Baby Comes First (18 page)

Christine sat on her old couch and listened
to her story, then said gently, “Are you sure this isn’t post
partum depression?”

Hannah wiped her eyes with a tissue, then
blew her nose. “Post marital depression would be a better
description.”

Her friend flashed a smile at her humor.
“Seriously. I know you’re upset with him, and you have good
reasons, but is it worth leaving him? That seems drastic.”

Hannah sighed. “I know. But I needed a break.
I needed to get out of that house. Gloria’s house. It was driving
me crazy.”

“I thought you were making changes.”

“I’d like to blow the place up.”

Christine whistled. “Then maybe it is better
for you to come here for a while.”

“I need to think,” Hannah explained. “When I
married Luke, I thought he’d change.”

“That’s a common mistake. I think most of us
get married, thinking we can fine tune our men. Unfortunately, men
come ‘as is’ with no warrantees, express or implied.”

Hannah nodded. “That’s what I’m discovering,
and I’m not sure how to handle it. I don’t want to spend my life
feeling second best because he refuses to love me.”

“Maybe he’s giving you all he has to
give.”

Hannah knew Christine was trying to be
helpful, but she was secure in her own relationship. Christine
couldn’t understand what she was going through. Hannah said
quietly, “Maybe he is, but it’s not enough.”

#

Luke conferred with the two other attorneys
on his team about the juror selection. “Number eleven is out,” one
of the junior attorneys, Jack Coleman said. “He’s a retired English
teacher. He’s going to be foreman and tell everyone what the law
should be, and ignore what we say.”

Luke said, “I don’t want number eight.”

The other attorneys consulted their lists and
handwritten notes. Juror number eight was a female, in her mid
thirties, single, worked at a furniture store. “Why not?” Coleman
asked, “I don’t see any red flags.”

What about red hair? Luke thought, but didn’t
say it. If he couldn’t handle the case without thinking of Hannah,
he shouldn’t be here. He glanced down at the lists. “If you don’t
want eleven, that’s fine with me. Let’s use our peremptory
challenge on him.”

#

After putting Rachel to bed, Hannah stared at
the telephone, wishing it would ring.

She hadn’t spoken to Luke in five days, and
it felt like five years.

She knew he was focused on his trial, but if
he wanted to talk to her, he could have called late at night from
his hotel room. Or at least texted her during a break.

Maybe he didn’t want to talk to her -- or
thought she didn’t want to talk to him. She reached for the
telephone, then paused. If she did call, he’d either be pleased or
irritated by the interruption.

She’d rather have him miss her as she was
missing him than run the risk of annoying him.

Hannah took a deep breath and turned away
from the phone. She was making the biggest gamble of her life.

#

The house was dark, except for the flood
lights, as Luke drove up. He parked the car and came through the
back door. He turned on the kitchen light and saw a note taped to
the refrigerator that read, “I gave Mrs. Parker two weeks vacation.
Rachel and I are at my house. I hope the trial went well.
Hannah.”

Hannah was gone.

He’d hoped to surprise her, coming home
earlier than expected. After four days of trial, opposing counsel
had offered a settlement, and he was glad when his client accepted
it. The settlement meant several million dollars in fees for the
law firm, and a hefty bonus for him, but that mattered little now.
He was in no mood to celebrate.

Hannah was gone.

Luke walked through the house, to their
bedroom. He noticed that the den was only half painted and the
furniture was still covered with sheets. She must have given the
contractor a vacation, as well.

Should he have called?

He’d been afraid that anything he said would
make matters worse between them.

He turned on the lights in the nursery and
ran his hand along the back of the rocking chair.

He swore. He wished he’d never met Hannah,
never worked with her, never learned about the baby. He should have
minded his own business, instead of barging his way into Hannah’s
life. Then he wouldn’t feel this gut wrenching emptiness now.

So much for his theories about a contractual
relationship eliminating pain.

His house no longer felt like home.

You’ll get over it. You got over Gloria’s
death, you’ll survive this as well.

