Fay Robinson - Mr. And Mrs. Wrong

“I’ve been trying to tell you for a while, but the right moment never came up.” This definitely wasn’t it, either. From the first day of their marriage he’d talked about having children. This news had to mean everything to him, and she’d hurled it at him like a stew pot.

“How long?” he asked. “I mean, when will it be here?”

“Early January. I’m a little over two months pregnant.”

“Is the baby okay? Are you okay?”

“We’re both fine. My blood pressure’s a tad high, but the doctor says it’s nothing to worry about as long as I try and stay relaxed. She actually wants me to gain a minimum of thirty pounds during the pregnancy because I’m too thin.”

“Damn, Lucky, you scared me. For a minute I thought you were going to tell me you wanted to call our marriage quits.”

“I can’t pretend that I haven’t seriously thought about it.”

He stared at her, even more dumbstruck than before. “You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not. I love you. Don’t ever doubt that. But we’ve had major problems from the beginning because we’re so different. Now with a baby coming, those problems will only get worse.”

“No, they won’t.”

“Yes, they will. You know they will.”

He seemed to catch his breath, and was able to stand. Pulling her close, he slid his arms around her. “Sweetheart…” He rubbed her back with soothing motions. “This is exactly what we need. We’ll be a family now. I can’t think of anything better….”

“And I can’t think of anything worse. Babies don’t repair bad marriages. They kill them.”

He pulled his head back so he could look at her, but still kept his hands loosely on her waist. “We don’t have a bad marriage, only a temporary bad spell. There’s a big difference.”

“I hope you’re right, and not only for the baby’s sake but for ours. I refuse to allow this child to grow up listening to us constantly quarrel. I’d rather separate permanently than have that happen.”

“That sounds like Leigh talking, not you.”

“Leigh has nothing to do with this.”

“Then why are you wanting to divorce me?”

“I don’t want to divorce you. I’m only trying to be realistic about our problems and do what’s best for our child.”

“Well, divorce sure as hell isn’t the answer.”

“Then tell me what is.”

“Being together.” He rubbed his fingers lightly against her belly. “That little baby in there needs us to be a family, Lucky. I need it, too.”

Her heart went out to him. “Oh, Jack…”

“Don’t give up on us.”

“I don’t want to, but…” She sighed, feeling so uncertain, so confused. They fought over the same issues again and again, and emotionally she simply couldn’t take it anymore. “I wish…we really could start over, like you suggested. Wiping the slate clean might have given us the second chance we needed.”

“We can still do it.”

She shook her head sadly. “It’s a little late for romance, don’t you think?”

“No, it’s a great time. Perfect.”

“Oh, sure. In a few months my belly button will stick out like it’s deformed, and I probably won’t be able to find my feet. You won’t want to even look at me, much less touch me. Stretch marks and romance aren’t a very good combination.”

“You’ll be beautiful with your sticking-out belly button. I can’t wait to see that. And I’ll always want to touch you, Lucky, stretch marks or not. Hell, I think about it all the time.”

“I’m about to get very fat. You realize that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but you’ll finally have some boobs.”

His effort to produce a smile from her worked. She chuckled despite her gloom. “You’re horrible.” She moved in closer and played with the front of his shirt and the leather of his shoulder holster, enjoying the feel of his muscles beneath them. “I thought you liked my flat chest and skinny legs,” she murmured.

“I love them. I love every part of you, from that spaced-out brain to those long, knobby toes.” He slid his hands down and over her butt. “I especially love the lower parts.”

“Oh, there you go again, trying to charm me out of my pants.”

He grinned with devilment.

She really should scold him, but Lord, he was cute when he was playful like this. And that smile… Seeing it always made her fall in love with him all over again.

“Stop worrying so much,” he suggested. “I promise you things will be better. I’ll even give more thought to marriage counseling if that’ll ease your mind. Okay?”

That lightened her mood considerably. “Okay.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy. Now, I think what we both need more than anything is to celebrate our news. We could go out, but you look tired, so you head on home and I’ll stop at the grocery store when I get off. You can put your feet up and I’ll come over and cook.”

“That sounds wonderful, but I can’t. I’m not through working and I have an assignment tonight.”

“Lucky, you were out before six o’clock this morning.”

“And I’ve been up since four, but I’m committed to taking photos at the Lions’ Club dinner. I won’t be home until after ten. I plan to hit the mattress one minute later.”

“You don’t need to be working those kinds of hours.”

“I agree and I’d rather spend tonight with you, but I promised Leigh and it’s too late to back out. How about we celebrate tomorrow? I’m off the next two days and I told her I absolutely wouldn’t work unless the town started to burn. Which, with the way my luck usually runs, is a possibility, so don’t light any matches.”

“I need to come in for a few hours in the morning and work on this Bagwell case—try to clear up some loose ends—but I should be through by lunch. We can do it after that.”

“I thought the death was a simple accident.”

“It probably is.”

“Probably?” She cocked her head. “Did you find something suspicious?”

“No, nothing unusual.”

“Then why do you still have loose ends? I figured this would be a down-and-dirty investigation.”

He gave her that look, the one that said she knew better than to ask.

“Oh, come on, Jack. I found the guy.”

“That doesn’t mean he belongs to you.”

“I know, but I feel somehow responsible for him. I want to follow through with this.”

“That’s my job. I don’t want you sniffing around in any more of my cases. Understood? I worry enough about you as it is. Don’t make things harder on me.”

“But maybe I can help. I know people you don’t. And his daughter, Carolyn, went to school with Shannon. I bet she’d talk to me.”

“I’ve already talked to her.”

“What did she tell you?”

“Nothing you need to know. About tomorrow…maybe we should make it a family celebration. Have you told your parents about the baby?”

Reluctantly she allowed him to change the subject. “Not yet.”

“Then we’ll get them and your grandmother out to your place and share the news. Ask Leigh to come, and call and see if Shannon and Bill are free. I’ll get Cal to help me move my stuff, and then I’ll grill hamburgers for everyone.”

Lucky’s heart sank. “You’re moving back in?”

“Well…yeah, unless you want to reconsider moving to the apartment.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Then I guess I’m moving back in.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. We’d better keep things the way they are and not make any drastic changes. Let’s ease back into living together.”

“Wait a minute, what gives? Five minutes ago you wanted me to come home.”

“And five minutes ago you said no because you weren’t ready. Jack, I do want you home, more than anything on earth, but for the right reason. Let’s not jump from one mistake into an even bigger one.”