“Can I help?”
“No. Go get changed and meet me at the table.”
“Okay.”
The fact she doesn’t argue and just turns and leaves has me even more concerned. With a frown, I go back to our meal and finish getting it ready. The fish is almost done so I pull the roasting pan from the oven and take it to the table. Placing it on the hot pad, I smile and return to the kitchen.
I’m not one for fancy but I couldn’t help pulling out all the stops for tonight. Taking the frypan off the heat, I head back to the table and place a piece of salmon on each plate. All that’s left is the wine. I’ve got Lizzi’s favorite white chilling in the fridge.
By the time I’ve dumped the frypan in the sink, grabbed the wine, and returned to the table, Lizzi is standing behind a chair.
“This looks fancy.” Her gaze meets mine. The fear that I see has my instincts on alert. “Um…I have…”
I hate the reappearance of timid Lizzi. Hate it more than I can say, and it pisses me off that something or someone has brought her back. “Talk to me.”
“Um…” she lifts her hand and for the first time I notice the papers she’s holding.
“What are those?” In my gut I know. It’s what we talked about before we’d said I do.
“I had the company lawyer?—”
“Stop!” I reach over and snatch the papers from her hand. Holding them up between us, I ask, “Do you want this? Don’t lie, don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. Answer me honestly. Do you want me to sign these?”
She jumps when I punctuate the final word by slapping the bundle against the table. “We said?—”
“I don’t care what we said. That was a year ago. Things havechanged.”
“Have they?”
“Yes.” I pull in a deep breath and try to calm the fear and anger rising inside me. But the only way to do that is to get rid of these papers. Holding the bundle up, I say, “This is what I think about these,” and rip them in two.
“Devon!” Lizzi steps back, her eyes bouncing from mine to the torn papers and back again. “You don’t want to get divorced?”
“No. Hell no.” I drop the papers on the floor and step over them, crowd her until she takes a step back, and I keep going until she’s pressed against the wall. “I don’t want a divorce. I want to stay married to you. I want to have babies with you. I want to spend my life with you.”
She remains quiet and our dinner is getting colder by the second but not as cold as my heart.
“Lizzi. Talk to me,” I beg.
“I hate my job.”
“Oh.” Those aren’t the words I expected to hear. “Okay.”
“I hate going there.” She licks her lips. “I love being here so much, it makes it worse. I thought if we got a divorce like wesaid, then I could go back to my house. Go on with my life and not know how much better it is in yours.”
“Ah, Lizzi, this isn’t my life. It’s ours. And if you hate your job so much, quit. Edward will understand.”
“I want to have a family.”
I smile. “Then you quit your job and stay home with our kids.”
“We don’t have any kids.”
My smile turns predatory. “We’ll get on that right away.”
“You don’t want to divorce me?” Her question comes out softly, the edges wobbling with insecurity, and I hate the fear in her eyes.
“No. I don’t.” I cradle her face in my palms. “I love you. If we weren’t already married, I’d ask you to marry me.”
