She looked up, her heart skipping a beat as she saw her husband framed inside the doorway, a determined expression on his handsome face.
"I bet I know what you're going to say."
"I wager you don't." Folding his hands over his chest, he continued to stare at her until she lowered her head over the frosting she was using to decorate the heart-shaped cake with.
It was hard to believe that they had been married a full four months now and she was in fact having a baby girl. She was seven months pregnant and the nausea and dizziness that had plagued her for the first two trimesters had disappeared.
"You promised to cut back. Imagine my surprise to discover when I called the house that you were not at home. And calling your cell phone is a waste of time. It's never charged and even if it is, you're not picking up." The thread of exasperation in his voice made her feel guilty. "Where's your assistant?"
"I sent her out to make some deliveries and make a run at the bank. See? I'm delegating. Why are you here? Not that I'm not very happy to see you, of course, just wondering."
"I had a meeting that was rescheduled at the last minute."
She gave him a suspicious glance. "Or you're just checking up on me. Darling, I'm fine. I'm the healthiest pregnant woman in the history of the world. I feel as if I can climb Mount Kilimanjaro and run a marathon. Our daughter is doing great-"
"And you're experiencing back pains as we speak." He had walked into the kitchen while she was doing her convincing speech.
"What? No, I'm not! I really-"
"And your ankles are swollen," he continued as he moved forward to stop in front of her.
"How-"
"How did I know?" He turned her to face him, his expression more than exasperated. "You just told me. When we agreed to your using the cottage for your workspace, it was on the understanding that you would hire someone to help you out with the baking. Two weeks ago, you told me you were interviewing candidates. I sleep next to you every night and I've been noticing that you rub your back, which means all the standing, thebending over to put things inside the oven and remove them are putting a strain on your back."
"It's not-"
"I'm not done. You're my life. You, David, and our daughter are my life. I promised that I would not try and curtail your work; that's your decision. You love to bake and you're a genius at it.
"But it was on the basis of you delegating. You come up with the ideas and someone else does the baking. That was the agreement, Thea, and you're not sticking to it."
"I-"
"Still not done." He actually placed a finger over her lips to stop her from talking. "I'm in love with you-" He shook his head wryly. "I adore you. My heart beats for you and you also promised me forever.
"I'm holding you to it. If you don't take a step back, I'm going to employ extreme measures, like changing the locks on the front door of the cottage or chaining you to the bed. Am I clear?" He waited a beat, and when she did not respond, he frowned at her.
"Well?"
"Oh, am I free to speak now?"
He gave her a look that spoke volumes and made her sigh. "Okay, fine. And for your information, I finished interviewing and have someone coming by in the morning. And yes, my ankles are swollen and my back is hurting, not from the bending; it's natural for a pregnant woman to be experiencing back pains. It happens as the baby continues to expand and grow. I did my research. I also intend to keep my promise."
"Which one?"
"To be with you until we're a hundred and ten." Reaching up, she wrapped her hands around his neck.
"I thought we agreed that it would be a hundred?" He was no proof against the melting look on her beautiful face or the look in her eyes. He wasn't proof against her.
"I tacked on another ten years for the years we lost. Do I get a kiss?"
"Do I get to taste what you just baked?"
"Maybe. Kiss first."
He obliged her, even though it was no hardship on his part. His lips crushed hers, hands wandering up and down her back, pressing down when he reached the center as he tried to ease the tension there.
"Better?" he asked huskily, lifting his lips away.
