Maybe This Time

chapter SEVENTEEN



EMMA PICKED UP the landline to dial Darcy’s number. There was no dial tone. Odd. “Hello?”

“Emma?”

“Darcy? I just picked up the phone to call you.”

“I dialed, but it didn’t ring.”

“Great minds think alike.” She smiled, glad to hear his voice. “What were you calling about?”

“You go first.”

“No, you.” She paced the kitchen. Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t as though she was going to propose over the phone. She was only calling to ask him out on a date.

“How’s Billy?”

It was always his first question. She loved him for it. “He’s in his high chair, spreading pabulum all over the tray.” She moved the receiver close to Billy. “Daddy’s on the phone.”

Billy slammed his hand into the puddle of mush and splashed it onto his face. “Goo!”

“Did you hear that?” Emma said. “I think he understood what I was saying.”

“Clearly. And he thinks my name is Mr. Magoo.”

“Did you call to ask after Billy?”

“Not entirely.” Darcy cleared his throat. “I was wondering if you and Billy would like to go on a picnic.”

A picnic.

Why a picnic? Picnics were a symbol of everything that had been wrong with their marriage. If only he’d gone on a picnic with her and Holly—

No, she couldn’t stay stuck in that mind groove, blaming him for what happened. That afternoon at the pub when they’d cried in each other’s arms should have cured her of that. Guess it was harder than she thought to change well-worn thought patterns. But she would, because if she ever wanted to be with him again, they needed to start on a clean slate.

And maybe a picnic was symbolic for him, too, of a desire and determination to make up for the past, and to show her that he was willing to change.

“Em, are you still there?”

“A picnic would be lovely. What should I bring?”

“I’ve got it covered. I’ll pick you up in an hour.”

She clicked off the phone and picked up Billy, twirling with him in her arms. He giggled. “We’re going on a picnic. We’re going on a picnic.”

Humming a salsa beat, she danced to the nursery to change his diaper and dress him in a clean T-shirt and track pants. Then she carried him to her bedroom to get herself ready. Stroke of luck that Darcy had wanted to see her today, the day she’d chosen to make her bid for his future. Was it a coincidence or was it a sign the universe was conspiring to bring them together?

Still holding Billy she stood before her closet. “What should I wear, skirt or shorts?” Billy had no opinion on the matter, being more interested in chewing on a lock of her hair. “Don’t do that, sweetie. I should have asked Darcy where we’re going. Will it involve sitting on grass in a park or rocks by the sea? With you coming we’ll have to go someplace baby-friendly. A skirt probably wouldn’t be out of place.”

It was only a picnic. But after months in maternity clothes she figured she deserved to get a little girlie. It had been a while since she’d had a big occasion to dress up for—even if Darcy didn’t know it was a big occasion.

Oh, God, what if he rejected her proposal? There they’d be, halfway through their sandwiches and lemonade, and everything would turn awkward. Would they finish eating in silence or pack up and skedaddle? She shook her head. Idiot. Of course she would wait until after they ate to say anything.

“Your mother is a tad nervous,” she told Billy. “Nothing to be alarmed about.”

She laid her clothes on the bed then sat in the rocking chair by the window to nurse Billy. While he fed, she practiced the speech she’d written last night in which she convinced Darcy they should try again. At two pages, typewritten, it was hard to remember word for word so she’d also written out notes on index cards.

“I’ll go over them on the way to the picnic grounds,” she told Billy. “I know, he’s going to think I’m crazy, and it’ll be tricky not to let him see what’s on the cards. I’ll pretend I’m studying for an exam.”

The doorbell rang. “There he is.” She tucked the index cards in her purse and went to let Darcy in.

He smelled so yummy and citrusy with musky low notes that she gave him a peck on the cheek just to get a better sniff. “Mmm, you’ve been bathing in awesome sauce.”

His low laugh, a little self-conscious, rumbled in her ear. She handed Billy into his arms. “Sorry I’m not ready. I still have to get dressed.”

“You look great.”

She was wearing her oldest pair of shorts and a faded T-shirt. “Have you had your eyes checked lately? I hear that forty is the magic age when people start needing glasses.”

He rolled his defective eyes and she hurried to her bedroom. Nice. Be snarky about his age. That’ll get him hot for you. And she’d been doing so well for a moment with the kiss on the cheek and the compliments.

She put on the light summery skirt, a camisole and a sheer blouse in an aqua print that brought out the blue in her eyes. Added a touch of fragrance and some fine gold jewelry he’d given her one Christmas. Brushed her hair again. Breathe.

When she entered the living room Darcy was on the floor, playing with Billy. He stood and gazed at her so long she got nervous.

She touched a dangly earring set with teal-blue tourmaline. “I’m overdressed, aren’t I?”

He swallowed. “You look perfect. Absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Breathe, damn it. He looked pretty gorgeous himself in an indigo-blue cotton shirt and black knee-length shorts. “Shall we go?”

Emma slipped on flat sandals. Darcy carried Billy in his car seat. And for once the elevator cooperated by showing up quickly.

