Page 50 of Miracles and Marriage
“Thanks for stopping by, but there’s nothing you can do. I’ll be back to work on Monday, most likely. You go on to Richmond.”
Cal shook his head.
“I’m staying. Have you eaten?”
When she shook her head, he glanced toward her kitchen.
“Want an omelet?”
“That sounds nice,” she said.
It’d give him something to do and she was hungry. It’d be nice to have something more substantial than a cup of soup, which was all she felt like preparing.
She leaned back and closed her eyes as she listened to him work in her kitchen. She didn’t have any pets due to her erratic work hours. She’d moved out on her own once she could afford it with the then new position at Protection, Inc. She was used to being alone so it felt strange to hear him in the other room.
She wondered how she’d adjust to being married—if it had been a real marriage. The give and take of sharing a space with someone. Learning his habits as he learned hers. Growing together until the sounds the other made would be normal, and being alone wouldn’t be.
Cal had suggested they move in together. She’d have to explain to everyone in her family about the wedding if not the reason for it. Too much trouble to change things back if she couldn’t have a baby. Better to leave things as they were. But she did appreciate the help, much as she valued her independence.
He wasn’t going to use this as more leverage to try to get her to agree to moving in together, was he?
Chapter Seven
Cal took off his suit coat and laid it across one of the stools in the kitchen. Hunting through the cupboards and refrigerator, he found the ingredients and pan he needed. How unobservant had he been not to notice a pattern of her missing work on a monthly basis? Did she normally suffer through the pain to remain sharp, or had most instances occurred on the weekend when she could take pain meds that made her groggy? If he hadn’t wanted her to go to Richmond, would he even have known she left early and was in such discomfort? Probably not.
So much for being in tune with his employees.
When the meal was ready, he found a tray and carried the plates into the living room.
“Are you asleep?” he asked.
She shook her head and opened her eyes.
“I wish I could. Sooner or later I’ll be too tired to stay awake. This looks good. Thank you.”
He sat opposite her in one of the surprisingly comfortable chairs. Glancing around the room, he noted the way she decorated. The warmth was not unexpected coming from Zoe. Quite a change from Suzanne’s black and white sleek ultramodern apartment.
He frowned. He didn’t want to be reminded of that woman.
“Mine is good, isn’t yours?” Zoe asked.
He looked at her. “What?”
“You made a face. Isn’t your omelet good?”
“It’s fine.”
He hadn’t even noticed the taste as he ate—too preoccupied with the past. There was nothing he could do now except hope for a better future. One that included a child or children.
“Would your getting pregnant change things for you, so you could get pregnant again?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Probably not as I understand things. I never really thought about it, but in the back of my mind, I guess I always expected to have a bunch of kids. Maybe not as many as Mom and Dad did, but more than one. Now I’d be very grateful for one.”
They ate in silence. When finished, Cal quickly cleaned up over Zoe’s protests. Rejoining her in the living room a short time later, he sat beside her on the sofa.
“You don’t have to stay,” she said.
