“I’ll dump this then we’ll go, okay?”
“Um, sure.”
They hadto stop by the clinic on the way, Dan needing to give a blood sample to test for those irregularities that Dr. McKinnon was concerned about. A short time later they were heading north on the 400. This trip usually took two hours, but the minutes seemed to stretch, no doubt thanks to the tension she could feel emanating off Dan.
She wasn’t used to this. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d seen him look so tense. One of the things that made him so good as a defenseman was his ability to stay relaxed, cool, and calm under pressure. And while this was a different pressure to what he experienced on the ice, he was not carrying it well. She hoped Muskoka would help him find some peace again.
She peeked across at him.
“What?”
She flinched.
He appeared to notice, as his shoulders slumped. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to snap.”
“It’s okay.” Not really. But she had to keep the peace.
“Then why do you keep looking at me?”
“Because you’re my sexy husband?”
He huffed.
“It’s true.”
“You sound like you want something.”
“I want you to be happy.”
“Happy?” He glanced at her. “It’s a little too soon for happiness, Princess.”
She pressed her lips together. She didn’t mean happiness exactly. Oh, she might write songs sung by people around the world, but sometimes she was so bad at saying what she really meant.
He sighed again. “Sorry I’m so grouchy.”
“It’s okay.” Her voice was small.
He reached across, tangled her fingers in his. “I just feel like I’m getting everything wrong all the time. I hate feeling like I’m hurting you.”
“You’re not.”
He shook his head. “I wish I hadn’t told Brendan about what happened.”
“Why?”
“He asked us if we wanted to join him and Candice on a cruise this summer.”
“That was nice.” And unexpected. And could be fun.
“I said no.”
Oh. But how did that relate to him knowing about the miscarriage? “You think he asked because…?”
“Because he felt sorry for us, yeah.”
She winced. “I think he might’ve asked because he thought it might help, and be a distraction.”
“I don’t want to be on a cruise surrounded by people, especially lots of kids and babies everywhere. I get that you’re stronger than me—”
