Page 65 of Nineteen Seventy-Six

The tears happened so fast she had no time to stop them. Her lip quivered; the courage came from somewhere. Soren, perhaps, though he was miles away. “But you did hurt me. You hurt me… back then. In the office.”

Edouard bowed his head. “I misread—”

“No!” Maureen shot to her feet. “You misread nothing! You took it from… from something we both wanted and you hurt me! And then, and then, I couldn’t even move on, because there was a child, and then a marriage, and here we are!”

Maureen’s chest heaved with emotion. She’d never done this before; never done anything remotely like it, and she was afraid, and emboldened, and knew that, even if there were consequences, they’d be worth it.

Edouard looked up. He met her eyes. Not even when they exchanged vows had he ever done so. “Okay. You’re right. I hurt you. I won’t make excuses for it.”

“Thank you,” Maureen whispered, breathless.

“What remains unchanged, however, is that our marriage isn’t what either of us had in mind. For me, I simply never wanted a wife. For you, your ideal is far different than what I’ve been able to give you.” He paused, to gauge for her reaction.

“Go on. I’ll stop you when you’ve said something wrong.” She wiped at her runny nose.

“I have unusual tastes. You know that.”

“And I have needs. You know that.”

“Yes. And… I believe there may be a way to make both of us satisfied. Maureen…” Edouard folded his hands and looked away. “I do care for you. Not in the way you want, but you’re my wife, and you’re the mother of my child, and your well-being is a matter of concern to me.”

“I was fine with Soren. I didn’t ask you for anything else.”

“You didn’t. But all men eventually realize what they may lose, and good men try to fix it.” Edouard flashed what Maureen thought might be a smile, but since she’d never seen him do it, she couldn’t be sure. “I would like to be able to satisfy you myself.”

Maureen harrumphed. She’d never exhibit such boldness in her marriage again, she was certain of it, but she’d take this as far as she could while the courage was still in the tank.

“I want to propose that you can still have Soren, but in a different way.”

Maureen folded her arms. Watched him.

“I’d like to watch.”

Maureen’s self-righteousness folded in an instant. “You what?”

The silence that ensued, when a staff member came in to refill their drinks, was so painful Maureen could scream.

“I want to watch you make love to Soren. I believe that, in doing so, it may trigger tastes in me that are more typical. Ones you’re more accustomed to.”

“You want…” Maureen’s head was a mess of questions, of disconnected thoughts. “You think watching me with Soren will make you want me?”

“I believe it may.”

“You’re serious.”

“Maureen, I’ve been accused of many things, most true, but having a sense of humor is not one of them.”

Edouard pushed his seat back. With both hands, he dabbed the cloth napkin at the corners of his mouth, then folded that into an even neater version of the triangle the placing was set with. He stood, affected a slight nod in her direction, and then left the dining room, just as the clock chimed ready for him to move on to the next phase of his evening routine, office time.

CHAPTER 18

Peace of Mind

“Mrs. Jameson.” The doctor turned to Noah. “Mr. Jameson. Congratulations! I’m happy to confirm your suspicion and deliver the happy news.”

“When?” Colleen asked. Both her hands stretched above her, intercrossed, laced through Noah’s.

“Oh, we’ll need to do a thorough ultrasound, of course, but I’d say late March, early April.” He closed his notebook and smiled. “A springtime baby. Always a blessing.”

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