A Couple of Forevers (This Time Forever Book 2) (12 page)

Maggie had been infuriated at Renee for being “one of those
easy kind of girls,” and at Dennis for taking Renee’s side.  Of course he was
not thrilled that his daughter was pregnant so early in her life, but his anger
turned into concern for Renee.  For him, the wellbeing of her and her baby were
more important than anything.  Elliott had called Renee during the fever pitch
of the argument.  Maggie had instructed Renee on what to tell him.  She’d told
her to tell him that she had changed her mind about him and that they needed to
not be together.  She knew that Elliott was suspicious and not at all accepting
what Renee was saying to him.  She saw her daughter crying and distraught at
what was happening.  To further her own agenda, whatever that agenda was,
Maggie took the phone from Renee and told Elliott to never contact Renee and
not to come to their house again.  Renee would not be there.  The rest, as they
say, is history.  Renee ended up going to New York to live with Dennis’s sister
and her husband for a bit.  Dennis divorced Maggie and moved to New York. 

Her courtship with Dennis had been fine.  He was handsome,
charming, and truly in love with Maggie.  She was beautiful, intelligent and
ambitious.  Five years into the marriage, things started to fall apart.  Dennis
wanted at least one child.  More would have suited him just fine.  Maggie kept
putting him off, making first one excuse and then another.  They needed to save
money, they needed to buy a bigger house, and she wanted time to stabilize
herself in her chosen field of accounting.  The list went on and on.  They were
not wealthy, but Dennis always made sure that they had everything that they
needed and some of the things that they wanted, and with her job, they lived a very
nice life.  To outsiders, they seemed to be a stable couple.  However, things
were really tense at home.  Not just because of her unwillingness to have a
child or children with Dennis.  Maggie had become increasingly controlling and
jealous.  She would accuse Dennis of having affairs at work.  They had very few
friends because she was so suspicious of everyone.  Maggie finally got
pregnant, but only to keep Dennis tied to her.  She knew that he was miserable
being married to her, and she also knew that he would not leave her since she
had become pregnant with his child.   

She really had not been a good mother to Renee.  She had
tried, but it soon became very clear to Dennis that Maggie had no real desire
to be a mother.  She felt his resentment toward her growing on a daily basis. 
Sure, she always made sure that Renee was clean and fed.  She interacted with her
in public places, reveling in the compliments that Renee got for being so
pretty, smart, and well-behaved.  However, when they were at home, Maggie
didn’t have time for her.  Dennis, on the other hand, doted on Renee in public
and at home.  He would truly listen to the things that she had to say, and
would take note of things that she didn’t say.  He took an interest in the
things she was interested in.  When Renee was sixteen, Maggie overheard her
telling Dennis that she knew that Maggie didn’t want her.  She told him that
the only reason Maggie had Renee was because other people had kids.  Dennis knew
this was true, but he still tried to assuage his daughter’s feelings.  He told
her that Maggie did love her and want her.  He said that Maggie had a different
way of showing love, but that she did want the best for her.  Maggie remembered
the disbelieving look on Renee’s face.  It was true.  Maggie only had Renee to
keep her marriage intact so that people would not see her as a failure.  Renee
had seen through Maggie and she resented her for it.  Rather than getting
herself the help that she so desperately needed so that she could be a better
parent, Maggie had actually become more distant and demanding of Renee.  When
she started seeing Elliott, Maggie decided she would do whatever she had to do
to tear that relationship apart.  Things went downhill for Maggie very quickly
from that point on.  After she disowned Renee, Dennis divorced her, moved to
New York to be close to Renee and his sister, Sophie.  After a couple of years,
Dennis fell in love and remarried.  Renee had her babies, received her degree
and was able to start her own very lucrative company.  Elliott had become the
most sought-out attorney in California.  His list of clients included some of
the state’s most wealthy and elite individuals and corporations.    Everything
had worked out and Maggie was left out. 

So, here she sat, all alone.  With each passing year, she
became more aware of the fact that things did not go well for her.  She had
thrown away her only daughter and her grandchildren, and her husband had left
her because she had been, as he put it, “an evil, controlling, self-centered
bitch.”  She went on a few dates a couple of years after the divorce.  Even
though she had been and still was very beautiful, she never could sustain
relationships.  There was nothing about her that was warm and loving.  While
most healthy, adult men could appreciate a beautiful woman, they also wanted
someone who was kind, loving and nurturing.  Maggie was beautiful, but
possessed none of the other characteristics that would entice a man to actually
stay with her.   She actually did go on to get psychiatric help to help her
understand herself better.  She had hoped that Renee would give her the
opportunity to speak with her, but if tonight was any indicator, she knew that
was a task that was going to be easier said than done. 

Chapter
11

On their drive home from the restaurant, Renee had been
mostly silent.  Elliott didn’t want to upset her more than she already was, so
he didn’t press her too much.  He had already decided to file paperwork banning
Maggie from seeing Renee.  His main priority was to make sure that Renee and
their babies were okay, and that meant that Renee had to be calm and
stress-free.

