Page 40 of Baby Perfection

Trinity was right, of course, and Angie couldn’t explain her reluctance when it came to buying a gown. Maybe it went back to the feeling she’d cheated when it came to her marriage to Lucius. That because she’d asked Jett to alter the Pretorius Program, she’d manipulated him into marrying her. After putting an unusually cranky Mikey to bed for the night, she faced the unpalatable truth.

She wanted Lucius to marry her because he loved her, not for expedience.

Angie stood at the foot of the mile-wide bed—a cold and empty bed without Lucius—and struggled not to cry. She’d made this bed. Time to lie in it. Based on their interactions to date, chances were excellent that it would be a good bed and a good marriage. She just needed to give them both time to develop their relationship a little more. To finish the process she didn’t doubt they’d already started…and fall in love. Stripping off her clothes, she crawled beneath the covers. She missed Lucius. Missed him unbearably. Tugging his pillow into her arms, she buried her face in it. A faint trace of his scent clung to the fabric. Crisp and distinctly male with the merest hint of forest cedar.

She’d just started to drift off into a lovely dream that involved Lucius and a wedding in the clouds, when the phone on the bedside table rang. She rolled over to snatch it up before the sound woke Mikey. “Hello?”

“Did I wake you?” Lucius asked, his voice dark and rich, though she could hear the exhaustion running through his words.

“It’s okay. I was just drifting off.” She checked the clock, made the swift calculation between West Coast time and East and frowned. “What are you doing still up? It’s nearly three in the morning.”

“Just going over some last minute reports before turning in. I’ve been trying to sew everything up early, though it’s not looking too encouraging.”

Disappointment flooded through her and she struggled to keep the sound of it from filtering through her voice. “When will you be back?”

“Closer to the end of the week. Thursday, if I’m lucky, but I’m not sure if I can make it.”

She plumped the pillows behind her and relaxed against them. “Where are you?” she asked.

His soft, knowing chuckle had her toes curling and sent shivers racing down her spine. “In bed. You?”

“The same.”

“Ah… Give me a second to get an image.” He released a sigh she’d only heard when they were both naked and he first slipped inside her. “Yes, there it is. What are you wearing?”

“Your pillow.”

He groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“It smells like you, not that that’s much help,” she confessed. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, sweetheart. It won’t be much longer, I promise.”

Silence settled between them, while the want grew thick. “Lucius…” she whispered.

“Me, too.” He cleared his throat. “Okay, if we don’t change the subject, I’m not going to get any sleep tonight. You…you remember Mikey has a checkup tomorrow?”

She strove to divorce herself emotionally, but it was far too late for that. Longing clung to her like Lucius’s scent to his pillow. “Nine o’clock,” she confirmed. “It’s on the calendar.”

“I wanted to be there for it. I almost postponed it a week, but it would have given the Ridgeways more ammunition to use against me.”

“I’ll take notes during the appointment. Fortunately, I’m really good at it.”

“I appreciate it. You know that, don’t you?”

“I do know.” A plaintive cry came through the baby monitor beside the phone. “I think Mikey misses you, too.”

“I hear him. Anything wrong?”

“He’s just a little fussy tonight. Maybe he’s cutting another tooth. Or maybe he knows I’m talking to you and wants his fair share of your attention.”

“I know you have to go. Give me a quick update before you do. How are the wedding plans proceeding?”

“Good. Great, in fact. I think we have everything covered except for my dress. Trinity and I will be shopping for that on Wednesday.” She released a sleepy laugh. “Technically, I guess that’s tomorrow since it’s now Tuesday morning.”

“Get something beautiful. Money’s no object.”

“Lucius—”

---