But I don’t want to survive. I want her
back.

#

Hannah stood before her new painting class.
She was tired after taking care of Rachel by herself, and staying
awake, thinking about Luke, but she was determined to live her life
as best she could. She made herself smile. “How many of you have
ever painted before?” she asked. “I recognize some of you from
previous classes.” She was pleased to see nearly a dozen raised
hands. “And how many of you have used oil paints?” Several people
dropped their hands, but she saw that her mother kept her hand
raised.

“That’s great. Those of you who are experts
can help me teach.” She picked up a paintbrush. “Now, before we
start, I want to go over some basic principles.”

The class went well. As she taught, she felt
the familiar adrenaline rush that came from public speaking, and
she forgot everything but the students sitting before her. At the
end of the first hour, she noticed out of the corner of her eye, a
man standing in the hallway, watching her.

Her heart felt as if it leapt to her throat.
Was it Luke?

It was. But he was frowning. He didn’t smile
when she acknowledged his presence with a nod.

Hannah finished the class quickly, wrapping
it up ten minutes earlier than she had intended. Instead of joining
her in the classroom, Luke stood back, waiting for her to finish
conversing with her students. Hannah spoke to her mother briefly,
then gathered her materials. She stepped into the hallway, and he
offered to carry her easel and wooden paint box, which was as large
as a suitcase.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. She glanced at
him briefly. He didn’t look well. He was thinner than before, and
he looked tired. Her heart contracted with concern. She wondered if
he’d been losing sleep, too, thinking about her, then checked
herself. No doubt he’d been working ninety hour weeks at the trial.
“I was surprised to see you,” she said, pleased that her voice was
steady. She was determined to keep the conversation civil. “I
didn’t expect you back in town for another week at least.”

“We settled the case.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad.”

He didn’t say anything else as he carried her
belongings outside to her car.

She was reminded of the times when he used to
stand by her desk, gathering his thoughts before speaking.

She unlocked her trunk. “I appreciate your
help. I assume you read my note.”

He nodded. “Yes, I drove by your house and
asked Christine where you were.”

“Then you saw Rachel, too.”

“Yes.”

Hannah put her hands in her coat pockets and
waited. When he was ready, he’d tell her what he’d come to say.

He cleared his throat. “We need to talk. Do
you want to go somewhere first -- where we can be alone?”

She looked around. The rest home parking lot
had a few cars, but there were no other people within ear shot.
“Here is fine with me,” she said. She didn’t want to talk at her
house or at his. She wanted to stay on neutral ground.

“All right.” Luke knelt on the black top.

She gasped. “What are you doing?” she asked,
as he reached in his pocket and pulled out a small blue velvet
jewelry box.

“I’m proposing,” he said simply, and flipped
open the lid of the box.

It contained a beautiful diamond ring with a
large marquis diamond and a cluster of baguettes on the side.

She’d told him once that the next time he
apologized, he should give her diamonds, but she had never expected
this. She said, “But we’re already married.”

“That was for Rachel. This time I’m doing it
right. I’m asking you to marry me.”

Hannah wanted to believe him, but she was
afraid he was merely going through the motions, saying what she
wanted to hear, just to get her back. “Why?”

“Because I love you, and I don’t want to live
without you.”

Hannah looked deep into his eyes.
Can I
trust him? Should I?
“There’s no need to wrap it up in pretty
words, Luke.”

His eyes darkened. “I deserve that. You have
every reason to doubt me after all the nonsense I’ve spouted about
making our marriage a legal partnership, and nothing more.” He got
up to his feet. “But I do love you, whether you believe it or
not.”

Hannah asked quietly, “What changed your
mind?”

“Going away and thinking about you all the
time. Coming home and finding you gone.” He smiled wryly. “I
thought I was smart to keep our relationship emotionless. I thought
I couldn’t get hurt, but I was wrong. In spite of all my good
intentions, I fell in love with you. I ache for you, Hannah.”

“Give it time. You’ll get over it.”

He growled. “You’re worse than a court
reporter. Are you going to throw all my words back in my face?”

