AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We never talked about kids.”
“And this is so urgent because?” Was she pregnant?
The thought sent warmth skirling through him. It had been a very long time since he had been part of an intimate family. He liked the idea of her being pregnant with his child very much.
“We haven’t been using any form of birth control.”
She was just now noticing this? “I know.”
“You know?”
“Well, we were both there.” He smiled lazily. “It wasn’t something I could miss.”
“I didn’t notice!” she shrieked, not sharing his humor at all.
“Why are you so upset?”
“What if I’m pregnant?”
“Don’t you want to be pregnant?” That prospect had never occurred to him.
There was more of the traditional Sicilian male in him than he thought sometimes.
“That’s not the point.”
“Then, what is?”
“We didn’t even talk about it and for all we know, it’s a fait accompli.”
“Would that be so bad?”
His question seemed to shock her. “Did you do it on purpose?” she asked accusingly.
He was trying to hold on to his temper, but it was getting harder by the second. “Did you?”
“You know I didn’t!”
“Look, honey, the last thing I was thinking about on our wedding night was preventing conception. I wanted you so much, you had me tied in knots. Or don’t you remember? We were in Sicily before I even thought of it.”
“How could you be so irresponsible?”
“Me?”
“You. The only other lover I’ve ever had was Baron and that ended two years ago. Birth control wasn’t exactly a blinking blip on my radar.”
“And you believe it should have been on mine?”
“Wasn’t it?”
“You’re my wife.”
“So?”
“So, if you get pregnant, it will be a celebration.”
“It’s not the idea of me getting pregnant that has me worried!”
“That’s what you came in here going on about.”
“It’s the fact you didn’t even think about it, which makes me wonder how many other times you haven’t thought about it.”
“The answer is never.”
“But…”
“Contrary to what you apparently think, I’m no more interested in casual sex than you are and since a relationship is pretty difficult to develop when you’re working sixty-plus-hour workweeks, I’ve spent a good part of the last decade celibate.”
“But you’re not the celibate type.”
“A man, even a man like me, only has so much energy. I’ve poured mine into work.” Which no doubt explained his explosive reaction to her.
“You don’t make love like a novice.”
“Who the hell said I was a novice?” Where did she get her ideas?
“Don’t start yelling at me again.”
“I wasn’t yelling at you.” But he had to lower his voice a few notches or he was going to bring one of the servants running.
“If you’ve been celibate for ten years…”
“I said largely celibate, not…” Suddenly he realized how ridiculous this discussion was becoming. “Never mind. I have never had unprotected sex. All right? You are safe from disease if not pregnancy. By the time I thought of birth control with you, we’d already made love many times. If you do not wish to get pregnant and are not already, we can discuss forms of birth control.”
She deflated like a pricked balloon. “I suppose waiting to discuss it until we know if I’m pregnant makes the most sense.”
“You’re right. Maybe I should get a pregnancy test kit and then we can start making decisions.”
“Wouldn’t you rather see the doctor and be sure?”
“It takes forever to make an appointment and the test kits are something like ninety-nine percent accurate.”
“I’m sure the family doctor will be able to see you tomorrow.”
“The big reception thingy is tomorrow night. I’d rather wait until the next day.”
“I’ll have it taken care of.”
“Thank you.” She turned to go, but then stopped and spun back to face him. “Angelo?”
“Yes?”
“Do you want children?”
“Very much.”
She smiled. “Me, too. I would never consider a pregnancy accidental.”
“Nor would I. If you are pregnant, it is a blessing.”
She seemed to relax. “Yes. And if I’m not, we’ll decide if we want our blessings sooner than later.”
