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“That’s because they were perfect, too. Anything you pick is going to look great.”
She appreciated his faith in her. Having grown up in various foster homes, her priorities had been getting enough food to fill her belly and staying out of trouble. Surviving her childhood hadn’t involved learning about colors, textures, and fabrics.
When she and Thomas had married, almost everything she owned was secondhand and ragged. Since then, she’d been learning little by little, mostly by experimenting, what she liked. She had delighted in setting up their home, creating a beautiful environment she and Thomas could enjoy together. Now that their first child was on the way, she wanted everything to be just right, so she had taken experimentation to a whole new level.
She was on winter break from her first year of law school. In her spare time, she freelanced as a researcher for several law firms. She had considered taking on some jobs to earn a little extra money while on break, but Thomas had encouraged her to take her time off seriously by doing nothing at all. Never one to be idle, she couldn’t stop herself from working on the nursery. This wasn’t dry contracts, torts, or mind-numbing procedure. This was relaxing and fun.
Thomas’s big hands covered her protruding belly and caressed. At just over twenty-two weeks, she was all baby. The weight she had gained—thirteen pounds so far—had gone straight to her stomach.
“How’s Sweet Pea doing today?”
Smiling at the nickname Thomas had taken to calling their baby, Kennedy covered his hands with her own. “Sweet Pea is doing wonderful.” She tilted her head to look up at him. “But you know, if it’s a boy, you cannot call him Sweet Pea, right?”
“It’s a girl,” he assured her. “As sweet and beautiful as her mother.”
“I hope you’re right, if only because everything I’ve bought so far is pink.”
“I’m right.” He kissed the nape of her neck. “So. No queasiness?”
“Nope. I think she’s decided to take the day off.”
Warm breath caressed her ear as Thomas gently bit her lobe. “I’d say that calls for a celebration.”
Heat licked up her spine. Morning sickness that lasted long past morning had put a damper on their lovemaking lately. When she wasn’t in the bathroom throwing up, she was concentrating on staying still to keep from getting sick. But today, for whatever reason, the baby had decided to give her a break.
Turning in his arms, she whispered against his mouth. “I’ve missed you.”
His mouth covered hers, and Kennedy gave herself up to the delicious and familiar taste of the man she adored. Two years of marriage had only increased her love for him.
He raised his head and dropped a quick kiss on her nose. “Think that’ll hold you till tonight?”
Her smile teasing, she winked at him. “Yes, but don’t blame me if I get started early.”
His gruff laughter was cut off abruptly as he kissed her once more. Before she could pull him in for a deeper connection, he backed away. “Save some for me.”
Already tingling in anticipation of the coming night, Kennedy watched him walk away, loving how his swagger denoted confidence without a hint of conceit.
Thomas stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder. “I’ll call you before I head home to see what you need.”
Blowing him a kiss in thanks, Kennedy turned back to her project, blissfully unaware that it would be the last time she would see her husband alive.
* * *
Detective Nick Gallagher slid into the front seat of his car, started the engine and flipped on his headlights. Damn, it was already dark. He pulled out of the parking lot and headed in the opposite direction of his apartment, pushing the vision of going home for a quick shower out of his mind. In fact, he’d be lucky to make his date on time. This was the first time today he’d had a few minutes to himself. This morning he’d been tied up in court, waiting to testify in a murder trial. The minute he’d walked out of the courtroom after his testimony, he’d been called in on a double homicide.
He took all of that in stride. He had played this dice when he’d chosen his career path. Sometimes, though, a little downtime to handle personal issues would have been nice.
With that thought in mind, he grabbed his cellphone and punched the speed dial for Thomas. His best friend was a detective in the Narcotics Division. Lately, the only way they’d communicated was through text messages and emails. Yesterday, Nick had gotten an oddly obscure text from him that had put his cop instincts on high alert.
Thomas answered on the first ring. “You forget something?”
“How’s that?” Nick asked.
Thomas chuckled. “Hey, Nick. Sorry. I was just talking to Kennedy. She’s been having some wild cravings lately, and I figured she’d thought of something else she wanted.”
“So you’re headed home for the night?”
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