Bundle of Joy

by Robin Lee Hatcher

  Those thoughts had no more occurred to him than he saw Alicia weaving her way toward their table. Relief spread through him. Their gazes met as she drew near. She smiled, and for the first time today, her smile appeared genuine.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine.” She slid into the booth beside him. “Sorry I took so long.” Her gaze remained locked with his.

  She had the most amazing eyes. Like the ocean found in warm climes like Hawaii and the Caribbean, like those beaches and coves where people went snorkeling. He had the absurd feeling that if he could dive into her eyes, like a snorkeler into the ocean, he would find beautiful surprises beneath the surface, surprises more precious than pearls and coral and bright-colored fish.

  Joe felt heat rise up his neck. He’d never been given to romantic notions. He’d never understood poetry that compared a woman to a summer’s day. He was the practical sort, logical and levelheaded in all circumstances. Or at least, he used to be.

  “Have you ordered?” Alicia asked.

  “We were waiting for you.” He was thankful he sounded halfway normal.

  “I’m starved.” She looked at her grandfather. “I guess my case of nerves is over.”

  Funny. Joe was just beginning to feel nervous.

  “Drop me off at the Senior Center on your way home,” Grandpa Roger said as Joe drove his vehicle out of the restaurant parking lot an hour later. “You two should have this day to yourselves.”

  Alicia liked the idea.

  “Are you sure, sir? There’s not likely to be many people at the center with these roads as slick as they are. We didn’t have anything special planned for this afternoon.”

  “I’m sure. It’s your wedding day. Spend it together, just the two of you.” He tapped Joe on the shoulder. “Drop me off at the center. I’ll get a ride home.”

  “Sir, I really don’t—”

  “Don’t argue with your new grandfather, my boy.”

  Alicia turned her gaze out the passenger window. Snow continued to fall in huge wet flakes, blanketing everything in white.

  Pristine, clean, fresh, new. If only she could have come to Joe as such a bride. Not that she would wish away Humphrey. She wanted her baby. She loved him. Or her. But still she couldn’t help wishing…

  She felt Joe’s hand close over hers where it rested on the center console. Despite herself, she looked his way.

  “Your grandfather’s right,” he said softly. “Every bride deserves to do something special on her wedding day. What would you like to do?”

  I’d like you to hold me and kiss me and tell me you love me.

  “Alicia?”

  “Let’s just go home.”

  “Okay.” He glanced over his shoulder, then back at the road. “We’ll plan a honeymoon for after the baby arrives, Grandpa Roger.”

  Oh, how she hoped that would turn out to be true.

  They left Alicia’s grandfather at the Senior Center as he’d requested. The rest of the drive was made in silence. Once at the house, Joe parked the SUV as close to the back door as he could get. Then he hurried around to the passenger door and helped Alicia to the ground. He took a firm hold of her arm with his left hand while he slipped his right arm around her back. He didn’t want her falling and hurting herself or the baby.

  Was this the way all husbands felt toward their expectant wives?

  They reached the back porch door without mishap. Joe opened it, then let Alicia go in ahead of him. He caught up with her before she reached the door into the utility room.

  Even if Joe had been grilled for hours by the finest attorney in the country, he couldn’t have found an answer for what happened next. He was as surprised as Alicia when he swept her feet off the floor and, cradling her in his arms, carried her into the kitchen.

  “Joe, what are you doing?”

  “I’m carrying my bride across the threshold. That’s what.”

  “Well, put me down. I’m too heavy.”

  “You’re not too heavy,” he said, even as he obeyed her command.

  She didn’t move away as he’d expected. Instead, she tipped her head and looked up at him, her gaze filled with a woman’s unfathomable secrets.

  He was the one to take a step backward. “I suppose it was a crazy thing to do.”

  “Joe…” She reached out, touched his chest with the tip of her fingers. “I…I want you to know how much I appreciate your friendship. You’ve done so much for me and Grandpa.”

  Was her gratitude what he wanted?

  “But you don’t have to pretend our marriage is real when Grandpa isn’t around. I don’t expect you to. Let’s just continue to be friends. Let’s not allow this charade to get in the way of that.”

  There was wisdom in her words. So why was he disappointed by them?

  Chapter Twelve

  Alone in the house for the first time in five days, Joe stood in the center of the nursery, his left arm resting on the top step of the ladder. Spread around him on the floor were a bucket, several double-roll bolts of pre-pasted wallpaper, a can of paste, two brushes, a sponge, a wall scraper, a razor knife, a straightedge and two rollers. On the table next to him were a pencil, tape measure, chalk line, level and pair of scissors. In his hand he held a booklet the clerk at the paint and wallcovering store had told him to read before he got started.

  He grinned, thinking how surprised Alicia would be when she got home. Just yesterday she’d told her grandfather that she’d meant to paper the nursery months ago but never got around to it. Now, she’d said, it would have to wait until after the baby came because she was too big and awkward to do the work. Her comment had been followed by a deep sigh that had said volumes more than her words.

  Joe didn’t want her to have to wait. The nursery should be just what she wanted now, not later. It seemed to him Alicia had to put off too many things. He’d like to see her happy. Really and truly happy.

