A/N: The new chapter of "We Three Hearts" is now available!


February 18th 2022

Chapter 49
Our Inspiration For Results

They picked her up from her apartment in the morning, just as they'd planned. She was waiting outside with her nose in a book. Anyone who bothered to look at her properly would be able to tell that her mind was clearly somewhere else. If she'd read anything off that page, she would have read it over and over without taking it in. The dress was new, purchased for the day. She wanted to make a good impression with her son's potential family.

"Is Theo coming with you?" Maya asked, turning from the passenger seat to look at her as she climbed into the back.

"He wanted to, but I told him I needed to do this on my own," Nika explained. "With you guys, but just…" she clarified.

"We know," Lucas promised. She was so nervous, and they could understand that, too. The decision was not one that she could take lightly, not for a second. If today worked out, they could move forward, awaiting the big day when baby Anthony would be born. And if it didn't work out, for any reason, then they'd see about organizing a meeting with her next choice…

They would have had this meeting at the house, would have been happy to host them, but Nika asked if they might pick a different place, a restaurant, a park, something like that. If they were somewhere else, she'd have more control on the situation, wouldn't feel so awkward if she wanted to walk away. If things went well, maybe they would move everyone back to the house, but for now, the place was Ma Maggie's.

"You want to order right now while we wait?" Maya asked as they sat around their table. Nika's nervous energy was not letting up and it now resolved itself in tip-tapping her feet, twisting her hands together, fussing at her dress…

"I'm… I'm not hungry…" she shrugged.

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked her.

"No, I'm starving," she finally admitted. "But if I start eating now, I'm not sure I'll be able to keep anything down…" she explained. Maya reached for her hand and Nika squeezed hers back. She just couldn't help but being nervous right now, and they couldn't fault her for it. All they could do was help manage what she was feeling. Hopefully, the feelings would soon dissipate.

Every time they heard the door open, she'd be the first to look up, but they'd all have the same reflex, so they'd look, too. Breakfast time at Ma Maggie's was always a busy, lively time, and they could see why Nika had chosen it. She didn't want to risk being stuck in awkward silences, and there was no chance of that happening here now. They were earlier than the appointed time, as had been the plan, the better to give Nika a bit of time to prepare herself, to calm herself if that was possible.

Lucas nudged Maya's foot under the table, and she looked at him, so he directed her eyes to look out the windows. When she did, she quickly saw what he'd seen, and she nodded to him before looking back to Nika so she would notice, too. Here she was, sitting with them, nervous beyond measure, but she wasn't the only one. Outside the restaurant, they could see the woman almost standing in place if not for how she kept pacing in a very short space, hands gripping at one another… She was trying to pull herself together before going inside. Unlike Nika, she had no one there to hold her hand and tell her everything would be okay. Nika turned to Lucas, eyes asking without words, and he stood up.

"Excuse me? Miss Miller?" he asked as he approached the woman. She paused and looked at him when she heard her name. He knew it was her, he recognized her from the profile, but she wouldn't know him. "Lucas Friar," he offered his hand, and she shook it. "She's inside with my wife," he explained with an encouraging smile. It grounded her in the situation, and she breathed.

"Are you…" she started to ask, unsure how to ask the question that boiled down to 'how do you fit in this?'

"I'm a friend of the family," he told her. It was the easiest way to go about it right now. "I don't know how much you know just yet about Nika. Her parents aren't involved, so we've been helping her with the adoption process." The way the words resolved into sympathy on her face before settling her nerves into something like purpose… There was a girl in there who had to be way more nervous than she ever was, and whatever her situation was, she needed stability.

"Thank you," she told Lucas with a smile. He opened the door for her, and they headed inside.

When she saw them approaching, Maya whispered to Nika, and the girl went to stand so she did as well. As hard as the choice had been for her to make without her fears and concerns getting in the way, she had finally trusted her gut, but now that they were finally meeting this woman in person, it was only natural that she'd be back on the side of fear. What if she'd gotten it wrong? What if they'd all been fooled and she'd be just the way Nika's parents were?

"Miss Miller, I'd like you to meet Nika Petrelis, and my wife, Maya Friar," Lucas introduced them. Nika was still a bit frozen in place, so Maya went ahead and shook the woman's hand, where she was told that she could call her Madeline.

"Hello, Nika," she turned to the girl now, with a smile that showed compassion for how nervous she was, even as it tried to show that she didn't have to be. Whether it worked or she'd just pulled herself together, Nika finally extended her hand, and the introductions were made.

As they sat down and settled in, Lucas, Maya, and Madeline exchanged some small talk, with the visitor complimenting the restaurant, while the couple asked how her travel from Minnesota had gone… All the while, Nika stayed silent and observed the scene. She had already told Maya and Lucas how much she looked to them as the kind of family she wanted for her son, so if she saw them getting along with his would-be mother… The first time she spoke was when the waitress came to take their order. Now that she had spoken, it felt harder to stay silent. She didn't want to make it too obvious that she had been silent. The first thing she thought to ask was…

"How's your dog?" Immediately, she looked like she thought it had been a really dumb question, but Madeline only brightened and immediately responded.

"Oh, she was not happy to see me go. But she's with my brother and his family, and she loves being around my nieces and nephews, so I'm not too worried. I'm sure the moment I get back though, she won't leave my side for a second," she laughed, and Lucas and Maya understood that sentiment very well, thinking of their own pups.

"What's her name?" Nika asked.