In the foyer of the apartment building, Emma started for the door to the parking garage. “We should take my car since I’ve got Billy’s seat.” She hadn’t thought about having to drive when she’d written her index cards.

“I bought a car seat of the same model yesterday and installed it in my truck so we can transport him in either vehicle.” Darcy pushed open the entry door for her to go through.

“Aren’t you full of surprises?” she said, moving past him.

“You haven’t seen anything yet.” He secured Billy in the truck cab. Then he turned to her with a bandanna in his hand. “And you’re not going to see anything else until we get where we’re going.”

“What? No way. I need to see.” She stepped back, hands out to ward him off as he advanced on her. “You can’t— Hey!”

He spun her by the shoulders and quickly tied the folded cloth over her eyes. “Resistance is futile.”

“This is kind of kinky.” She touched the cloth. But how was she going to study her index cards? “Or is this your answer to my alleged backseat driving?”

He opened the door and helped her inside and with her seat belt. She felt her handbag being placed in her lap. “I want you to sit back and relax. Enjoy the ride. It’ll take about half an hour to get where we’re going.”

How far could they travel in that length of time? Depending on direction it could be down the peninsula to Rosebud or toward Melbourne as far as Mordiallic. Or maybe he was taking her up to the Dandenong Mountains?

Darcy started the engine and pulled away from the curb. Emma tried to figure out where they were going by the speed and the direction they turned. She knew they got onto the freeway for a short time, but after they got off there were so many twists and turns she was completely boggled as to where they were. Darcy, of course, wouldn’t give her a single clue. She’d forgotten how maddeningly stubborn and immune to her probing he could be. There was no noise from the backseat. Billy must have fallen asleep.

Finally Darcy stopped the truck. “We’re here.”

“At last. Now I can take off this bandanna.”

“Not yet.” He pulled her hands away from the cloth and placed them in her lap. “Be patient. Sit there while I unload then I’ll come back for you.” He paused. “Promise you won’t peek?”

“I promise,” she lied. As soon as he was out of the vehicle she was peeking.

“I mean it, Em. I’m trying to create an effect. It’ll be spoiled if you look too soon.”

He had gone to a lot of trouble. And she had to admit, the suspense was exciting. This was part of what she loved about Darcy. She never knew what to expect, but whatever he planned was always entertaining.

“Okay, I won’t look.”

While he unloaded the truck—and it took at least ten minutes so he must have brought a lot of gear—she tried to mentally go over everything she wanted to say to him. How she’d always loved him. How much she needed him. The many ways he enhanced her life. The ways she hoped she could make him happy. In every category she’d prepared examples, of course.

Her door opened and he removed her seat belt. “You can come out now. But don’t take off the blindfold.”

His hand at her elbow, he guided her first over pavement then onto grass. “Watch your step. It’s a little bumpy. Easy...over to your right. Take off your sandals.”

She put a hand on his shoulder and slipped off her shoes. She could hear birds close by and in the distance, a lawn mower. She raised her face and smelled a sweet fragrance, jasmine or daphne, on the breeze. “Where are we?”

“You’ll see in a moment. Step onto the blanket. Sit down. Carefully...right down to the ground. There are pillows.”

She lowered herself to her knees, felt around and located a large cushion. He helped her lean against it.

“Ready? I’ll take the bandanna off now.”

After so long blindfolded, the sunlight made her eyes hurt. She scrunched them shut, then slowly opened them a crack. They were seated on a big blanket strewn with soft cushions in a meadow. A picnic basket sat to one side and a cooler. Billy was in his car seat, still asleep.

Emma gazed around. “Where are we?”

“Can you guess? You get points for each correct statement.”

On second thought, not a meadow and not a park, either. It wasn’t that big. A hedge bordered one side and a fence bordered the other side. A quiet residential street formed a third boundary. And down the sloping grass in front of them was a tangle of bush and then tall pine trees and eucalypts. It was an empty lot.

“Is there a creek down there?”

“Two points.” Darcy pulled a bottle of champagne out of the cooler and two flutes out of the picnic basket. “Five points if you can tell me the name of the creek and the town.”

“It looks like Summerside. But how could that be— Oh, you drove around in circles and doubled back. Very clever.” She’d hoped for someplace more picturesque and romantic to propose to him, but this was very pretty. “Are we on private land? Are we allowed to be here?”

He poured the sparkling wine and handed her a glass. “I have permission from the owner. And yes, this is Summerside. Two and a half points.”

“You said five.”

“You have to name the creek.”

Four creeks ran through Summerside, two with multiple branches. She only knew of one that had such tall trees along its banks. “Earimil Creek?”

“Is that your answer or are you guessing?”

He was teasing her. Emma sipped her champagne, in no hurry to end the game. They had all afternoon, a bottle of bubbly and a basket full of food—which from here looked to contain all her favorite delicacies. He had gone to a lot of trouble for this picnic. Soon she would be asking him a question—one that could change their lives.

“It’s my answer.”

“Five points to the lady in the sexy blouse.”

“I don’t want points. I want a kiss.”

