Blushing in Boston (At the Altar Book 7)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  It was only in the mid-seventies, but when she dipped her toe into the water, it was almost as warm as bathwater. Just perfect for swimming. She dropped her robe on the lounger, and dove into the water.

  She immediately began swimming laps, pushing as hard as she could until she was tired. When she was finished, she collapsed on one of the chairs next to the pool. She'd go back upstairs as soon as she was dry enough.

  While she sat there, she thought about the fight she'd had with Daniel that morning. As many times as she'd heard that absence makes the heart grow fonder, she knew it would be hard for them to be separated this early in their marriage. She wished she had the ability to go with him, but there was no way. She couldn't just leave her job unexpectedly, giving no notice. She didn't have it in her to behave that way.

  She sat there with her eyes closed, thinking about how she could've reacted differently. He was her husband, and as sad as it was, he was used to having his own way. With the kind of money he obviously had, not many people would stand up to him. She didn't care though. Why would she? No matter how much money he made, they were partners in their marriage. Until he could respect that, she knew they couldn't go any further than they already had. Was this what Dr. Lachele had meant when she'd said that the beginning of their marriage would be rocky?

  When she dried sufficiently, she got up and went inside. When she reached her room, she stripped off her bathing suit, and walked into the bathroom. A long shower was just what she needed. She didn't know why, but she'd always done her best thinking in the shower.

  When she was finished, she grabbed her Kindle, and went down to the kitchen. She searched to see what ingredients were available, and started dinner for them. Last night, Daniel had emerged around six-thirty to eat. She assumed he'd be there around the same time tonight.

  She found everything she needed to make a simple chicken dish. While it was cooking, she sat at the table in the kitchen reading her book. At six-thirty, she put everything on the table. When he didn't immediately come down, she wondered where she would find him. The house was huge, and she didn't even know where his office was. For a moment, she contemplated walking through the house and knocking on every door.

  Then she remembered she had his phone number. She picked up her cell phone, and feeling ridiculous, found his number and started to call him. Just as she was about to punch in his number, she decided to text him instead. That would be so much easier than calling. She hated talking on the phone. After doing it forty hours a week for several months, she knew she would never voluntarily call anyone again.

  She quickly texted, thumbs flying. Dinner's ready. Meet me in the kitchen.

  Maybe it was stupid to text him from another room in the same house, but she didn't care. At least she didn't have to go traipsing through the house trying to find him.

  Her phone buzzed in her hand. On my way.

  She'd already fixed both of their plates when he came in. "I hope you're hungry."

  He nodded, walking toward the table. "I'm famished. Are we always going to be eating in the kitchen?" He'd spent more time in the kitchen since meeting her than he usually did in a month.

  She nodded. "If we're here alone, I don't know why we wouldn't."

  He shrugged, because it really didn't matter that much to him. "Did you have a good day?" He had tried his best to work, but found himself thinking of her at odd moments.

  She nodded. "As good of a day as I could have had on my own. I swam for a while, and I read for a while. Did you get a lot of work done?" Truly she was more introvert than extrovert, and she lived for her time alone, but to be alone so much on the weekend she married was just odd.

  He nodded. "I really did. I should be able to take next weekend off after I get back from Dallas." That had been his goal all weekend. To do enough work so they could spend an uninterrupted weekend together. He didn't care what they did, as long as they could get to know one another better.

  She looked at him with surprise. "Really? What are you going to do with yourself?"

  He grinned. "I thought maybe I'd spend some time with my new wife."

  "Well, that will be unusual. Are you sure you can handle that?"

  He made a face at her. "It's not that I don't want to spend time together. I just don't have a lot of time to spare. My business has taken up seventy hours a week for the past ten years. I don't know any other way to live."

  "So these children you want, are you going to have time for them?" She could picture her future. Six children wandering behind her a foot apart, marching in order like little baby ducks following their mother. Each of them would get five minutes per day with their father. Their mother would get one minute when they were done. "Are you sure you can spare thirty-one minutes per day for us?"

