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The sound of a baby’s crying percolates through my sleep. I must be dreaming.Am I dreaming?
"Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to intrude," a voice says.
I fight my way up through layers of drowsiness to find Summer standing in the doorway, and in her arms, is a toddler. The baby whose crying I must have heard. Her gaze moves from my face to that of the man who’s kneeling next to the bed. His fingers are twined with mine, and his forehead is pressed into the back of my palm. My fingers twitch. I want to reach out and run them through his thick hair. But before I can act on my impulse, he looks up at me. "I called Summer; I hope you don’t mind?"
I shake my head.
"I thought it would be good for you to have some company—" He swallows. "—someone with whom you could talk?"
I nod, unable to speak. His features are drawn, and in the sunlight pouring in through the open window, he looks haggard. There are dark circles under his eyes, and his cheekbones are hollow. I, on the other hand, feel refreshed after having napped. Our gazes meet. There’s warmth in his, and regret, and love, so much love. He catches my hand, then brings it to his mouth and kisses my fingers.
The baby yells again. Ed releases my hand, then walks over to Summer and holds out his arms. "Want to take a walk, little man?"
He blinks, then jumps into Ed’s arms.
"O-k-a-y?" Summer looks stunned. "He’s been stuck to my side since he woke up this morning. Which is why I brought him along."
"Can he eat blueberries?" he asks her.
"Yes, luckily, he hasn't exhibited any allergies."
He turns his attention back to the boy. "Whaddya think? Would you like some blueberries?" The kid babbles something, and Ed nods. "Blueberries, it is." He turns back to Summer. "Can I get you some coffee?"
"Yes, please," Summer says with enthusiasm.
"And tea and croissants for you, wife?" He looks at me over his shoulder.
OMG, I’ll never get over how it feels when he calls me wife.Also, that’s sneaky. If he continues to call me wife in that brandy-laced voice of his, I’ll never be able to think straight. I’ll never be able to decide what I want my future to look like.Do I want to stay with him? How do I get past everything he’s told me? How do I trust him again? And why is it, I still feel safe with him? Especially after he told me how he stalked me. How he took the life of another man.My mind spins, and when I rub at my temples, he frowns.
"You okay, wife?"
I nod. "I’m good, just uh, still waking up, I think." I clear my throat. "And tea and croissants sounds wonderful; thank you."
He searches my features for another second, then the toddler tugs on his chin and draws his attention. "Okay, come on little man, let’s get you some blueberries and milk, maybe?" He looks at Summer, who folds her fingers together in a gesture that says,please and thank you and you are a lifesaver. He walks out of the room, and Summer heads toward me. “He’s so good with kids; he's going to make a great father someday.
Tears prick the backs of my eyes.I know he will. Only, it’s not going to be as quick as I’d hoped.
She must notice the distress on my face, for her features soften. “Oh, Honey, how are you feeling?" She drops into the chair. "Edward messaged me. I hope you don’t mind that I came over."
"It’s good to see you. I suppose, I could do with someone to bounce my thoughts off of."
"Hit me, sister." She toes off her boots, then pulls up her knees and settles into the armchair.
"Did… Did Ed tell you what happened last night?"
"He just said you weren’t feeling well, and it might help you to have another woman around."
I nod slowly. "I found out I wasn’t pregnant."
"Okay?" She frowns. "I didn’t think you two were going to try for a child right away."
"It was an accident. No, it wasn’t an accident." I glance toward the doorway.
She follows my line of sight, then jumps to her feet, walks toward the door and closes it. "There, now we can talk freely." She curls up in her armchair again.
"He substituted my contraceptive pills with vitamin pills."
She freezes. "You're telling me Edward switched out your oral contraception?"
