, I tried to start something with her the first time we were here, and she wanted to work. It pissed me off and I never tried again."

"
When you were here?"

He rolled on top of her and grinned.
"Don't go there. You know that Dee and I had sex. You also know, I was not happy with her. Hell, she wasn't happy with me, either. It's got to be about more than just sex, Maddie. I want the whole deal." He kissed her neck. "You are the whole deal. I want you."

"
I want you, too." She kissed him hungrily.

Sam cried and they both froze. Maddie dropped her head on to the pillow, and Rob smiled.
"You said we couldn't do this."

"
I had just changed my mind."

"
Now we have something to look forward to."

She grinned.
"We always have something to look forward to, from now on…"

"For
the rest of our lives." He finished her sentence and kissed her one more time, gently. He stood up and brought her with him. "And just to clarify, you are the only woman I have ever made love to in this bed. I never brought anybody here because of Sophie, until you."

Maddie was headed out but stopped to look back at him.
"Just to clarify, am I the only one on the porch? In the kitchen? In the pool? In the field by the pond?"

He stop
ped and looked thoughtful, and she took a swing at him. He grabbed her arms and pulled her gently to him. "Yes, yes, yes, and yes. You are the only woman I have ever made love to on these grounds. And, you are the only woman I am ever going to make love to, for the rest of my life. Are we clear?"

"
Oh, yeah." She kissed him deeply. "Thank you for telling me. I feel really good now."

"
Yes, you do." He squeezed her butt. Sam cried louder and Bo came to their door and barked. "All right, all right, Bo. We're on our way."

"
Patience, baby boy." Maddie went to Sam and unbuckled him. She lifted him from his car seat and smelled something suspicious. "Oh, holy cow, kiddo!" His diaper had leaked and he was dirty halfway up his back. She held him out to Rob and said "Here you go, Daddy."

"
Whoa there, Nellie…what am I supposed to do with
that
?" He stared at the crying, dirty baby.

Maddie chuckled.
"Oh, all right. You go find his diaper bag and bring it to me, please. We'll be in the bathroom."

Rob exhaled and nodded.
"I can do that. Be right back."

"
Uh, yeah, hurry." Maddie put Sam in the tub and stripped his clothes off. She ran a little warm water and washed him off.

"
One diaper bag." Rob joined them in the bathroom.

"
How about a washcloth and towel?"

"
Yep." He rummaged through a drawer and handed them over.

"
Could you get a diaper and an outfit from the bag, please? And there should be some lotion in there somewhere."

"
Diaper, clothes, lotion…got it."

Maddie rinsed off the howling baby and wrapped him in the towel Rob
supplied. "There you go bubba. It's okay now."

"
Calm down, boy." Rob kissed Sam's head. He said to Maddie "Want to bring him to the bedroom to dress him?"

"
Yeah." She followed Rob and they sat on the bed and dressed Sam together. He stopped crying when he was dressed and warm again.

"
All better." Rob hugged the baby to him. He smiled at Maddie. "I'll practice on the wet diapers and move up to those other ones, okay?"

She laughed.
"Yep. That was a particularly icky one. I'm going to need to wash his car seat cover and clothes pretty quickly here."

"
You remember where the soap and stuff is?"

"
Yes, I do. If you'll keep an eye on him, I'll go throw everything in the washer."

"
I will. Think you might check on Soph? I can't hear her."

"
Sure." She stood up, kissed Sam's head and Rob's cheek, and went outside to look for Sophie.

They spent the rest of the day putting Sam's room together in what had once been Rob's office. They left his desk and filing cabinet in one corner, and moved the rest of the furniture to the garage.

"
I hate to make you give up your office." Maddie looked around the room.

"
Not a big deal. As long as I have my desk, all I need is a little corner. For now, anyway."

There was plenty of room for Sam
's stuff along with the desk. Rob hung the little O-State jersey on the wall proudly. Maddie chuckled. "I never thought of it as a wall decoration."

"
I like it." Rob hugged her. "It reminds me what his name is, every time I look at it."

"
You're afraid you might forget?"

He smiled back.
"No, but remember, I've only known about the boy for a day. You've had a while to get used to the idea of him. It's still sinking in for me."

She leaned back into him.
"I'm sorry about that."

He kissed the side of her head.
"You did what you thought was best, at the time. I'm just glad I know, now."

"
Me, too."

"
Do you know who else needs to know about this? Quite a few people, actually, like my parents, but I was thinking about Rosa and Smoky. We need to go talk to them, face to face, tomorrow. We don't want them, or Fred and Emma, to hear about this from anyone but us."

Maddie sighed.
"I can't believe I didn't know they got married. But it was hard to talk to Rosa and hear about Smoky and everyone. I couldn't talk about Sam, which was pretty much the only thing I had going in my life."

He kissed her cheek.
"Not anymore, beautiful." They heard the back door slam and Bo bounded into the room before Sophie. "You have a family, now. Maybe more than you bargained for."

"
No way." She squeezed his arm, and smiled at Sophie. "Hey, girl. What's happening?"

"
I'm hungry!" the child announced.

Rob let go of Maddie
and picked up Sophie. "And you are filthy! Holy smokes, munchkin, you find a mud hole?"

"
Yeah, it was cool!"

"
Oh, sweet Jesus." Rob rolled his eyes.

Maddie chuckled
. "Come on, Soph. I'll put you in the tub, while daddy figures out something for dinner." She looked at Bo. "You go with daddy. You're confined to the outside until you get a bath, too, buster."

"
Come on, Bo." Rob shuffled the dog toward the back door. "We've been banished."

Maddie smiled, and headed
toward the tub.

After dinner, Sophie wanted to swim. Maddie yawned. "I'll watch, but I'm exhausted tonight. It's been a busy couple of days."

"
I'll swim with you, Soph. Get your suit on." Rob grinned at Maddie and raised his eyebrows. "I'm energized, for some reason."

She laughed, and carried Sam out to the pool deck so they could observe the swimming.

"We'll have to get Sam some of those swim diapers, so he can come in with us." Rob helped Sophie put on her arm floaties and they got in the water.

"
And a tiny little life jacket," Maddie said. She leaned back on a chaise lounge and settled Sam on her chest. The setting sun warmed her, and she closed her eyes, relaxed.