Page 363 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

FOURTEEN

Siena glanced up from the glass of water she had cupped between her palms. She’d been holding it for so long that now her fingertips were numb from the coldness. Even the condensation dribbling down the side of the glass had left wet spots on her gray sweatpants, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care when she had other things on her mind. Hell, she needed to drink more water according to her doctor.

Yet, she couldn’t bring it to her lips.

Well, at least she filled a glass to carry around with her heavy thoughts. That was one step in the right direction. Maybe once she got rid of the concerns weighing her down, then she could get back to focusing on what counted.

Like her pregnancy.

And drinking more water.

Right now, however, her gaze focused on the entry hallway and the front door. The shadowy figure behind the front door moved closer, and the lock jiggled. She could only see her husband on the front stoop of their home because she’d left the porch light on.

Did he know what time it was?

That he’d missed supper?

Jesus.

Siena should be in bed—it was closer to twelve than she wanted to admit. God knew she hadn’t wanted to let someone else’s worries about her husband get in her head, but here she was doing exactly that. Wouldn’t she know if something was up? After all, she lived with John. Spent most of her days with him. They slept in the same fucking bed and woke up together. Surely, if something was wrong, she would notice.

Wasn’t that how it was for them?

She was his person.

She looked out for him—had his back.

Always.

No exceptions.

Now, she found herself wondering if she had failed at that.

Siena didn’t move from where she sat on the staircase when John finally opened the front door. With the rest of the house dark and quiet, he made as little noise as possible while he kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his blazer. Putting the items where they went, he turned to face the rest of the hallway and came to a stop when his gaze landed on her.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” he asked.

Siena swallowed hard, taking in the lack of tiredness in her husband’s gaze—despite the late time—and the high note of his tone wasn’t lost on her, either. “Do you know what time it is?”

“Yeah—almost twelve.”

“And that you missed our lunch date?”

John made a face. “I got caught up on the other side of the city.”

“You didn’t call.”

“Someone else got in the way, Siena.”

“Leonard didn’t pick up the phone when I called, either. Did you miss your appointment with him this afternoon, too?”

That had John standing a little straighter. “I did miss that, but—”

“I don’t usually miss these kinds of things with you, John, you know?”

“Babe.”

Siena shook her head and stared down at her glass. “I got worried.”