  His grin faded, replaced by a frown.

  Something had changed between them in the days since they spoke their marriage vows before the judge—something beyond his moving into her bedroom. Of course, that wasn’t much of a change. He had taken up residence on the small sofa in the far corner of the bedroom, and he always had a reason to stay up at least thirty minutes after she went to bed, thus giving her time to change into her sleepwear and get under the covers. Legally married they might be, but she still deserved her privacy, given their plans to end the marriage in due course.

  Hopefully they would do a better job of hiding their revised sleeping arrangements from her grandfather than they had managed to do with their original arrangement.

  He smiled now as he remembered the way she looked when she exited the bedroom in the mornings, clad in her pink robe and slippers, her short hair disheveled, a sleepy smile tipping the corners of her mouth.

  How did she manage to look happy first thing in the morning?

  There was something about Alicia, something about being with her that made him want to stay. If a real marriage could be the same as this temporary one, he wouldn’t think of leaving.

  He looked forward to listening as she and her grandfather talked about her girlhood. He liked hearing her laughter, a sound that invaded the deepest corners of his heart. There were times when he looked at her—times when she placed her hands on her round stomach and tipped her head to the side and smiled that secret smile, looking as if someone had whispered something wonderful in her ear—that he thought her the most beautiful woman in the world.

  He gave his head a slight shake. “You think too much, Palermo. Just get to work.”

  He glanced at the booklet in his hand, then tossed it aside unread. How hard could it be to hang wallpaper? He’d asked the clerk plenty of questions while picking up the supplies. He didn’t need this, too.

  He grabbed the level and pencil off the table. Alicia had said she would be home between four and four-thirty. That didn’t give him much time to finish his surprise.

  Alicia wa
s reaching for a stuffed toy on a top shelf when a sharp pain shot through her. With a gasp she doubled over, cradling her abdomen with her arms.

  “Alicia!” Susie’s hand alighted on her back. “What is it?”

  She drew a few slow breaths before she attempted to straighten.

  “Alicia?”

  She shook her head. “Nothing,” she finally managed to answer. “Just one of those twinges I get every now and then.”

  Susie looked at her customer. “Let me get someone else to assist you.” She called to Judy to help the woman find what she wanted, then she took hold of Alicia’s arm and said, “Come with me.”

  Alicia was propelled by Susie’s firm grasp toward the back room. Once there, with the door closed behind them, Susie made Alicia sit down. Then she stood guard over her with arms crossed in front of her chest.

  “I’m all right, Susie. You can leave me to rest a moment. I won’t need long.”

  “No.”

  “Really. I—”

  “Alicia, you’re putting on your coat, and I’m taking you home, and you aren’t coming back until your baby is at least six weeks old.”

  “Susie—”

  “I mean it. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll tell your grandfather the truth about you divorce from your baby’s father and I’ll tell Joe you’re in love with him.”

  Alicia stared at her friend.

  “You think I won’t do it, but you’re dead wrong. I will do it if you don’t do exactly what I’m telling you now. I know Bundles of Joy’s procedures as well as you do. I can balance the tills and manage the checkbook, and I’m better at hiring and firing than you ever were—except when you hired me, of course.” She punctuated her last comment with a saucy grin.

  “But it’s almost Christmas.”

  “So?”

  “So we’re shorthanded as it is.”

  Susie’s expression turned serious again. “The store is having its best Christmas season ever. You can afford to hire a couple more people. And I’ll work every day if I have to. It isn’t worth the risk for you to stay.”

  It was Susie’s last words that made up Alicia’s mind for her. Besides, she was tired, and those sharp, unexpected pains did alarm her.

  “You win,” she said softly.

  “About time.”

  “But I can get home without you chauffeuring me.”

  “Are you sure? The roads are still slick in spots.”

  Alicia nodded, then pushed herself up from the chair. “I’m sure. I drove myself to work. I can drive myself home.”

  “Well…okay. But you call me when you get there.”

  “I will.” She gave her friend a hug. “Thanks, Susie.”

  “No prob. You take care of yourself. And make sure that husband of yours does his part.”

  She turned toward the coatrack. “Joe’s always helpful.” She suppressed a sigh. “You can rest easy. I’m in good hands.”

  Joe had measured and cut, according to the advice the clerk gave him, but he hadn’t taken into consideration that he would need to match the pattern, too.

  Hanging wallpaper was more difficult than he’d anticipated.

  He looked at the pile of wet, soggy, discarded paper. He’d pulled a strip off the wall moments before. If he kept this up, he would run out of paper before the room was finished. Not a good thing, according to the clerk at the paint store.

  Maybe he should look at those instructions, see what else he might be doing wrong. A glance at his watch told him he didn’t have time to find the booklet, let alone read up on the fine art of hanging wallcovering. He needed to hurry if he was going to finish before Alicia got home.

  He laid the new strip of paper on the table, then moistened the back side with the paint roller before slapping on some wallpaper paste with a brush. As he carried the paper to the stepladder, he noticed the drops of paste on the hardwood floor.

  “I hope this stuff cleans up okay.”