“Raising the stakes, are we?” Dark eyes gleaming, he leaned across two feet of blanket and kissed her. Only their lips touched. His mouth was firm and bold and tasted deliciously of contrasts—warm and slightly salty from the sun and the olives, cool and sweet from the champagne.

He left her breathless and wanting more. More kisses, more laughter, more tenderness. More time together. More certainty in their relationship. “What’s your next question?”

He spread perfectly ripe brie on a cracker and offered it to her. “Don’t you want to ask me anything?”

“Why are we here?”

“Ah, one of life’s age-old questions. I presume you’re speaking metaphysically—”

She threw a pillow at him. “You know what I mean. Why here and not in a park?”

His teasing smile faded, and his expression grew intent and serious. He might have been about to reply or he might have been going to put her off, but she would never know because Billy woke up and started crying.

“Good timing, old man.” Darcy unclipped him from his harness and pulled him out. “Does he need to be fed?”

“No, I fed and changed him before we left. He should be good for another hour at least. I think he’s starting to teethe.” She reached for her oversize handbag. “I have a teething ring in here somewhere.”

Darcy laid Billy on the blanket. “Is that better, mate? Were you folded up too long in that car seat?” He turned to Emma. “Isn’t he a bit young to be teething? I thought I read that teeth don’t come in until they’re about six months old.”

“That’s the average age but some start earlier.” She dragged out her wallet, hairbrush, keys, index cards. “You either have a phenomenal memory or you’ve bought your own baby books.”

“I went online to some baby sites.” Billy stopped crying and rolled over, reaching for the things Emma had taken out of her purse. “Hey, buddy, those are your mum’s cards.” Darcy tried to take them off him.

“I’ll get them.” Emma lunged for the cards. Too late. Billy clung to the cards and the elastic band that held them loosely together slipped off. They tumbled to the blanket. Billy picked one up and put the corner in his mouth. “Give that to me, sweetie.”

While she tugged the card out of his tight little fist Darcy gathered the rest together. “Don’t look at those,” Emma ordered desperately. “They’re just study cards for an exam.”

“What class is this for? ‘I know all your favorite meals and can cook them the way you like them.’”

Her cheeks flamed. “Stop, please, just stop.”

He glanced at Emma. “‘I love the way you sleep with your lips slightly parted? It makes me want to kiss you.’ Who does that? Are you seeing someone else?”

“No, you idiot. You sleep with your mouth open.” She was the idiot. Hearing her words aloud made them sound ridiculous. Snatching the cards out of his hand she shoved them back in her purse and gave the teething ring to Billy. She felt like such a fool.

“Emma.” Darcy’s voice was impossibly gentle. His hand touched her bare knee. “You are the most organized person I’ve ever known, but this is bizarre, even for you. Why did you write those cards?”

“Because I love you,” she said fiercely. Her eyes shimmered, but she forced herself to look at him. “I wanted to tell you all the many different ways I love you. I wanted to give you reasons to love me. I wanted to ask you to marry me—again. I didn’t want to forget a single thing I intended to say because if you said no then, I would always kick myself that I’d gone about it wrong, or hadn’t been persuasive enough, or hadn’t said the right thing.” She dropped her gaze, unable to bear the astonishment in his. “It was a dumb idea.”

“It’s incredibly sweet. And the answer is yes.”

“I beg your pardon?” She needed to hear it again, have it confirmed.

“Yes, I will marry you.” Darcy scooted across the blanket and wrapped her in his arms. He laughed, exulted, and pressed kisses over her face. “I love you, too. I never stopped.”

She grabbed his face and kissed him properly, long and slow and deep, until Billy’s kicking feet eased them apart. She picked the baby up and cuddled him.

Darcy kept his arm around her, his face close. “Now ask me again why we’re here.”

“Okay, I’ll bite. Why are we here?”

“I want to buy this block of land and build a house on it—for us. I’ve already put in an offer, subject to approval from you.” He tipped up her chin so he could look directly in her eyes. “I came here today to ask you to marry me. You beat me to it.”

“I’ve always wanted to live next to the creek.”

“I know. That’s why I chose this one.”

“But can we afford it? You’re renovating the pub.”

“We’ll manage. The quote Gary gave me is affordable. And I have a feeling the pub is going to be more popular than ever when the renovations are complete.” He searched her face. “So, should we buy this land and build ourselves a dream house?”

“Oh, Darcy. Yes! I love this spot.”

“That is the correct answer. Ten points to the woman who won my heart.”

“I don’t want points. I want...” She leaned up to whisper in his ear.

“We might get arrested if we did that in public.”

“We’ll wait till we get home.” Emma leaned back against his chest and looked out at her future backyard. Rainbow lorikeets flitted among the gum trees. Somewhere a kookaburra laughed. “It feels good to have dreams again.”

“And a family.” Darcy’s arms tightened around her. “Maybe this time— No, there’s no maybe about it. This time, we will survive whatever comes our way—together. I don’t ever want to lose you again.”

“Love will see us through,” Emma said softly, her fingers splayed across his hand, snug in the arm that wrapped around her and Billy.

Love wasn’t simple. The journey was full of ups and downs. But as long as she and Darcy were together they could handle any curveball life threw at them.

* * * * *