  "Thirty-one minutes? That's a pretty exact number. Why would I need thirty-one minutes?"

  "Well, five for each of the six kids and one for me." Brenda hadn't meant to blurt the number out, but once she had, she knew there was no going back.

  He blinked at her for a moment, and then threw his head back and laughed. "Six kids? How are we going to have six kids if I only spend a minute per day with you? I promise you, I'm not that fast." He took her hand in his, caressing her palm with his thumb. "It'll be slow and tender."

  She blushed, trying to pull her hand away, but he kept it. "After six kids, you don't think you'd want to slow down a bit?"

  "I don't know. If they're well-behaved, why? I like kids." At least he thought he did. He hadn't been around them much, but he'd always thought he'd want a bunch.

  She shook her head. "You really do plan on keeping me barefoot and pregnant, don't you?" The idea of holding his child in her arms was oddly appealing. She'd known she wanted children, but it had always been the fact that it was her child that appealed.

  "And you're already keeping yourself in the kitchen. You're a stereotype waiting to happen."

  She wrinkled her nose at him. "Don't be mean. I need my hands. How am I supposed to eat one-handed?" She tugged her hand away from him, and this time he released it.

  "First, I really don't spend enough time with you, and then I hold your hand too much. What exactly do you want from me?" He had a grin on his face as he asked.

  "I guess I just have unreasonable expectations." She took a bite of her dinner. "Expecting me to have forty-seven children might be a bit unreasonable of you, though."

  "Forty-seven? I said three or four. You're the one who said six!" Daniel shook his head, acting very put upon.

  Brenda looked at him, chuckling softly. There were times when the man made her want to break a brick over his head, and then there were times like this, when he kept her laughing. She'd only known him for a day and a half! She could only imagine how weird things were going to get in another couple of weeks.

  She realized then she was actually going to miss him while he was in Dallas. "Am I going to hear from you at all while you're gone?" Not only would she miss him, she worried they'd lose the progress they'd made that weekend. Would it be like seeing a stranger again on Friday?

  He put his fork down and gave her his full attention. "I will be sure to call you every single night, and we can text and email as well. I'll be working a lot, but I should be in my hotel room by nine-thirty central time, so ten-thirty our time. I'll make sure I call or Skype then. Does that work?"

  Brenda nodded. That was late for her on a work night, but she could lose a little sleep to talk to her new husband. It wouldn't hurt her a bit. "That sounds good. I'll expect your calls." She wouldn't admit that she'd sit around waiting for them, but there was no doubt in her mind. She would.

  He pulled out his phone. "What's your email address?" She gave it to him, and he plugged it into his phone. "I'll leave for the airport around nine tomorrow, so we'll see each other at breakfast." Normally he would skip breakfast or eat later, but it was important to him to see her before he left.

  "Sounds good. It really is going to be weird to be in this huge house b
y myself." She looked around the kitchen trying to imagine how anyone could live alone in a house that size.

  "I'm sorry I have to leave so soon after we've met. I promise I really will keep in touch." Daniel frowned down at his plate. "If there's any way I can come back early, I will." He was already cramming three weeks worth of work into one week, though, so he was pretty sure he couldn't. His friend, Seth, was going with him to help him. He was a computer consultant, and he often used him when he wanted to get something done quickly.

  "Thank you. I appreciate you acknowledging my feelings about it. I know I don't have a right to ask you to stay home, so I'm not. I'm going to miss you, though," she said simply.

  He caught her hand again and brought it to his lips. "I'll miss you as well." He was surprised to find that he meant it. He'd only known her for a day and a half. How could he miss her already? Why was she becoming so important to him already?

  Brenda felt a flutter in her midsection at his words. Whether they were true or not, they were nice to hear. She wanted to thank him for saying it, but she felt too awkward, so instead she jumped up and loaded the dishwasher.