  Getting up the ladder while keeping control of the sticky wallpaper wasn’t easy, but he made it without too much trouble. His skills seemed to be improving by small increments.

  It would’ve helped matters if this old farm house had walls that were plumb. Matching both the paper pattern and getting a straight alignment were not easy tasks. And the paste didn’t seem to want to adhere the way he thought it should.

  Again he wondered about that instruction booklet.

  He muttered a few words beneath his breath as he tried to smooth wrinkles out of the paper, working his way from ceiling to floor. He had just knelt on the floor and was reaching for the utility knife when something cold fell on his head and back.

  “Not again.”

  The paper had come off the wall and landed on him in one big, gooey mess. He pushed it off, but the paste remained in his hair, on his clothes, smeared across his arms and even one side of his face.

  That’s how Alicia found him.

  She couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing.

  Joe stopped trying to wipe off the paste with his fingers and swiveled toward the door. The expression of mixed surprise and disgust on his face only made his predicament seem all the more amusing.

  “It’s not that funny,” he said as he got to his feet.

  Alicia nodded, covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hide her smile. “Yes, it is.”

  “Only because it didn’t fall on you.”

  A renewed fit of giggles kept her from replying.

  “I was trying to do you a favor.” He kicked away the paper that was stuck to his shoe, then took a step toward her. “Have you no appreciation?”

  He wasn’t really angry, was he?

  But even that threat wasn’t enough to stifle her laughter. If he could see himself, he would laugh, too.

  “I warned you.”

  Before she could react, he was across the room. He grabbed her with his paste-covered arms and pulled her close. Then he kissed her.

  If what he’d meant to do was silence her laughter, his methods worked.

  Alicia’s mind went blank. There was only the feel of his arms, only the taste of his mouth, only that uniquely masculine scent that was Joe’s alone. Her arms snaked around his neck. She wondered if he could hear the riotous pounding of her heart.

  I love you, Joe. I love you. I love you. I love you.

  He cradled her face between the palms of his hands before drawing back slightly. Their gazes met and held.

  “What’re you doing home so early?” he asked, his voice almost gruff.

  “I’m officially on maternity leave.” She forced a smile. “Susie wasn’t taking no for an answer.”

  “Good for her. It’s what I said ten days ago. Remember?”

  She wished he would kiss her again. Instead, he removed his hands from her face and took a step back. She had no chance but to let him move out of her arms.

  “I’m sorry I laughed,” she said, forcing herself not to step forward, not to seek his nearness again.

  He shrugged, and a wry grin curved the corners of his mouth. “I must have looked pretty funny, at that.”

  She smiled. “Yes, you did. You still do.”

  “I thought it’d be easy.” He grabbed a sponge from the worktable, then reached out and wiped paste from one of her cheeks. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to share the mess.”

  “It’ll wash off.”

  He turned his back toward her, looking at the partially papered wall. “I wanted to have it done before you got home.”

  “It was sweet of you. Really. I mean it.”

  “It needed to get done.” He glanced over his shoulder, a twinkle in his eyes, his brows raised. “I should’ve read the instructions.”

  “I love you, Joe.” She hadn’t planned to tell him, but she shouldn’t have been surprised when she did. The feelings—her love, her joy, her hopes, her dreams—had become too big to hold in any longer.

  Her joy was short-lived.

  The look on his face said it all.

  A h
eavy silence filled the room; it pressed upon her chest, threatening to crush her, body and spirit. She would have given anything to be able to unsay the words.

  He turned fully toward her. “Alicia…”

  “No.” She stopped him with a raised hand. “Don’t. Let’s pretend I didn’t say that.” She faked a laugh. “Can we blame it on my pregnancy hormones? I blame them for everything else.”

  He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “You know I care for you, Alicia, and I’m sure you care for me. We’re friends, like you’ve said before. But I’m not good husband material.”

  Here came those tears. She blinked, trying valiantly to keep them from falling.

  “Alicia, I—”

  She laid her fingertips against his lips. “I know. You’re right. We’re too different. We want different things.” She pulled back her hand. “It would be the height of stupidity to believe we could make a marriage work.”

  “Well, maybe not that bad.”

  She knew he was trying to lighten the mood with his teasing.

  It didn’t work.

  “Maybe you should leave,” she whispered. “Maybe it’s time to tell Grandpa the truth about us and put an end to this sham.”

  Logically, Joe knew she was right. It was time for him to go, for them to stop playing house. It was time to tell the truth.

  Yet, everything inside him rebelled against it.

  They stood there, in the middle of the nursery amidst the disarray of his disastrous wallpapering attempts, their gazes locked. He could see his own confused emotions mirrored in her eyes, and he wished he could wipe it away for both their sakes. If he could find the right words…

  But before he could try, the sound of the back door slamming shut intruded.

  Alicia turned away from him. “That’ll be Grandpa.” She left the nursery, her back straight, her head held high.

  She’s going to tell him now.

  Alarm shot through Joe, and he followed her as she headed for the kitchen. He didn’t know what he intended to do or say. He only knew he wanted to stop whatever was about to happen.