No period.
Did I always take them at the same time every day?Had I missed a day?It was impossible to remember now.Everything had been so busy, traveling from place to place, juggling meetings and tours of the properties.I might have been sloppy.
And we had so much sex.
Oh fuck.
Pull.It.Together.Stress could affect a cycle, for sure.I was stressed to the hilt that first week after the heart attack.It had to be stress-related.
Still, after saying goodbye to Papa, I stopped by the pharmacy on my way into the office and picked up a test.I had to know for sure.Clay hadn’t yet moved into Papa’s old office.He’d been working out of his old office, wanting to wait until Papa’s health was better before swooping in to take over the space.
That meant I had Papa’s private restroom all to myself.I could stare at the stick with its two blue lines until my vision blurred.
Positive.No doubt about it.
I was pregnant, and I didn’t have the first clue how to feel.
Or how my husband would feel.
17
CLAY
“There anything else on the agenda?”As I spoke, I typed up a quick reply to an email from my people in Lake Tahoe, where plans for renovation were going through the final approval phases.They were a top-notch group of people over there.Mira had done well, retaining talent the way she had.Still, they were a little wide-eyed over the speed at which we were moving.
My assistant made a slightly choked sound that pulled my attention away from my screen.I caught her eyeing the small bag sitting on the corner of my desk.She’d brought it to me after the jeweler delivered it and was dying to know what was inside.
The contents of that bag and the box inside represented risk.I didn’t like risk.It was why I so rarely made decisions without weighing every aspect beforehand, hence the hours I’d spent deliberating on which ring to buy.
“If that’s all, you should head out for the night.”I waited for her gaze to swing my way, then added, “See you in the morning.”She tried to hide her disappointment as she stood and returned to her desk outside my office.
Finally.I would’ve thrown her out if she made me wait much longer to pull out the box and examine the ring.Most women would love the generous cushion cut solitaire set in platinum.But would Mira?Would she accept it?
Satisfied, I slid the box into my jacket pocket.The mental weight of it was overwhelming.I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to wait until Friday night when I planned to give it to her during the gala taking place at my newest hotel in West Hollywood.This was who she had turned me into—a nervous groom.
There was one final reminder for my assistant to offer.“Don’t forget your appointment tonight.”She grinned, then headed out to her desk.
I checked my calendar.As far as I knew, there weren’t any meetings planned.Yet, as if by magic, there was an appointment scheduled for seven.Dinner at home.Mira must have gotten into my calendar to add the entry.Warmth flooded my chest as I closed the computer, now in a hurry to make my appointment.
It had been a while since we were able to sit down for a meal.Among the many good things that came out of our so-called honeymoon was the time we’ve been forced to spend together.Breakfast, dinners, it had been important to play the part of the happy couple.Now, without that excuse and Mira checking in twice a day with her father, it was increasingly rare to do more than collapse into bed together at the end of the day.
So this was what it meant to look forward to getting home, knowing there was somebody there who wanted to see me.It was so simple, yet I wondered how I had lived without it for so long.
No wonder I spent so much damn time in the office, at my properties.There was nothing else for me to do.
Tonight, I walked into my house and was instantly greeted by the enticing aroma of garlic and onion, but it was the humming coming from the kitchen that stirred a smile.I followed the sound, losing my tie while the box in my jacket pocket tapped against my thigh with every step.
“Good evening, Mr.Manning.”Mira grinned my way from the stove, then went back to the greens she was sauteing.“I see you found my calendar entry.Everything is almost ready.”
Just then, I didn’t care much about the food.Not when she looked good enough to eat.There was nothing special about what she wore.I’d probably seen the dress she was wearing before, only now she was barefoot with her lustrous, chocolate-brown hair clipped loosely at the back of her neck.She was in her element, handling multiple burners, testing a bubbling tomato sauce, then adding a pinch of salt.
“What can I do?”I asked, rolling up my sleeves once I slid out of my jacket and draped it over the back of a chair.
“Get out of my kitchen.That’s what you can do,“ she teased.“Really, everything is under control.”
I approached her from behind and placed my hands on her hips.“I could open a bottle of wine.I’m pretty handy with a corkscrew.”
“By all means… though I don’t think I’ll have any tonight,” she added.“I have a few things to do after dinner and want to stay clear-headed.”
