“It’s all going to be fine. I promise. You’ll have a couple of crazy years, and then you’ll be on to the easy stuff like school and teenagers and driving.”

Maddie sobbed anew at the thought of those unimaginable worries.

“Too far?” Victoria asked.

“Maybe just a bit.”

Victoria started laughing again, and before she knew it, Maddie was laughing while she cried.

“My husband is going to leave me,” Maddie said.

Victoria’s face went flat with shock. “No… No way.”

Seized by sobs and tears and laughter, Maddie waved a hand. “He doesn’t have any plans to leave right now. That I know of, anyway. But if I’m going to be like this for nine months, he’s going to be long gone before this baby arrives.”

“He will not. That guy is crazy about you.”

“Let’s hope so, because he hasn’t seen crazy yet.”

“Go take a nice bath and pamper yourself.”

Maddie took the tissues Victoria offered and wiped her face. “Sorry to be such a spaz. I’ve been a mess all week.”

“You’re not a mess, Maddie. You’re pregnant.”

“I’m a pregnant mess.”

“It’ll feel better when the shock wears off. I promise.”

Nodding, Maddie picked up her purse, stood and gave Victoria a hug. “Thanks for putting up with me.”

“No problem. Set up an appointment for an ultrasound, and we’ll get you a due date on your next visit, and confirm there’s only one in there.”

Maddie blanched at the very idea of more than one. “Too far again.”

Victoria covered her mouth to hold in the laughter.

“Good luck with your sexy Irishman.”

“Why, thank you,” Victoria said with a wink. “I hope to get very lucky later.”

Shaking her head at Victoria’s irreverence, Maddie went to the reception desk to make an appointment for a follow-up visit. She’d be hard-pressed to keep Mac away from that one. Here she was with a three-year-old and a nine-month-old and another on the way. Her already too large breasts would be explosive again in no time, the stretch marks from the last time had finally begun to fade, and she’d only recently been able to fit into her regular clothes again.

And now she was going to do it all again. Maddie trudged out of the clinic into the sweltering heat, blinded by bright sunshine, despite the sunglasses she pulled from the top of her head to cover her raw eyes. She headed for her SUV, stopping short at the sight of her husband leaning against the vehicle, arms folded and blue-eyed gaze pinned on her.

“What’re you doing here?” she asked, less surprised to see him than she probably should’ve been.

“Waiting for you.”