Page 7 of Over and Above (Mount Hope #4)

Chapter Seven

Magnus

“Any last words of advice?” Diesel wandered into the kitchen where I was currently ironing our dress shirts on the pull-down ironing board original to the 1930s cottage. All the built-ins were a big reason why I’d bought this place. Well, that, and it had been cheap, allowing me to sink most of my savings into The Heist.

“How about do your best?” I was still trying to wrap my head around this midweek courthouse wedding. Midweek because Diesel had Wednesday and Thursday off but not the weekend. Mid-morning because that was the slot the judge had open. Practical. I was much more of a realist than a romantic, but I hoped the actual wedding next year brought a less businesslike vibe.

“That’s it?” Scoffing, Diesel stretched, tattoos rippling and freshly touched-up blue hair gleaming in the sunlight streaming through the dining room windows. Ben and Jerry had been snoozing on their double-sized dog bed under the windows but roused themselves long enough to investigate whether Diesel had treats. “Your words of wisdom are to try hard. Weak, old man, weak.”

“Try hard is good advice.” We had long had the sort of relationship where we could tease each other and give each other crap, so I kept my voice light. Hanging up his shirt to cool, I moved onto my dress shirt. “As is, listen to Maren. I’m not sure you need more advice than that. You’ve already highlighted the crap out of that pregnancy week-by-week guide.”

I pointed at the book he’d left on the dining room table. A pen, highlighter, and stack of sticky notes sat nearby.

“Yeah, but they don’t make a what-to-expect guide for marriage.” Diesel sounded genuinely dismayed about this, which was funny, considering it had been a challenge to get him to crack enough textbooks to pass high school.

“Sadly true.” I wouldn’t mind a what-to-expect from your mid-forties guide either. “And that’s true for most of adult life.” Letting out a huff, I put some muscle into working out a particularly stubborn wrinkle near the shirt collar. “For what it’s worth, I believe in you and Maren. Try hard, and I think you may surprise all of us.”

“All of us? Is that including Eric?” Diesel looked up from petting the dogs. Ben’s ever-present tongue lolled out, and Jerry rolled over to show his ample belly. I’d adopted the dogs while Diesel had been in Europe, but they weren’t picky about who they accepted pets and treats from. Luckily, Diesel’s lone pair of dress pants were black because he sure wasn’t taking care to avoid dog hair. “It’s a good thing I don’t like coffee because I think Eric wants to poison mine.”

“He doesn’t hate you.” I aimed for a reassuring tone. “He’s protective of his daughter. Like I said. Try hard. Win him over with being responsible.”

“Yeah.” Diesel’s mouth twisted as he straightened back up. “That’s why I said yes when Maren asked me to marry her.”

“Maren asked you to marry her?” I studied him more closely. That wasn’t at all how I’d figured things had gone down. Finished with my shirt, I gave it a quick shake as I didn’t have time to let it fully cool before pulling it on.

“Way to assume gender norms, Dad.” Diesel gave me the sort of eye roll Maren used frequently. “We kind of talked around different ideas as far as cohabitating. I said I wanted us to get married and be a family, but I wouldn’t ask so she wouldn’t have to feel bad saying no. So then she asked me.”

“I revise my estimate.” I chuckled warmly, liking Maren more by the minute. “You’ve got good odds here. You chose well.”

“I know.” Diesel beamed as he shrugged on his shirt. “No idea what I did to deserve her, but I’m going to make sure she knows how lucky I feel every day.”

“Good plan.” I clapped him on the back before helping him with the bright-teal tie he’d picked. “Now, let’s get you to the courthouse on time.”

Diesel grabbed his pregnancy and baby guide. Meanwhile, I did a quick check to make sure the dogs had water and access to their doggy door, which led to the fenced backyard that existed solely for the dogs’ enjoyment and my herb garden experiments. Because I had work later, we drove separately to the historic courthouse square in downtown Mount Hope. I parked closer to The Heist and walked over, catching up with Diesel, Maren, and Eric outside the judge’s chambers.

“You look lovely,” I said to Maren, who greeted me with a hug. She wore a loose-fitting floral dress and sandals.

“It’s because I kept down breakfast.” She grinned and patted her belly. “First time in weeks.”

“Excellent.” I fished an envelope out of my pants pocket. “Since you’re back to enjoying breakfast, you may like this little gift for you and Diesel.”

“A gift?” Maren’s eyes widened as she opened the envelope, revealing the paper I’d printed last night. “A night at the Hopeful Bed and Breakfast?”

The bed and breakfast was on the eastern outskirts of town, enough in the country to feel like a mountain escape.

“I know the real wedding is next year, and maybe you’ll do a honeymoon trip then, but your wedding night should be special.”

“Thank you.” She launched herself at me for a tight hug, followed by Diesel. The two excitedly stepped to the side, discussing plans for that evening.

“Thanks.” Eric’s voice was as tight as the lines around his eyes and mouth.

“Hey, Captain Thunder Cloud.” I bumped shoulders with him. I wasn’t sure of his actual paramedic rank, but captain sounded about right. “I figured you also might appreciate them having privacy tonight.”