She smiled. “Maybe.”

At her smile, he pulled her to him and kissed
her until she couldn’t breathe. “What if I don’t want to get over
it?” he said fiercely.

She clung to him, reveling in his strength.
How she’d missed him. She didn’t want to let him go. “I don’t want
to get over it, either.”

“Then you’ll marry me.”

She shook her head. “I don’t need another
ceremony. I just need to know that you mean it now.”

He removed the ring from the box, kissed it,
and slid it onto her finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Tears filled Hannah’s eyes. Tears of
gratitude and hope for the future. “And this time, it’s
forever.”

He kissed her until she forgot they were in
the parking lot, and someone honked as they drove by.

Hannah pulled away, smoothing her hair,
embarrassed to be caught making out like some teenager.

“We’d better go home,” Luke said.

Hannah hesitated. “I’m not going back to that
house.”

He stiffened. “I don’t understand. You said
you wanted to stay married to me.”

She touched his cheek. “I do, but I think we
need a different house. A new beginning.”

At her words, he relaxed. He turned his head
and kissed her palm. “I agree. We’ll sell the villa and start
over.”

Hannah felt as if her heart would burst. Luke
loved her, and she loved him. It wouldn’t be all smooth sailing,
they were both too strong-willed for that, but she had faith that
their love would bloom and grow stronger with each passing year.
“Let’s go get Rachel.”

EPILOGUE

Hannah called out, “Rachel did you find
them?” No answer. She walked into the master bedroom.

At seventeen, Rachel was going to her senior
prom that night and wanted to borrow her pearl earrings.

When Hannah opened the door, she saw Rachel,
but instead of rummaging through her jewelry box, she stood
silently, reading a letter – one of the letters Luke had written to
her.

Rachel startled, and looked up, embarrassed
to be caught reading her private correspondence. “Oh Mom, I’m
sorry,” she said, handing the letter back to her. “It was
underneath one of your necklaces.”

Hannah glanced at the dark handwriting. She
remembered this one. Luke had written her a note for her birthday.
She glanced at some of the phrases, “better than ever,” “More than
I could have asked for.” She smiled, grateful there wasn’t anything
too personal for her daughter to read. “I hope there wasn’t
anything too mushy for you,” she said lightly. “I know it can be
awkward to think about your parents actually being in love.”

“Oh no,” Rachel gushed. “I think it’s
wonderful. I just hope that someday, someone loves me half as much
as Dad loves you.”

“What about Mike?” Hannah asked. Mike was her
date for the evening.

Rachel scrunched up her nose and shook her
head. “No, he’s just a friend. It’s nothing serious.”

That was good to hear. It was difficult
enough to believe that their little girl had grown into such a
lovely young woman, but she was glad that Rachel did not have a
serious relationship.

Hannah looked in the jewelry box and found
the earrings. “Here they are.” She watched as Rachel put them in
her ears. “You’re beautiful,” she said, admiring her slim elegant
figure in the satin gown.

Rachel blushed. “Eric and John said I looked
silly with my hair up.”

“Don’t listen to them. Little brothers don’t
know everything.”

“What’s this?” Luke asked, overhearing, and
walked into the room. He whistled as he saw Rachel and made her
turn around so he could observe the whole effect. “You are
definitely too beautiful,” he said. “I’m going to have to get a
shot gun and sit on the front porch to keep the boys away.”

Rachel giggled. “You don’t need to worry
about Mike, Dad. He’s never even tried to kiss me.”

“Good,” Hannah and Luke said in unison.

The front door bell rang and Rachel gasped.
“Oh no, he’s here. My shoes!” she shrieked and ran out of the room.
Hannah heard the thundering echoes of her steps as she raced
upstairs to her bedroom.

Hannah looked up at Luke. “Our little girl is
growing up.”

He smiled down at her. “We do good work.”

Yes, they did, she realized. They had a happy
family, a happy home. And as her friend Christina had promised, it
got better all the time. She reached up to kiss Luke. “I love
you.”