Page 102 of The Contract Marriage

“No. But you have dark circles the size of Texas.”

He shrugs. “Just a little insomnia, nothing serious. It happens from time to time.”

“Stress?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“Just…things. It’s complicated.” He presses his lips together and looks down at his plate, avoiding my gaze.

Anxiety ripples over me. This isn’t like him. I’ve never had to struggle this hard to carry on a conversation with Liam. Actually, I can’t remember the last time he preferred looking at his plate rather than me.

The low energy emanating from him reminds me of how depressed Pochi was after Mom passed. After two weeks, the dog finally realized that Mom wasn’t coming back. Her ears and tail drooped for a long time afterward.

But how do you approach a man who won’t even look at you? It seems off that he’d be so emotional about his work. He loves his company, but he’s the type to thrive, not become despondent, over a challenge. Maybe it’s something to do with his family…?

The scene from the dinner flashes in my mind. Auric and Elita’s careless cruelty, disguised as light conversation. Have they done something to him again?

My hands clench. “Liam, I don’t know what happened, but remember I’m always here with you, okay? You’re my husband, and you matter.” I lay my cheek on his shoulder. “I’ve got your back. Always. And I’ll be waiting whenever you want to talk about…whatever’s bugging you.”

His body sags a little. “I know. Thanks.”

Still, his smile is limp. He waves when I leave with Simon. I blow him a kiss with an extra bright grin, but it doesn’t seem to cheer him up.

Simon notices and frowns. “Is he sick or something? If he is, you might want to be careful. You can’t just take any medicine in your condition.”

“No, he isn’t sick. He’s just…” I sigh. I don’t want to tell Simon how Auric and Elita treat Liam. It’s none of his business, and I refuse to reveal something that private about Liam to an outsider. “…distracted. Probably work stress.”

“Oh.” Simon clears his throat. “Must be rough.”

“Yeah.” I press the back of my head against the headrest and try to shift gears. “All right. Lay out the day for me.”

He outlines the day’s agenda as we crawl through the traffic. I try to focus, but Liam’s dejected expression keeps tugging at my heart. I feel like I should do something about it—although I’m not sure what. Maybe bake him something delicious? I loved it when Mom baked chocolate chip cookies. Or have a movie night?

Decisions, decisions…

The office isn’t even half full. Today’s the last Friday of the month, which means it’s not only a half-day, but a lot of people can choose to work from home. I’d consider telecommuting if I didn’t have to see the diamond inlay samples from Kingswood Stones & Designs.

I respond to a few messages from the factories in Portugal and China. The Chinese factory seems a bit disappointed that it didn’t get the contract to produce the luxury urns. Souring the relationship wouldn’t work since they’ve done well so far. I write back, mentioning a contract to make the tier that’s a step up from what they’re producing now. It will give them a better margin, and hopefully soothe any hurt feelings they might have.

I send the email, then sit back and sigh. If only Liam were so simple. I have a doctor’s appointment to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time next week. Would inviting him make him happy?

The only way to know is to ask, so I’ll do it tonight over dinner. I’d love to see the light return to his eyes, the brightness to his smile. Every time he smiles, I feel like my world is warmer and sweeter.

I lay a hand over my belly. See? You’re my lucky star, and a bringer of joy.

Simon comes over with a bunch of samples. “Here’s how the inlay came out.” He hands me several urns. “I’m not sure about these.”

I take and examine them, one by one. The pale green and pearlescent silver colors are gorgeous, but I don’t like the way the stones are set or how they seem to lose some of their luster under the light. “They aren’t bad…but they look kind of cheap for what we’re going for. These are diamonds, so they need to make a statement. Blue might be better. Talk to the designers and see how reliably Kingswood can provide the colored rocks. I mean, I’m sure they can do it, but let’s just double-check.”

My gaze drops to the Rubedo. If they can do red, they can do blue. The giant rock winks reassuringly under the office lights, as though to say, Hey, it’ll be fine. Liam’ll come around.

“Liam’s people are good.” I wave Simon away. Two other work items are waiting for my attention before I can call it quits.

Simon hesitates, then comes back to stand right in front of my desk.

“What?” I ask, reaching for the next contract on my desk to review.