Surprise! Surprise!. Tina Leonard

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      “I’ve known you since high school. It’s tough to suffer any illusions about a guy who used a jock strap as a slingshot in the locker to defend me from the A-string army. I became a lawyer to protect you from any and all litigation your bad humor got you into from that day forward.”

      “It was only a few overdeveloped knot-heads who needed to be taken down a peg. You could have used your own jock strap if it had been bigger.”

      “Great. Always the personal jibes about the short, skinny guy,” Martin complained.

      “But you don’t owe me your life from that day forward,” Sam told him gently. “I merely want one simple thing.”

      “Name it,” Martin said, as always.

      “I want to find out how I keep Maddie from dipping into my sperm savings in the future. I have rights in this matter, and I want them exercised. I know she wants more children. Four was always her dream number. I just don’t want my name in the father slot on her future lab experiments.”

      Martin coughed, and it sounded like whatever he was drinking spewed everywhere. “You really are giving up the hero role, aren’t you, buddy?”

      “Yeah. I still want it friendly and easy, the way you managed to work out the specifics of our separation.”

      “Kid-glove detail.”

      “Exactly.”

      “Why do I have a bad feeling Maddie isn’t going to want to be my stand-in little sister after this?”

      “Maddie believes I only want to be here for the sake of the children. She’s never going to be convinced that I want her for her, and that I honestly believe we belong together. Any future children are going to have to come from our physical—”

      “I think I get your drift,” Martin interrupted. “I’ll get right on it.”

      MADDIE STARED AT her mother and Sara, who’d come in to help her with diaper time. Then she burst into tears.

      “What’s wrong, honey?” Franny demanded.

      “I don’t know. I’m weepy for some reason.” Maddie touched the toes of her babies lovingly, each touch a miraculous sensation she cherished. “I think seeing Sam again has me off balance. This should be a happy day, and yet he’s angry with me. I expected him to be upset, but I didn’t realize how strained we would feel.” It had been so much better when she and Sam had enjoyed a happy marriage. To see him again after nine months had been a shock to her system. His anger had been heartbreaking.

      Each grandmother took a child in her arms. Franny shooed Maddie toward the bathroom. “Take a shower. You’ll feel so much better if you do. A good warm shower will wash all those worries away.”

      “All right.” Maddie sighed and went to get some fresh clothes. She was in between sizes. Her pregnancy clothes were too big now, and her regular clothes didn’t fit. She pulled out another pair of elastic shorts and a sleeveless top that would cover a nursing bra. “At least this gives me the illusion of working toward my normal body size.”

      Franny eyed her over the sleeping baby in her arms. “Don’t rush yourself. I know you’re feeling tense with Sam right now, but I’m sure he finds you attractive just the way you are.”

      “Men always think of your body the way it was before the baby,” Sara assured her. “At least Severn always says he still sees me as the girl he fell in love with.”

      “Maybe that’s the trouble. Sam’s not in love with me. He’d live with me again, to give the children a proper family. But any deep feelings we had went out the window during our marriage.” Even though this had been a fact for a long time, Maddie still found it wrenching.

      “He didn’t seem angry to me awhile ago,” Franny said. “Although I did hear him raise his voice a bit when he was on the phone.”

      “Must have been about the wine company merger,” Sara guessed.

      “I think he was talking to Martin,” Franny said with a frown.

      “Oh, well. That explains it. He always yells at Martin.” Sara shook her head as she finished diapering a baby. “It’s not a normal legal relationship those two have, that’s for sure. I don’t yell at my lawyer. He’s too…uninvolved for me to yell at. I say what I want, and he does it.”

      “Well, Sam never did what anyone wanted him to,” Franny asserted. “And Martin merely does his best to advise Sam, who is usually intractable, and I mean no insult to you and Severn. Sam is Sam and I’m sure he had Martin’s head in a vise for good reason. Now, dear, I’m positive Sam is simply trying to come up to speed on the fact that he’s a father, and he’s not angry with anyone.”

      Maddie wanted to believe Franny’s words, yet was painfully aware of the wounds their marriage had suffered. “Mother, haven’t you ever heard the old saying there’s no going back?”

      “Nope. Haven’t heard that one. I have heard that the second time’s the charm,” Franny said brightly.

      “I don’t know. Something’s not right,” Maddie murmured. “We’re not on the same track anymore. Sam and I used to be compatible. We were very comfortable with each other. We’re just awkward now.” She glanced up at Sara and Franny. “Out of whack.”

      “Out of whack?” Sara repeated.

      “Not on the same wavelength,” Maddie clarified. “I have a funny feeling Sam called Martin about the babies.”

      “Maybe he wanted to brag,” Sara suggested.

      “Not if he was yelling. And that’s what makes me nervous. Sam never yelled before. He’s a very civilized person.”

      “Well, Martin could drive a body to yell,” Franny pointed out.

      “Custody agreements can’t be instated at this point, can they? Since the babies came after our separation?”

      “Oh, Sam wouldn’t want to take the children away from you,” Sara said. “He wouldn’t think it was right for a mother and her children to be separated.”

      “Well, they’re not just her children,” Franny said slowly. “As much as she thinks she did it on her own, she did require help. And that help was Sam’s doing. Reckon he has some rights where the boys are concerned. Maybe he just wants to know for sure, and that’s why he called Martin.”

      “Oh, dear,” Maddie said. “I wouldn’t want my babies going to France for their visitations.”

      “I’m sure Sam would let you come along,” Sara exclaimed. “Wouldn’t that be fun? The two of you and the children in such a romantic place?”

      “You’re not helping,” Maddie said gently. “Sam and I do not want to take trips together.”

      “Sam and I don’t want to do what?” Sam asked as he entered the room after briefly knocking.

      “Don’t want to go to France together,” Maddie explained.

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