Three of Hearts (9 page)

Mae could feel his erection against her belly and she spread her fingers across his chest.

“What I wouldn’t give to strip you down right here and show you how much fun this bathroom was designed to be.”

Mae looked him in the eyes and rubbed her thumb across his bottom lip. “As wonderful as that sounds, I don’t think your friends would appreciate the wait.”

Nibbling at her mouth, Seth said “The hell with them then, besides they will just be jealous that I’m the one with the sexiest woman alive.”

Oh and how sexy he made her feel but she thought his sentiments were tad biased.

“But I suppose you are right. We should hold that thought for later. Because what I have in mind I certainly don’t want an audience for.” Seth gave her one last kiss and they left the bathroom. They were close to his bedroom door when Seth’s cell phone rang. He answered it and motioned for her to wait for him. He walked over to the large office area in the corner and continued his phone call. Not wanting to disturb him Mae went over to the bed and fluffed the pillows. That’s when she noticed on the bed side table was a framed photograph of a beautiful blonde woman. That must be Seth’s deceased wife. Mae couldn’t help but stare at the beautiful woman staring out from the picture. She had long blonde hair that curled softly at the ends. Her hair brushed her shoulders and her bright green eyes sparkled as if she knew a secret. Her lips were curved in a smile that would win a pageant and she had pearls in each ear with a matching string that circled her neck.

Mae didn’t notice that Seth had ended his call or that he was standing next to her. He watched as she examined Maggie’s picture.

He gave Mae a light kiss on her temple and awoke Mae from her trance.

“This is your wife.” It wasn’t a question but rather a statement. “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you,” was all Seth could say.

“Tell me about her?” Mae asked as she picked up the photograph and ran her hand across the scalloped ends of the frame.

When Seth didn’t say anything, Mae put the frame back on the table and turned toward Seth. She placed her small hand on his massive chest and said “please, Seth.”

Seth gave a sigh and decided he would tell her.

“Maggie and I met in high school. God she was fun. She always smiled like a cat that ate the canary. Her laugh was my favorite sound. We continued dating all through college and married when I was twenty-three and she was twenty—two.”

Seth walked away from Mae and paced toward the bathroom, right before walking over the threshold he turned and faced her. He ran his hand over his head and huffed out a large breath. He stuck his hands in his jean pockets.

Mae didn’t think he was going to speak again but he did.

“We had Conner the following year. Aidan came two years after that. Six months after Aidan’s birth, Maggie noticed increased cramping which she thought was her period. She went to the doctors and had to do a shitload of tests. Three days later we got the call to go to the doctor’s office. Maggie had Stage III cervical cancer. She immediately started chemo and radiation. They went in and removed a portion of her cervix. She was found to be in remission a year later.”

Seth stopped and stared at Mae. Mae understood what he must be feeling. How many times did she see husband and wives of her patients watch their loved ones fight such a horrific disease?

“The doctors advised us not to have any more children but Maggie didn’t listen. She wanted a girl. She said that she had beaten the disease and she wasn’t going to let anything stop her from having her ‘Megan’. So after a couple of years, her cancer remained in remission, I gave in and agreed. We tried to get pregnant. It was harder this time. With Conner and Aidan we tried and we were pregnant like that. But finally after four years we found out we were. From the moment the pregnancy test read positive, Maggie told everyone that her Megan was on her way. I came home from work one night to find Maggie painting the spare room the pink that is there now.” Seth was smiling as he looked at the floor.

Mae wanted to go to him but stayed rooted to where she was.

“It was Maggie’s 20-week prenatal ultrasound that we found out about the tumor.” Seth whispered the words. He shut his eyes and let out a slow breath. He told her this much he ought to finish.

“The doctors insisted on an immediate termination of the pregnancy and for Maggie to start chemo and radiation ASAP. But Maggie stood her ground and said she was going to carry the baby to term and then start her treatments. I begged and pleaded with her to reconsider, as did the doctors and our families, but Maggie wouldn’t listen. The remainder of her pregnancy the tumor grew and spread. I watched as my wife became weaker and weaker. She delivered Megan at 33 weeks via Cesarean. But at that point the disease had spread throughout her body. Maggie never came home from the hospital and I buried my wife three weeks after the birth of Megan.”