  Daniel watched her, wondering what was going on in her mind. His new wife was a bit odd, but he liked her—a lot. He'd wondered about Dr. Lachele's matchmaking skills a few hours before, but now, he was certain the woman had done well. If only they could get used to each other. He was sure that was the key. Once Brenda understood that he did things the way he did because they worked well, surely she'd simply fall in line.

  Brenda finished loading the dishwasher except the plate he was still eating from before she dared glance at him. When she caught him watching her, she blushed. "Are you finished?" she asked, indicating his plate.

  He nodded, standing and carrying the plate to her. She put it into the dishwasher and started the cycle. When she turned back to him, he was looking at her, his face filled with confusion.

  "What?" she finally asked.

  "Of all the women I've known since I've become wealthy, you're the only one who would do domestic chores instead of waiting for Mrs. Brinkley."

  She turned to him, leaning back against a counter as she raised an eyebrow. "Have you brought that many women back here?"

  He shook his head, moving toward her and boxing her in. "I've never brought any women here. But you can tell a lot about a woman without ever seeing her in your home." He used his index finger to tilt her face up to his. "You're special." He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, his hands going to her waist and pulling her closer. "And short. You're very short. How tall are you?"

  She sighed, pulling away from him. "Way to ruin a moment, Daniel! I'm 4'11. I'm the perfect height to make you feel tall and manly, right?"

  He laughed. "Is that how I feel when I'm with you? I'm so glad you told me!"

  She grinned. "I even make short men feel tall and manly. It's my superpower."

  "My wife has a superpower? I'm in nerd heaven."

  "Oh really?" She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm here to serve."

  He pressed his lips against hers kissing hers softly. "I'm sure you're not going to want to roll around in the sheets with me tonight, so why don't we go get our bathing suits on, and get in the hot tub? We'll ask each other a few more questions."

  She nodded, following him through the house and up the stairs, stopping outside her door. "I'll meet you in the hallway when I'm ready."

  "Sounds good."

  They went into their respective rooms and shut the doors. She hurried and changed into the same bathing suit she'd worn earlier. It was still a bit damp, and she hated how cold it felt against her skin. She grabbed a towel as well, and as soon as she was done, she opened the door to the hallway and stepped out.

  He was leaning against the wall, wearing a pair of dark swim trunks. His eyes traveled over her from head to toe. His face made it very clear that he liked what he saw. "I like that suit. It looks good on you."

  Brenda was embarrassed, but he had every right in the world to see her unclothed. They were married after all. "Thank you." What else could she say?

  He caught her hand, and they went down the stairs together. "We could go for a swim as well if you'd like, but I heard you out here splashing around earlier. Do you want to swim again?" He usually swam in the mornings, but the idea of a moonlit swim with her was oddly appealing.

  She shook her head. "Not really. A nice long soak in the hot tub sounds good to me."

  When they reached the pool area, he threw his towel into a chair, and she did the same. He pushed the button to turn the hot tub on, and preceded her into the small pool. She followed him, sitting across from him in the round area.

  "Are you afraid of me or something? Get over here." His voice was playful as he indicated the spot next to him.

  "You said we were going to talk. So I sat somewhere where you wouldn't be tempted to try to do anything else." Brenda got up and moved across the hot tub, sitting beside him.

  He immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders, anchoring her to his side. "Okay, let's play the getting to know you game. You ask a question, I'll answer, and then I get to ask you a question. Same rules as last night. No questions about my life before I was eighteen."

  She nodded. She'd been thinking of questions she could ask him all day. She'd even googled some, knowing he didn't mind answering. "What's one thing in your past you'd like to change?"

  He frowned, thinking how to answer that. "Good question. I don't know." He pondered for a moment. "I wish I'd started taking programming classes earlier. Then I wouldn't have had such a hard learning curve when I started my business."

