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“He doesn’t.”
“Okay.” He let that lie without further comment, giving her time to collect herself.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “My decision has nothing to do with him. This is about me. And the whole idea of it.”
“We discussed the idea for months, Laura. We went over every aspect of it, time and again.”
“I’m aware of that.”
“And you agreed.”
“Yes. But talking about it in the abstract and actually…” Suddenly she drew herself up to her full height. “I shouldn’t have to justify the way I feel. Or try to explain it. I don’t want to do it,” she said with emphasis. “That should be the end of it.”
He let several moments elapse, then said, “This surprises me. It’s not like you to leave a job unfinished.”
“True.”
“You’ve never walked away from a commitment.”
“No, and I didn’t plan to break this one. I thought I could approach it like any other challenge. But I can’t.”
“I didn’t think it would cause you this much emotional distress.”
“Well, it does.”
“Perhaps you’re taking it too personally.”
She looked at him aghast. “I’m your wife. I’m having sexual intercourse with another man. How in God’s name can it not be personal?”
“You’re becoming hysterical, Laura.” He cast a cautious glance toward his office door.
She hugged her elbows and turned her back on him. He rolled forward and
back three times, then wheeled his chair away from his desk and moved up behind her. He reached out and placed his hands on either side of her waist. She flinched and tried to move away, but he held her firmly. “I miscalculated. I didn’t think it would offend your sense of right and wrong.”
“I hate disappointing you, Foster. I know how much this means to you. But there’s a moral ambiguity that I cannot get past.”
“I honor your feelings, of course. As well as your decision.”
She expelled a soft breath. “Thank you.”
He applied enough pressure to turn her around to face him. “You’ve been morose for weeks. I haven’t remarked on it, but I’ve noticed.”
“I admit I haven’t been myself. This has been weighing heavily on my mind. It was distracting me from work. Worse, it was creating a barrier between us. Knowing it would be a disappointment, I put off telling you, but had to before it was time to meet Burkett again. The dread of telling you has been nerve-racking. I’m glad to have this conversation behind us.” She gave him a tremulous smile, then leaned down and kissed his lips.
When she pulled away, he said, “It’s been fifteen days since you were last with Burkett, correct?”
She nodded.
“Then this discussion may have been for nothing,” he said with a bright smile. “You may be pregnant already.”
What if she’s pregnant?
It was the big what-if in Griff’s life now. Each morning he woke up wondering if this would be the day he’d get the congratulatory call.
Of course, that was their goal, wasn’t it? A fertilized egg would be the answer to all their troubles. It would make the childless couple happy, and make him a millionaire for the rest of his life.
But if Laura had conceived, he would never see her again.