“Oh.” He shuddered, apparently only now realizing that the alternative was them staying with one of us as they were still collecting items before moving into their basement apartment at Eric’s. “Good point.”

“I generally do make sense.” I gave him a pointed look. “And I’m not out to hurt you or one-up you.”

“I know.” Eric paused as his stomach gave an audible rumble. Like Diesel and me, he wore a dress shirt with an understated gray tie. The tie had caught the edge of his collar, adding to his overall overwhelmed appearance. “Just wish I’d thought of the idea myself.”

“Maren said she ate, but what about you?” Unable to resist, I reached out and straightened his collar. In a shocker, he didn’t flinch away.

“I had…something.”

“You don’t even lie well.” I shook my head. “We’ll get lunch after this.”

“Maybe a fast one.” Eric shoved his hands in his pockets. “I have to clock on for a partial shift. My supervisor asked for volunteers. I’ve got enough seniority that I could have said no, but I figured I might want the distraction tonight.”

“I feel you.” I glanced over at Maren and Diesel, who were cuddled together on one of the long wooden benches. “I’m actually looking forward to the dinner rush.”

“You?” Head tilting, Eric narrowed his eyes at me. “I was under the impression you were totally fine with all this.”

I made a frustrated noise. “We’re not that different, Eric. I’m worried sick, same as you. I’d rather keep them close so I can hover more effectively, that’s all.”

“That’s smart.” His tone was rather defeated, so I bumped his shoulder again, trying to coax out a smile.

“Telling you, I generally am.”

Before Eric could reply, a middle-aged clerk in a sunny yellow sweater set opened the courtroom doors.

“The judge will see you now.” She ushered us into the room. The air conditioning was at morgue levels of cold, and Maren rubbed her bare arms as the clerk checked over their license and other paperwork.

“Now, we have Dawson Zachary Llewellyn and?—”

“Wait.” Eric made a startled sound, complete with a comical jaw drop. “His legal name isn’t Diesel?”

“Flo won the name battle.” I grinned, although, at the time, I’d been rather irked that she hadn’t wanted any input from me beyond demanding a paternity test. “I won the name war. D-Z-L. He was three or four the first time he noticed his initials and tried to sound them out. From then on, he called himself Diesel, just like his favorite train on a kids’ show. I rolled with it.”

“I see.” A small smile tugged at Eric’s lips.

A smile that promptly vanished as the judge herself, a stately woman with silver hair and a thick pearl necklace peeking out of her judicial robes, entered the courtroom from her chambers. The ceremony was over so quickly that I forgot to ask the clerk to take a picture of the four of us, but I did get a few candid snaps of Maren and Diesel that I could send to them later.

After the ceremony, Eric and I had to sign as witnesses. His hand shook so badly that I had to repress the urge to rub his back to help him calm down. And then that was that, only an awkward lunch to make it through. The staff at The Heist knew Diesel and Maren well, of course, and Casey, one of my favorite servers, doted on all four of us, bringing Maren a lemonade as soon as we were seated and ensuring Diesel had extra fries.

Luckily, Maren and Diesel carried the conversation, full of big ideas for a larger wedding at some point after the baby arrived.

“We could do it at the botanical gardens like you and Doctor Dad,” Maren suggested to Eric. “Or would that be too weird doing it at the same place?”

This whole thing was weird, but to his credit, Eric merely mumbled, “Wherever you both want with adequate seating. All our friends will want to be there, especially when they get wind they missed today.”

“And all our friends as well.” I nodded at Diesel. “The restaurant can likely handle the catering?—”

“I’ll help with the expense,” Eric added.

My impulse was to wave away the offer, but the man was nothing if not prickly and proud. Instead, I offered him a cheeky grin. “I’ll make sure the smashed potatoes are on the menu for you and Maren.”

“It’s strange to think the baby will be here by then.” Maren idly stirred her lemonade with the straw as her voice trembled. “So much is going to change between now and then.”

“But what’s not going to change is that you have a lot of people who love you and are ready to help.” Where Maren had sounded doubtful, Eric was surprisingly certain, almost like her worries had caused him to think beyond his own for a few moments.

“And it’s fun to dream big about the wedding, but it’s also okay to simply stay in the present,” I added. I planned to take my own advice because thinking about impending grandparenthood made me feel older by the minute. “One day at a time.”

“One burger at time.” Diesel grinned until Maren grinned back.

Whatever that brief attack of doubts had been, they both left the lunch in high spirits, headed to quickly pack a bag for their country bed and breakfast adventure. And Eric was off to his shift, which left me to handle business at The Heist, in no hurry to head to an empty house. I paid my neighbor’s thirteen-year-old for help with the dogs over summer break, so I sent a fast text before the dinner rush to make sure Shelby checked the food and water.

While my phone was out, I sent the few pictures I’d snapped to Maren, but a large corporate party distracted me from pocketing the phone. I accidentally left it in my small office at the back of The Heist for most of the evening, not noticing its absence until Casey came rushing over.

“Magnus! Your house is on fire!”