  She'd expected his answer to be something about his business, so the answer didn't surprise her a bit. "Your turn."

  "Let me think. Is there anything I could do that would make it acceptable for you to cheat on me?" The answer was extremely important to him, but he tried to act nonchalant about it. His mother had cheated on his father repeatedly, and she'd excused it based on his abuse.

  She shook her head. "There's never any reason that it would be acceptable for anyone to cheat on their significant other. I believe very strongly in the sanctity of marriage. I know we signed a contract to stay together for at least a year, but I don't see myself ever leaving. I don't believe in divorce."

  He nodded. It was the answer he wanted, and he was glad she agreed with his feelings. "I agree. Especially when children are involved, I don't believe in divorce."

  "My turn. Let's see. It's six months down the road. I'm four months pregnant. Through testing, they determine that our child will be born with a birth defect. Who gets to make the ultimate decision about whether or not we keep the child? Would you expect me to automatically have an abortion?"

  He blinked a few times. "I've never even thought about that. I don't like the idea of ending the life of the child for any reason. I know it would probably be politically correct for me to say it's your body, but it would be our child. I think even if the child is able to be born and live for thirty minutes, I would want it to live for thirty minutes."

  Brenda absolutely loved his answer. She turned to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head down for a kiss. It was the first kiss she'd initiated with him. After a moment, she pulled away. "Thank you. I agree."

  "I honestly don't know if the answer would change if it meant it might affect your life. I hope it wouldn't. I think things should be allowed to take their natural course."

  She nodded. "I agree. I don't think it's my choice whether I get to live or the baby gets to live. It's God's choice."

  "Are you religious? I know we were married in your church, but I don't know how strong your beliefs are."

  She shrugged. "Pretty strong. I was raised Christian, and I'm definitely pro-life. What about you?"

  "I honestly haven't thought about it a whole lot. My parents weren't religious at all. I've only really ever been in a church for weddings and funerals." He'd never been invited to go to churc
h with anyone. When he was younger, no one he knew was religious. Once he hit college, he was always so busy, no one ever asked anything from him.

  It was the first time he'd mentioned his parents to her. She wanted to ask more, but he'd made it clear that topic was off-limits to her. "I usually go every Sunday. It didn't seem right to go to church the day after I married, so I didn't today. I'd love it if you wanted to go with me, but I understand either way."

  "I'll think about it." It hadn't occurred to him he'd marry someone who was religious. He liked the idea of his children being raised with the strong moral values that came with Christianity, so he might give it a try. "My turn. Let me think."

  Brenda was startled for a moment, realizing just then that their little game had turned into a real discussion. He was taking it back to the game though, and she was fine with that. She was simply thankful for the insight into his real thoughts he'd given her. "Make it an easy one."

  "Easy? You said yesterday that you've never been with a man. Is that because of your religion?"

  Brenda nodded. "I've always believed that intimacy belongs within marriage. I always knew that I'd wait 'til my wedding night. And beyond as the case may be."

  "I noticed. It's okay though. I really do understand why we're waiting. Your turn."

  Brenda was getting too hot in the water, so she climbed out and sat on the edge of the hot tub with her feet dangling over the edge. "Let's think. Okay, if we're going to talk about intimacy, how many women have you been with? I know about the girl in college. What was her name again?"

  "Yvette. I've been with five women, and I was always at least in a dating relationship with them. I don't have sex with random strangers." All at once, he was both happy and sad that he'd been with so many women. He was glad he had the experience to make it good for her when they finally did consummate, but he was sad that he hadn't waited for her. She was special, and she'd waited for him. He should have done the same for her.

  "That's good to hear. You're sure you're clean?"

  "I'm sitting in a pool of water. Of course I'm clean. Oh!" he said as if he was just understanding her meaning. "You want to know if I have any sexually transmitted diseases. No, I don't. I can get my doctor to write you a letter saying that if you need me to."