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There’s a car parked by Nathaniel’s house as I pull into the long drive connecting our houses. For a split second I wonder if it’s his—did Nate decide to come home sooner? But the reality is that I’ve only been at the hospital for eight hours or so, not long enough for him to have flown home from France. Then a familiar curvy figure climbs out of the driver side door.
“Maggie?” I almost miss the ground as I slide out of my SUV. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to wait for me.”
She stops in front of me, teeth already worrying her bottom lip and hands shoved deep in her jacket pockets. “I was going to leave, but then Sophie and Lauren couldn’t find clean glasses, so I stayed to help them out. And then I did leave when they locked up, but I got about ten minutes down the road when it occurred to me that hospital food is terrible and you probably ate there so many times you must feel the same way about the hospital food that I feel about Subway sandwiches and never want to eat another bite again—”
“Subway sandwiches? Maggie, what—”
“Sorry. I ramble when I’m nervous.” She shrugs deeper into her coat, her brown eyes looking up at me through her lashes. “I didn’t want to leave angry. And I didn’t want you to come back to an empty house with nothing to eat.” She shivers as a cold, wet breeze sprinkles us with water from a nearby tree. A drop hits her cheek and she scrunches her face.
Gently, I swipe it off with a fingertip. Her skin is still so soft. “It’s been a hell of a day.”
Neither of us moves for a moment, Maggie’s lips slightly open as she looks up at me. I wait for my instinctual grumpiness to lock my chest up, make my back stiff. But the sight of Maggie’s face, her trusting eyes and the nervous twitching of her left leg fills my chest with warmth instead. Instead of a short word, the only thing I can do is sigh from the depths of my chest and pull her into a tight embrace.
Maggie slips her hands around my back, pulling our bodies close as she relaxes into me. I rest my cheek on top of her head, letting her floral scent fill my nose. She mumbles something against my chest, unintelligible between the hood of her puffer and the sherpa lining of my corduroy jacket.
“What was that, Sprinkles?”
She grins at the nickname. “I said, I brought Chinese.” Another wet breeze hits us, this one swirling down the back of my neck. She shivers hard against me. “Can we go inside?”
I want to respond, but a lump at the back of my throat blocks any words I could say. So I nod and give her a little push toward her car. She scampers off as I unlock the front door and flip the lights on.
I blink back the wetness that’s building in the corner of my eyes, concentrating on hanging up my jacket and turning the thermostat up. I’d stayed at the hospital as long as I could, putting off the moment I’d have to come home to a cold, empty home. It’s not the same apartment I’d had during the worst of the pandemic, thank god, but the echo of my own breathing, the oppressive silence of my lonely post-hospital existence, had been weighing on me the whole drive back.
I’d convinced Jackie to stay at the hotel next door to the hospital, promising to come back and pick her up tomorrow. Greg was in good hands, and the best thing any of us could do was get a good night’s rest so we could deal with tomorrow with clear minds. It’s the same advice I’d given countless times before—but being on the receiving end was infinitely more difficult than I’d imagined.
“Kel?” Maggie bustles in behind me, interrupting my vacant-eyed stare out the back windows. She stops dead as I turn to face her, the white plastic bag in her hands blocking her chest like a shield as she toes off her shoes. She holds it out to me. “Do you want me to put it in the fridge or…”
“I haven’t eaten.” She’s off to the kitchen before I can ask my next question. “Have you?”
Bustling around, she takes off her jacket and hangs it beside mine before going back to the food. Maggie doesn’t answer, busy pulling two plates down from the cupboard. She moves confidently through my kitchen, dishing up a plate and popping it in the microwave as she takes care of the next one. “I haven’t,” she finally says. “I just got a mix of stuff, I hope that’s okay?”
I’m staring at the coat hooks by the door—Maggie’s black puffer hanging beside mine looks exactly like it was always meant to be there. Even her shoes are set neatly beside mine. She’s busy in the kitchen, humming to herself as I stand and stare like an idiot.
There’s a strange tightness in my chest—not the usual empty kind—but like my heart is trying to fill all the dark empty spaces that have crept in over the last few years. How did she know? That the thing I was dreading the most was coming home to no one? That when June left me, the silence was what left my soul raw.
I have to clear my throat before I can answer. “That’s fine. Um.” I have to clear my throat again. “Thanks. For the food, I mean.”
Maggie stops, plates in hand, staring at me. “I can go home if you want to be alone?”
“No!” Instinct makes me answer more forcefully than I intend, but the idea of being alone right now fills me with dread. I cross to her, taking the plates and setting them down on the counter. “No, I’m glad you’re here. I…”
I choke on my word and Maggie is wrapped around me a moment later, whispering into my neck. “I got you. I’m here. It’s going to be okay, Kel. I’m here. I’m here.”
Reaching down, I wrap my hands under her thighs, lifting her so we’re chest to chest. Maggie cups my cheeks in her small hands before leaning forward and kissing me softly. Her lips chase away the last traces of the emptiness in my chest as they move feather-light along my cheeks and jaw.
“Maggie.” My voice cracks on her name like I’m a prepubescent boy.
“Hmmm? I’m busy.” She giggles in my ear, biting the lobe.
“The food is going to get cold.” I focus on the practical to keep my dick under control. Her heat is so temptingly close—I want to drop her an inch and rub against her. But she didn’t come here offering me her body to forget the horrible day. I refuse to repay her kindness with carnality.
She pulls back, confusion on her face. “Sorry.” She straightens her legs, forcing me to put her down.
“Come here.” I pull her tight against me, my half-hard dick pressed against her belly. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you bringing me dinner. And in case you couldn’t tell, I am happy you’re here.” My stomach growls audibly and I grimace. “But I think I need to eat before I thank you properly.”
Maggie giggles, rolling her body against mine. “Sustenance first, got it.”
She grabs the plates from the counter behind me and takes them to the table. I grab forks and follow, pulling her chair out before taking my own seat.