Mae had tears rolling down her cheeks when Seth looked up from the spot on the floor he had been staring at, as he finished the story.

They stood there facing each other but neither of them broke the distance.

Seth regained composure by running both his hands over his face and then rubbing his goatee.

“So that’s that…”

Mae went to him then and put her arms around his neck—a gesture soothing and sympathetic. Seth kissed her head and said “thank you.”

“That’s why Megan’s middle name is ‘Hope.’” When Seth looked at her wondering how she could know, Mae continued by saying “Lynne called Megan by her full name when I moved in.”

“Yes… I thought it was fitting.”

Mae stood on tiptoes and kissed Seth.

“Come on let’s go down and get ready for the crowd” Seth said to lighten the mood

The walked down to the kitchen hand in hand.

Mae had a new found respect and compassion for the tragedy that the Finn’s had experienced. And without being told Mae knew it was a great trial for Seth to tell her the story of his Maggie.

SIX

A few hours later the party was ready to begin. Mae was on the deck with Lynne setting the patio tables up. Seth was filling the deck mini fridge with beer and wine coolers. Conner and Aidan were on the lawn playing a vicious game of badminton and Megan was making sure accurate score was being kept.

Robyn and her fiancé, Bryan, were the first to arrive.

Robyn ran up to Seth and gave him a kiss on the cheek and then, to Mae’s surprise, walked over to Mae and kissed her cheek as well.

“Mae I’m so happy to see you!” Robyn’s smile was full and beautiful.

She leaned in and whispered to Mae “Lynne and Conner have told me that you and Seth are seeing each other. I couldn’t be happier.” Robyn smiled again and then went into the house in search of Lynne.

Mae looked over at Seth and saw him talking candidly with a tall blonde hair man. He reminded Mae of a surfer with his shaggy bleach blonde hair and his tanned skin.

At the same moment, the blonde god noticed Mae, and walked over and took her hand.

“You must be Mae. Robyn has told me a lot about you. I’m Bryan, Bryan with a ‘y’.” and he gave Mae a megawatt smile.

Not understanding the reason why he mentioned the spelling of his name, Mae nevertheless smiled and said “It’s a pleasure to meet you Bryan.”

Slyly, she added “Bryan with a ‘y’.”

Their mutual laughter marked the beginning of a wonderful barbeque.

They were joined by Dylan and Seth’s other friend Wes Thompson. As well as Robyn’s friend Kathy and her husband Joe. Conner’s friend Michael and two boys they went to school with. Lynne’s husband Liam, their three children, along with their spouses and children. And Mae’s friend Leo.

Mae was watching every one talking and having a good time. From outside speakers pumped a festive, eclectic variety of music.

Robyn and Kathy were talking with Lynne’s daughters, Christine and Molly, when Robyn called over to Mae. “Hey Mae, come over and join us. We are talking about the no good, good for nothing men in our lives.” And there was huge clamor of female laughter.

Mae walked over and took the seat closest to Kathy and listened as Robyn told a story of how Bryan recently had to remove the entire kitchen sink drain to find Robyn’s engagement ring that somehow fell off her hand.

Mae enjoyed the female company and instantly liked Kathy, Christine and Molly. Molly was breast-feeding her son and Christine was rocking her toddler daughter. Mae was admiring how sweet the little girl in Christine’s arms looked when Christine asked her if she wanted to hold her.

“Oh no, I wouldn’t want you to wake her,” Mae said in a hush tone

Christine laughed, “Oh Mae, the sun is up, so my precious Sophie is out cold. Now come bedtime and more importantly my bed time, well then she wakes whenever I blink.”

Christine passed the sleeping child to Mae and Mae inhaled Sophie’s scent.

Molly noticed the look of contentment on Mae’s face and said “you look good cuddling a baby.”

Mae smiled, thinking of all the years she had wanted a child of her own.

Seth walked over in that moment and noticed the Mae holding Sophie and something constricted around his heart.

“How are all my favorite ladies doing?” He addressed the group but his eyes never left Mae’s face.

“We are starving, when are you firing up the grill?” Robyn asked as if she would never eat again.

Bryan yelled from across the deck “That’s my woman, always hungry!”

