Chapter 85

There was a huge snag in a big case the firm was working on, and it was all hands on deck at the office the next day.

Liam got home so late, he didn’t have time to go to the store and get a new phone. Or the next day, either.

Finally, on Friday afternoon, he was able to steal away for a few hours and get an upgraded phone.

For some reason, the voicemail that he thought would have been there from that night in Maggie’s office wasn’t there.

Maggie got her final results from her last class and passed with flying colors.

Liam insisted that she graduate, and everyone in the family came to the ceremony. He threw a big party for her at the house to celebrate.

The school year started the third week of August, and Maggie bawled like a baby when she and Liam entered Patrick’s kindergarten classroom.

She took endless pictures even as Patrick kept reminding her. “Mommy, you work here and will see me at lunch!”

Liam swallowed a laugh as Maggie glared at him. He loved that his oldest still used so many British words and had a huge fascination with all things from the UK.

Charlie was equally pleased with his interest. Maggie just went with it.

She slowly let Patrick get started with his day and allowed Liam to walk her to the office.

“He’ll be fine. Please relax, or I will have to take you back to your office and make you calm down.”

She rolled her eyes at the smirk on his face. “I’m fine. I’ll see him at lunch. It just has gone by so fast! I don’t know why I have been so emotional this week! I’m sorry!”

He kissed her forehead and told her he would see her later that night.

The day went well for everyone, and Patrick loved school. He couldn’t stop talking about every little thing that happened. Maggie loved his enthusiasm and hoped it continued.

Maggie dropped Isaac off for his first day of preschool, and he loved every second of the day. He came home with pictures for everyone and plans on which kids he was going to play with the next day.

The twins loved having Tonya’s undivided attention, and she planned fun activities during the week.

August ended with the Olsen family starting a very workable schedule, and everyone seemed happy.

Maggie was exhausted going back to work. She was in bed right after the boys every night and slept well past nine on weekends. She thought she would be getting more used to working again.

Liam came home on a Tuesday early in September and looked terrible. He asked Tonya to stay with the boys for a minute and took Maggie upstairs. Maggie was instantly nervous.

“What’s wrong, Liam? You are starting to freak me out here!”

“Ummm…I found out what the voicemail that we missed that night in your office…”

“Okay, so what was it?”

He sighed. “It was my doctor’s office. They called me again today when I hadn’t called them back for an appointment.”

“Why do you need an appointment? Are you okay? I’m starting to have a stroke here! Stop dragging this out!”

“Well, apparently the vasectomy wasn’t a success... I still have a sperm count...”

Maggie looked at him as she processed what he had just said. When the realization hit her, she was instantly pissed. “~Please~ tell me you are fucking joking Liam!”

He shook his head and looked down, whispering, “I’m not joking, darling. I’m sorry…”

She stood up and started pacing the room.

“Do you know how many times we have had sex since then? Oh my god, I’ve been so tired and emotional for the last few weeks! I’m pregnant!”

Liam reached into his suit pocket and took out a double-pack pregnancy test.

Tears of frustration fell from her eyes as she snatched it out of his hand and stormed off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

He jumped at the noise and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. He knew it was his fault they were in this position. Since the vasectomy, she had stopped using the birth control patch.

He wanted her so bad, and if he had waited until she got home, he would have gotten the call and known he needed to use a condom.

He went into the walk-in closet and changed, thinking about how she was so happy in her new position. He was so proud of her for getting her master’s degree with four children at home.

She was amazing and brilliant, and he hated to think how pissed off she was currently.

He went and sat on the couch, waiting for her. The bathroom door opened, and she stomped through the room, looking at him with anger and sadness in her eyes.

She wiped the tears from her face and threw both pregnancy tests at him.

“Only fucking you could have a one in a million chance at the surgery not working! Congratulations, dickhead!”

She left the room and went back down to let Tonya go home and feed the boys. Liam looked down and saw the positive signs on both tests. She was pregnant.

They were going to have another baby after Maggie had said she didn’t want any more. This was going to be a long nine months. He felt so guilty about this and didn’t know how to make it better.

Liam ran his hands through his hair as he sighed and reluctantly went downstairs to join his family.

He sat down between Noah and Trevor and helped cut their fish and veggies. Patrick and Isaac were already eating and telling Maggie about their tales from the playground.

Liam noticed how his wife had tears in her eyes as she listened to her oldest boys talk. She had a furrowed brow as she threw up a fake smile and laughed feebly with them.

His heart tightened in his chest as he watched their interactions. After the twins finished their meal, Liam cleaned up the kitchen and told Maggie to go relax.

She went to the living room to turn on a cartoon for the boys. They all sat with her and watched until she rounded them up and started the bedtime routine.

Liam joined in and read with Patrick, using the leveled reader that his teacher had sent home.

When all four boys were in bed, he found Maggie in their room, sitting on the couch, crying with her head in her hands.

“Darling, please talk to me... how can I make this better?”

“Better? Can you make me not pregnant?”

“No, but I—”

“Stop! Just stop, there is nothing you can say that will make this better, Liam! I feel terrible that I feel this way to begin with! You have no idea what it’s like to be blindsided with something like this!

“Just when I feel like our family is complete… I don’t know! I feel selfish and horrible just at the thoughts I have about how much this baby will mess up my life! ~My life~, not yours!

“You are not the one whose body will be messed up again, who has to work their ass off after it’s born, and take time off from work!

“Who has to worry about bringing a pump to work and pumping during the day so that this child has the same beginning and healthy start as the first four did…

“Five children, Liam! Do you have any idea about how incredibly daunting that sounds? I just don’t even know how to process this! I don’t know what to do!”

Hearing the pain in her voice, Liam sat next to her and took her in his arms.

“Oh, Maggie, I am so sorry. We will figure this out though. I will be here every step of the way! I know it is you that will bear the brunt of this, but I will be here!

“Just tell me what you want me to do, and I will do it! I love you, Maggie, my sweet, beautiful Maggie…”

She cried in his arms for several minutes before she spoke.

“Let’s just keep this between us for a while, I don’t want to tell anyone. I will call the doctor tomorrow and get in as soon as I can to see how far along I am, and we will go from there…”

“That is fine, darling, whatever you want. I will get my problem fixed as well. I’m just so sorry,” he said, kissing her forehead.

He led her to the bathroom and started the shower for her. She took the hint and nodded, going in as he left her alone to shower.

He went down to the office and checked the report that Sheila had prepared about their private business.

Things were good. They were making money and reinvesting it well, even taking home substantial profits. At least he was doing something right.

He moved the money into different accounts, switched off the computer, locked up, checked on the boys, and went to bed, pulling Maggie close to him to try and ease her anxiety.