As they were walking into the house, Renee finally ended the
silence and said, “Well, that was something.  Leave it to Maggie to make her
presence known at the most inopportune times.  I mean, just who the hell does
she think she is?  Tonight was about Matt and Kayla.  Isn’t it ironic that she
disowned us, turned all our lives upside down, and now she has the nerve to
think that I would talk to her or listen to anything she has to say?”

Elliott could see that Renee was becoming more and agitated,
pacing around the bedroom, her voice rising.  “Renee, baby, please just sit
down.  She’s not worth getting upset over.  It pisses me off too that she kept
us apart all that time, but in the end she really played herself.  What’s
important is that we’re all here now, and nothing can ever get in the way of us
ever again.”

Renee took in a deep breath and then exhaled.  Her body
relaxed, and her tension headache was lessening.  She knew that Elliott was
right.  She could not let Maggie upset her.  “I know you’re right, Elliott.  She
always puts herself first, though.  This was a celebration tonight and she
ruined it.”

Elliott pulled Renee close to him as he sat on the bed with
her.  “Look, she’s not going to bother you again, I’ll see to that myself.  I
don’t want to keep talking about her, but I just have one question.  You
actually saw her the whole time we were there and you didn’t say anything?  Why
didn’t you tell me you saw her?  I wonder how she just happened to be there at
the same time we were?”

Renee chuckled and said, “Well, first, that’s three
questions.  I saw her sitting in the corner right after we had been seated. 
I’m sure she didn’t realize that I saw her, though.  I didn’t say anything
because I didn’t want to spoil the party.  I think the reason she knew we would
be there is because I was talking to Alexandria earlier in the week and
mentioned to her that we were celebrating Matt’s and Kayla’s birthday
tonight.   Alex must have mentioned it to Joan.”      

Elliott nodded.  “Well, it makes sense, or at least as much
sense as anything that involves Maggie.”  He took in a deep breath and said,
“We should get ready for bed.  It’s been a long day.  Maybe we could sleep in
late tomorrow, take a shower together, eat some breakfast, get back in bed,
have a snack, get back in bed . . . “

Renee laughed.  “I think I see a pattern with your plan for
tomorrow, and I gotta tell you, I’m really loving it.”  Just as she was
standing to go into the kitchen and get a drink of water, her phone rang.  She
said to Elliott, “It’s Alex.  Go ahead and get in bed and I’ll be there in a
minute.”

Alex apologized profusely to Renee, explaining that she had
indeed been the one to tell Joan that Renee and her family would be at the
restaurant that evening.  Joan was Alex’s mother.  “Don’t worry about it,
Alex.  Aside from being surprised that she thinks she has anything to say that
I actually would listen to, no harm was done.  I’m fine, really.” 

Renee and Alex chatted for a few more minutes, Renee had
three weeks left before her scheduled delivery.  She promised Alex that she
would call her to let her know that everything went okay.  The conversation
ended with Alex promising to come for a visit when Renee was ready. 

~~~~

Once they were in bed, Renee was having a difficult time
going to sleep.  No matter what she did, she just was not able to do it.  She
did not want to wake Elliott up with all of her tossing and turning, so she
decided to go into the kitchen and make some hot tea.  Just as she was walking
into the living room, she felt a sharp twinge in her side and back, followed by
a fast release of red-tinged water going down her legs.  The pain was so fast
and so sharp that she was unable to move, and unable to call out for Elliott to
help her.  She gripped the edge of the island and lowered herself to the
floor.  Once the pain subsided, her plan was to crawl back into the bedroom so
that she could awaken Elliott.  The pains grew sharper and harsher, and she was
really starting to panic.  She attempted to move herself across the floor, but
the pain kept her in the same spot.  The last pinch made her lose focus and then
everything faded to black.

~~~~

Noah and Noelle James were born later that night.   They
were born three weeks early and had to be monitored very carefully for a while,
but they had an excellent team of doctors and other healthcare professionals
who helped them.  They were able to be discharged home after being observed in
the neonatal intensive care unit for a bit.  Renee felt a multitude of emotions
following the delivery of the twins and their subsequent release from the
hospital.  She was, of course, concerned because they were born a little early,
she was thankful that she had the support of her husband and family, and she
was grateful because she had everything that she ever thought she wanted, and
more.   

When Elliott had awakened the night that Renee went into
labor, he quickly realized that she was not in bed with him.  He first checked
to see if she was in the bathroom.  When he didn’t find her in there, he went
into the kitchen where he found her nearing unconsciousness.  He immediately
dialed 9-1-1 and then called Dr. Middleton to let him know what was happening. 
His heart and mind were racing, but he knew that if he let panic set in, things
would only get worse.  He followed the instructions that the emergency operator
gave him, and within minutes the EMT crew had arrived to take her to the
hospital.