Mae noticed that Leo and Wes Thompson were deep in conversation. Then she remembered that Wes was an architect and knew Leo was going to college online for Architectural Design.

Sophie’s dad, Mitch, came over and took her from Mae to lay her down inside. As soon as she was child free, she walked over to Seth, at the grill, and offered to help.

“Having fun?” He asked her.

“I am. Your friends and family are all so wonderful.” She smiled at him

“Thanks, I’ll keep them.”

Just then Leo walked over to Mae. They stepped away from the grill and stood over next to the railing.

“Hey Mae, thanks for the invite. It was really nice of you. I was just talking to Seth’s friend Wes, and he gave me the number of a friend who works at a big architectural firm in Burlington. He said he is looking for interns.” The smile on Leo’s face was from ear to ear and Mae could hear the excitement in his voice.

“Leo that is fantastic!” Mae kissed his cheek.

“Hey, hey none of that, unless, of course, if I’m the one who’s kissing the gorgeous woman.”

Mae looked over her shoulder to find Dylan and Wes walking towards them.

Leo said, “Well thanks for the invite, I appreciate it, but I gotta get to the hospital. I’ll call you later.”

Leo kissed Mae on her cheek and went over to Seth to shake his hand and thank him.

“So Mae, do you have kisses to give away because I have a whole lot of body that loves kisses.” Dylan said shamefully.

Seth yelled from the grill, “Find your own woman!”

Dylan turned to Seth and said with his cocksure attitude “Hey man, they find me.”

Mae shook her head thinking she had never met anyone like Dylan before. She turned to look at Wes to find him studying her.

“Hello Mae, we haven’t been introduced. I’m Wes Thompson.”

Mae took his outstretched hand and noticed his hands were soft and free of callouses.

“Pleasure to meet you Wes, your design for the new wing at the hospital is breathtaking.”

“Thank you. It is one of my favorites” Wes studied Mae and agreed that Dylan was right on, she was a very gorgeous woman.

Mae heard a hint of a southern twang in Wes’ voice.

“Dylan tells me that you are a nurse at the hospital and that you are fairly new to the area.” Wes inquired “Yes, I’m from Boston. I moved here about three months ago. And judging from your accent you must not be originally from here either,” Mae remarked.

Wes smiled, and said, “No one can get anything by you, can they”

Mae smiled and enjoyed a get to know you kind of conversation with Wes Thompson. She learned that he moved to Vermont from Texas when he was five. His mom remarried and her husband was transferred here for work. Wes met Seth and Dylan in grade school and they even talked him into playing football. He played into high school but quit his junior year to focus more on his academics. He won a scholarship to University of Vermont and went on to Syracuse where he graduated summa cum laude. He worked in Syracuse for a while at an up and coming architectural firm and then moved back here about eight years ago. Unlike Seth and Dylan he didn’t live here in Hamden but lived about forty minutes away.

As she spoke with Wes she realized what an attractive man he was. He was tall and thin but there was no denying his physical strength. He had what Mae’s mother would call a swimmers build: broad shoulders and chest that narrows at the waist. His long legs were displayed in lose fitting cargo pants. His short blonde hair was cut close to his head. His sunglasses were perched atop his head and Mae was happy because if he had them on she wouldn’t be able to see his clear blue eyes. His skin was tanned golden brown and his cologne lingered around her, reminding her of a musky luxury label.

They were quickly joined by Dylan, who brought a beer over for Wes and a glass of Pinot for Mae. Mae was touched that he remembered her preference.

Mae listened as Dylan and Wes discussed a project they were working on together. She found that the men’s personal relationship was not a hindrance but rather a help in their professional relationship.

Just then, Seth announced that the food was ready, and everyone made their way to the banquet size table holding the barbeque feast. Everyone piled their plates high and the easygoing atmosphere continued. When everyone’s stomachs were filled, Seth issued a Volleyball challenge.

The teams were picked and the battle began.

Seth and Mae were on opposite teams. Dylan told Seth, since he had Robyn, Christine and Molly, he couldn’t monopolize the women, so he pleaded with Mae to be on his team. Dylan and Mae were joined by Conner, Michael, their friends Paul and Chris and finally Megan.