Chapter Sixty Eight
Mac looked around the house and started loading up the SUV for what was going to prove to be a very long flight to see Harm. She started running through a mental checklist to see if she remembered to pack everything for Mackenzie.
"Diapers, baby wipes, bottles, formula, juice, baby food, clothes, bibs, shoes, pack-n-play." She trotted Mackenzie's things downstairs and set them by the door.
"Mattie shake a tailfeather!" Mac yelled as her teenager daughter came down the stairs with her suitcase and a garment bag full of her uniforms.
"Mom, Commander Smalls is on the phone waiting for you to get back to him on the plea bargain for the case that you were working on."
She grabbed the phone from her, "Yes Deek."
"Colonel, best offer that my client will take – reduction in rank, forfeiture of pay for three months, no brig time."
"Deek, reduction in rank, four months forfeiture of pay, and 6 months brig time. He tried to steal from the NEX!"
"We will take the deal."
"You are a good man. Draw up the paperwork and bring it by my place and I will sign off on it tonight before I leave for Italy."
"You are leaving tonight?"
"Deek, how many times do I have to tell you, I am leaving for a two week vacation to see my fiancé in Italy with his children starting tomorrow."
Just then Emily's parents came driving up in their Honda Accord.
"Sarah, how good to see you again!"
"Aunt Mabel, Uncle Charlie, how is little Brennen?"
"He is doing just fine. Sarah, we want to thank you so much for taking him. Your Uncle Charlie hasn't been feeling all that well lately."
"It really is not a problem. My father-in-law is flying the family out using the corporate jet so it really isn't going to be that bad."
"Does Brennen have everything he needs?"
"We believe so."
Mac started taking Brennen's things to the SUV when Jen and Sergei pulled up. "Mac, take a breather, we will load the SUV for you." Sergei said popping out of Jen's car.
Mac said thank you to him and lifted Brennen out of the car seat. He immediately ran towards the tire swing the Harm and hung on one of the trees. "Boys and all their energy. Jen, grab him for dinner in about an hour will you?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Aunt Mabel, Uncle Charlie, forgive my rudeness, would you like to come in doors for a dime tour of the house?"
"We would love too." She escorted her relatives inside. "Welcome to my home."
"Sarah, isn't this your fiance's home?"
"Well, yes it is." She heard Mackenzie from upstairs stirring from her mid afternoon nap. "Excuse me for one moment."
She ran up the stairs and grabbed Mackenzie from the nursery and changed her into a little dress and came back downstairs.
"Let me show you around the property." She showed them around. She led to the back patio. "This is the pool house. Sometimes Mattie will have friends over and they will stay in the pool house. I believe Mattie is with the riding instructor right now. She is supposed to be learning how to jump fences sometime soon."
"Well Sarah, you are certainly going to marry up!" Her aunt said to her.
"Excuse me?"
"Well, after your last disastrous marriage to the punk and then throwing yourselves into the marines, we are surprised that you were able to find a man to take you. Of course, Emily did tell us that you too had a child together. That explains so much."
Mac felt her world crumble from underneath her. The only reason why Harm was with her was because they had a child together.
"Please say Sarah that you knew this," her aunt Mabel looked at her.
"Excuse me!" A voice said from the back porch, "Hi, I'm Patricia Burnett, Sarah's mother-in-law. I assure you, it is my son that is so very lucky to have someone as wonderful as her. Now, if you like, I believe my stepson can show you to the door."
Sergei showed the O'Haras to the door. Trish put a comforting arm around Sarah. "Oh darling, don't listen to a word they say. It is not you who is marrying up, it is my boy. He loves you so, and would marry you even if it wasn't for Mackenzie."
"How do you know that Trish?"
"Because, he asked me for my engagement ring before he knew about Mackenzie, right before he went after you in Paraguay. He was going to propose, and I still don't know why he didn't, but there is a reason for everything darling."
Frank put a reassuring hand on Mac shoulder. "The boy loves you, and so do we."
He swept Mackenzie up from Mac's lap. "Don't listen to that awful woman."
Mattie came up from her riding lesson, very excited to tell her mother what she learned for the day, she didn't mean to overhear, but she did. "Trish, Frank, what happens if I take after every single woman in my family? My mother ran off when I was fifteen, my aunt just told me that I wasn't good enough for this family."
Mattie came up, "I don't care who what Aunt Mabel said, but you definitely belong in this family."
Mac shook the tears from her eyes, she wouldn't cry in front of her daughters. "Mattie, when did you get done with your lesson?"
"Just a few minutes ago. I learned how to ride side saddle."
"That's great Baby. Dinner is arriving in a few minutes. I ordered from the Italian Kitchen."
"Sounds great Mom."
"Take Mackenzie and go wash up for dinner."
"Yes ma'am."
Mattie took Mackenzie, asking her grandparents to come with her to make sure everything was secure for their trip tomorrow. She seemed to know that her mom needed sometime by herself. Mac kissed both her girls on the cheek and watched her family walk inside.
She slipped on her jean jacket which she had in the pool house and started cleaning up a little outside. When she reached down to pick up one of Mackenzie's toys and her star necklace came tumbling out from underneath her sweater.
"Harm, honey, I really need you right now." She sat down on the grass and looked up that sky. Just then she felt her cell phone vibrate.
"Mackenzie."
"Hi Honey. I was lying in bed and I just got this overwhelming sense that you needed me."
"Are you only marrying me because I am Mackenzie's mother?"
"Baby, I love you. I proposed to you because I couldn't imagine my life without you in. Yes you make a phenomenal mother, but I want to marry you so you can be my wife."
He heard her sobbing on the other end of the phone. "Marine, calm down and take a breath. Now, I want you to feel my arms around you, I want you to imagine me running my hands through your hair." He lowered his voice, "You are an amazing woman, you are strong and when you love, you love with all her heart. And because you love with all your heart, you also hurt with all you heart." He heard her breathing stabilize on the opposite end.
"I miss you so much Harm. I thought I could do this but I can't. I need help."
"Talk to me."
"We will see each other the minute the ship docks."
"I'll hold you to it Marine."
"You just hold me the minute you get in."
"I promise, now go feed our children and I will see you in two days."
She closed the phone and wiped her eyes. She got up and whipped off her jeans and finished putting on the winter pool covering on the pool. Just then Brennen came running around the side of the house.
"Aunt Mac, I love you!"
"I love you too Brennen Bug. Are you ready for dinner?"
"Yeah!"
In the window, Trish was watching her daughter-in-law play with her little cousin. Sergei came and put his hand on Trish's shoulder.
"Trish, I am worried about Mac."
"Sergei, she is a woman dealing with her husband off fighting a war that half of America thinks we shouldn't be in, and she feels like she has to fill the roll of Mom and Dad to her girls. Not to mention there is Mattie's stressful schedule of where she is supposed to be. She is trying to be the mother she never had."
Mattie came downstairs with Mackenzie and put her in the high chair, she looked over and saw her mother came walking in, and ran over to give her a hug.
"I love you Mom."
"I love you too Mattie."
"Are you excited about flying to Italy tomorrow?"
"I can't wait to see Dad again. Are you sure that it is okay that Max is flying with us?"
Frank looked up, "The more the merrier. Besides you need someone to talk to on this flight. We take off at 0500. Have Max and his parents meet us at the airport at 0400."
"Thanks Gramps!"