"Pepper," Madeline told her. "Had her from a puppy. I'd just lost my previous dog, Pratchett, and I'd had him since I was in middle school. Part of me didn't think I was ready for another dog yet, and then one night I just went to the shelter. Next thing I knew, I had this sweet girl with me. Best call I'd made in a while."

It wasn't as though she'd gone and completely flipped the switch, but Nika seemed to grow a lot less nervous moving forward, just from hearing Madeline Miller speak about her dogs. It told her so much of what she wanted to know, needed to know. Taking this as a signal that she was allowed to ask her a few things, Madeline asked for Nika to tell her a bit about herself, anything she felt willing to share, which in itself told her that anything she didn't feel ready or willing to share was free to stay off the table.

Nika considered the request for a few moments. She could share or withhold whatever she felt like sharing or withholding, yes, but then what her resolve seemed to say was just 'why should I?' Here was this woman who could well be her son's mother, and she needed to know that she was the kind of person she'd want to give him to. So, she explained a bit of where she was at right now. She told her how she and her older brother had gone through the whole process in order to become independent of their parents before moving to Austin at the end of summer. She didn't go into too much detail about what their lives were like back home, but she said enough to paint the necessary picture.

She told her how she and Theo were now living on their own, together. It hadn't been easy to find their way at first. For one, they were little more than kids, herself especially, but also… They had spent all their lives following the structure imposed on them, enough so that it had been difficult not to feel the pull of habits and expectations. But they had started to get better at it over time. Even so, all this getting used to their new life had taken place at the same time as her going through this unexpected pregnancy. Of the baby's father, she said very little, but she made it clear that he'd had zero interest in being involved. It had been a small miracle – aided by Maya and Lucas – that she had obtained some notion of his family's medical history and was now able to share it with their child's prospective parent. She talked about finding out she was pregnant, and how she'd struggled with what to do before finally making the decision to give him up, to some family who could give him the life she couldn't.

Madeline had been very attentive the entire time, showing great amounts of empathy for the sixteen-year-old. When a few dropped pronouns revealed to her that Nika's child was a boy, there was a sting to her eye, the familiar feeling to one discovering this information when it had to do with a child that would be theirs… or might be…

"I… I call him Anthony," Nika slowly revealed. "You wouldn't have to, I just… That's what he…" Whatever reaction she'd expected, Nika was surprised at the swell of new emotions in the woman sat across from her. Here, Madeline Miller revealed that her grandmother had been called Antonia, and she was one of the dearest souls she'd known. Now, Nika's eyes were starting to well up, too. There was not in fact a single dry eye at the table. Already, it seemed like they knew how this would end, and it was a really good feeling. "If I wrote him a letter… for when he's older, would you…"

"Yes, of course," Madeline promised. "So, he can find you?" she asked, and Nika nodded.

"Can I ask… You're… Well, you're by yourself. And I don't mean that there's anything wrong with that," Nika quickly specified. "I just wonder…"

"It's alright," Madeline told her. "I understand why you'd be curious. Honestly, I was worried that it would turn people away from even considering me, but I… I know what it's like, needing to put a traumatic part of your life behind you… more than I can say. I'm by myself, as far as that kind of relationship, because that's what I need from all of that in my life. But to be a mother… that's a whole other universe, and I know I'm not one yet, but I…" she shook her head, trying to find a way to summarize what she had already expressed in her profile down to a few short words. All the while though, her hand kept hovering just over her heart, and it kind of said it all.

They continued to talk as their food arrived, mostly the three of them adults around the table, as Nika had not been kidding with how hungry she'd been. They let her eat in peace. Maya and Lucas spoke of their girls, the four they'd had together and the one they had adopted, all grown, which led to the revelation of Ella, and Tori, and their connection to Nika and her brother and Anthony… Madeline was a baker, running a very successful business with her sister and brother, and to see her discover what Ma Maggie's had to offer… There was not one bit of her that wasn't exactly who she presented herself to be, and it was so much weight lifted from Nika's shoulders that they could see it, just looking at her.

When they got up from the table, there was a small beat, like they weren't sure what would happen next. But then… Nika blinked, and she smiled. She motioned for Madeline to give her a hand and, when she did, she placed it against her belly, right where she'd just felt the baby kick. Soon, Madeline felt it, too, and to see the way she smiled, and cried… In the space of this meal together, she'd come to care for this young girl, and for the boy Anthony… so much so that as she felt him move now, she was struck with the notion that her hopes might be dashed, and if that happened…

"Okay," Nika told her, and Madeline blinked. "I want you to be his mom," Nika went on, in no uncertain terms. "Okay?" she asked, now feeling that bit of fear, too. What if she…

Madeline's response came in a hug. Nika hugged her back, and as far as they could see, Maya and Lucas saw a path that started, a path for one Anthony Nicholas Miller, as he would eventually be. Here were his biological and adopted mothers, being the answer to one another's hopes.

By the time they'd make it back to the house, there to receive the family and listen to the 'demo' version of the MSC musical, neither Maya nor Lucas would have managed to stop feeling that overpowering sensation they'd felt back at Ma Maggie's. They were just so happy, for all three of them, the woman, the girl, and the unborn babe… If that wasn't enough, to then go and be reunited with their own little girls with this feeling in their heart… They could not imagine their lives without this growing family of theirs, and if they'd had doubts, after ending up with three baby girls all at once, as to whether or not they were looking to have more… The doubt was gone… if it had existed at all.

TO BE CONTINUED


See you tomorrow! - mooners