When they arrived at the hospital, Dr. Middleton was already
there.  He and his surgical team were ready to take Renee to the operating room
where he performed a C section.  Following the surgery, Renee was able to
convalesce in the hospital along with the babies.  Once they were all
determined to be healthy and strong enough to go home, Dr. Middleton was able
to manage coordinating Renee’s discharge along with that of Noah’s and Noelle’s. 
 

Their first few days at home were busy and joyous.  Elliott’s
mother, along with Kayla and Matt had offered to come over and help out, but
Elliott insisted that since he had taken a leave from his office, he would be
able to handle things.  He wanted the chance to bond with the twins.  He did
have to concede to letting Lena prepare meals for them.  Renee knew what it was
like to have two babies at once.  It took Elliott a few days, but he quickly
caught on and was a tremendous help to Renee.  He was so doting and careful
with them.  It was very touching for Renee to watch her big, strong husband
being so gentle and tender with his babies.   Similarly, he also made sure that
Renee was comfortable.  He ensured that she was eating properly and getting
enough rest. 

At her six week follow-up visit with Dr. Middleton, Renee
was given a clean bill of health.  Her blood pressure, which was what caused
things to spiral out of control with her early labor and delivery, had
normalized, and she was feeling much better.  He asked her how the twins were
doing.  “They are perfect,” she beamed.  “They had their first round of shots
and the pediatrician said they are doing great.  All things considered, we were
all very fortunate to have things turn out so well, thanks to you and everyone
else involved.” 

Dr. Middleton inserted a non-hormonal IUD for Renee during
her visit.  “You can resume sexual intercourse when you feel comfortable. 
Might have some cramping and spotting for a bit.  If you start feeling really
sick though, you will need to see me or my nurse practitioner immediately.” 

When the appointment ended, Renee thanked Dr. Middleton
again.  She and Elliott drove away from the medical facility and went to Ben
and Lena’s.  They had been very excited about getting to watch Noah and Noelle
while Elliott and Renee went for her follow-up visit.  When they walked into
the house, they heard Elliott’s parents playing with the babies. 

“They are so beautifully perfect,” Lena said as she cuddled
Noelle close to her.  “We just finished feeding and changing them, so they will
probably be sleeping at any time now.”

As if on cue, Noah, who was being soothed by Ben, let out a
tiny burp as he lay his little head on his grandpa’s shoulder.  Ben chuckled
softly and placed a kiss on the now sleeping baby’s arm.  “They’ve been quite
busy today keeping the both of us entertained, so I think they deserve a little
nap.” 

Elliott kissed the top of Noelle’s head as he retrieved her
from Lena’s arms.  “I know what you mean.  These two seem to always do
something to keep their mom and me amazed and entertained.  They are growing so
fast.  It’s really something to watch.”

Lena and Renee went into the kitchen.  Renee had attempted
to retrieve Noah from his granddad, but since he was sleeping, Ben smiled at
her and shooed her away.    Lena asked, “Did Dr. Middleton give you a clean
bill of health?”

“Yes, he did,” Renee said.  “He said everything is fine and
to see him again in 3 to 6 months.  Sooner if anything strange happens.”  

They discussed that Elliott would be returning to his law
practice the following week.  “Call me anytime if you need help with them,
dear.  I know you know how to handle two babies, but it means so much for us to
spend time with them.”

Renee smiled at her mother-in-law and said, “Of course I
will call you, Lena.  You guys are welcome to spend as much time with them as
you want.  I’m going to start looking for salon spaces soon, and it will
certainly make me feel less pressured knowing that they are with you and Ben.” 

Lena agreed and went on to inquire about Kayla and Matt.  “I
know that Matt and Sonya are in their own little lovey-dovey worlds right now. 
They came by a few days ago, but didn’t stay too long.  They had that same look
and vibe that you and Elliott would get when you couldn’t wait to get out of
our sight and into each other’s arms.” 

Renee laughed and said, “Yeah, they’re pretty much the same
way when we see them.  It’s really comical watching them try to make up excuses
to leave.  Like we don’t know what they’re doing over there.”

Lena and Renee laughed and chatted a bit longer.  Lena asked
if everything was okay with Kayla.  She had noticed that Kayla didn’t seem to
be her usual cheerful self and was concerned that maybe she wasn’t feeling
well.

Renee sighed and said, “She told me that she’s really
putting in a lot of hours at the ad agency.  Evidently, she is working with one
of the company’s biggest existing accounts and she really wants to make a good
impression on her bosses.  She also said that Mik’s practice is really getting
busy, so he’s been working a ton of hours.  I don’t know though.  I think more
is going on than she is saying.”

Lena agreed.   She and Renee talked a few minutes longer.  
Elliott and Ben came into the kitchen to join them.  They tucked Noah and
Noelle into their car seats, said their good-byes and headed for home.