Page 96 of The Contract Marriage

My mouth twitches. If I’d known he’d be this happy over such a small gift… Then again, it’s never too late to start giving him more presents. I blow him a kiss. “Simon, let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

He hops behind the wheel. “How long are you going to be sick, do you know?” he asks casually as he drives out onto the road.

“I have no clue. Mom told me I was an angel baby,” I say. “But she might’ve fudged a little to keep me from feeling bad.” She was that kind of person. Always sweet, always thinking of others. But in the end, being a good person wasn’t enough.

So I’ll be ruthless, I vow, laying a hand over my belly, even as my mind wonders what that would show my child.

Chapter Forty

Liam

The tie’s amazing. I keep touching it. But at the same time, I seethe all morning long.

I’m glad Olivia felt better when she left, but hate that it was Simon who brought that ginger. Probably non-organic, cheap ginger made using even cheaper sugar. He purposely angled himself away from my wife, then gave me that superior smirk before getting in the car and leaving with her.

If she’d just accept a female driver…! But no, she said it was ostentatious and wasteful, not to mention stressful, and I had to give up on the idea. Still, seeing Simon drive her every morning is like a splinter under my nail—not fatal, but irritating as hell.

“What’s your deal?” Emmie asks. “You’ve been smiling and glaring at everyone since you walked in. Mixed signals aren’t good for morale.”

“Have you ever been pregnant?”

She laughs. “Is this a joke? Of course not.”

I sigh. “Then you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, and you would?” She lifts an eyebrow.

“Yes. Vicariously through my wife.”

“She’s pregnant?”

I nod with a scowl.

“Is…this not a good thing?” Emmie says slowly.

“Not if she’s puking all day.”

“Oh, that?” She shrugs. “Lots of women go through it. It gets better, though. There’s a reason we gain a lot of weight and end up glowing.”

Olivia glowing with the baby growing in her womb… She’ll look amazing. But first, she really needs to stop throwing up all the time.

“Lemon and ginger are supposed to help,” Emmie says. “Try that.”

I make a face. Simon already brought ginger, but maybe I can get her a better variety. Homemade and one hundred percent pure.

–Me: Frederich, I need crystallized ginger slices. Organic, non-GMO ginger and sugar only.

–Frederich: Sliced with a Yoshimi Kato and prepped in Mauviel M’250C copper pots?

That sounds like some kind of top-secret code, but if Frederich’s bringing it up…

–Me: Yes. If that makes it better.

–Frederich: Shall I also prepare a lemon and honey tea with the Manuka MGO 1000+? Organic, non-GMO and, of course, perfect?

His dry tone comes through loud and clear. The man needs to learn to insert a smiley-emoji or two to soften his text.

–Me: Yes, if it helps with morning sickness. Use whatever’s premium. The best. No expense spared.