“Yep.”
Her nose wrinkled. “I feel bad that you’re here missing games to keep me company while I sleep.”
“I don’t mind.” He much preferred this to fielding explanations from teammates.
“You’re a good husband.” She reached up and stroked his jaw.
“You’re a good wife.”
Her face crumpled. “I just wish—”
He bent and kissed away the protest he could feel forming on her lips. “I love you. I chose you, remember?”
She nodded, another tear slipping from the corner of her eye.
He wiped it away, as tenderness washed through him. He might wish to have a child, but he wouldn’t want any other woman as his wife. It had taken so long for him to find the perfect woman that any thought of another needed to be firmly batted away.
“What do you want to do for dinner?” she mumbled.
Food? “I’m not hungry.”
She shifted in his arms. “Are you for real?” She reached up and touched his jaw. “That’s got to be a first.”
He only gently squeezed her by way of reply. How could food help a broken heart? “Are you hungry?”
“A little.”
That was a first. “What do you want to eat?” He’d get her anything. Especially if it could be gotten by phone. He had little energy to make something, especially when the cupboards were close to bare.
They hadn’t had time to contact anyone to fill the fridge, and while Ange had made a lasagna, he hadn’t yet replied to her message to let her know if there was anything else she could do. He wasn’t up to a sermon from his pastor, or trying to keep it together while he dealt with their sympathy. Him and Sarah was about all he could deal with.
“Pizza?”
“From Muskoka Shores?”
“That’s nearest, right?”
He phoned and placed their usual order, and they continued to watch the sunset meld through the trees. Pink tinted the lake, bathing it in beauty. Once upon a time they might’ve gone out on the back dock and lain on the boards to watch it; today he suspected she’d prefer to be cozy and safe from the elements. Which was perfectly okay with him. He didn’t want to do anything that brought her a moment’s discomfort. She was in obvious pain still.
“It’s so pretty, isn’t it?” Sarah murmured, as if she could read his thoughts.
“Sure is.” He pressed a kiss to her head.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly.
“As okay as you are,” he lied.
“Are you sure?” She inched around to look at him, then winced.
“Hey, don’t move. You need to take care of yourself, okay?”
“I am. But I also need to know that you’re doing okay. I love you, you know.”
“I know. And I love you too.”
“I know,” she whispered, wrapping his arm around her more tightly. “I just hate to think that you’re sad.”
He forced a smile. “So, you’re allowed to be sad and I’m not?”
