“Ethan and I are thinking of doing something quiet over the Christmas holidays. Just friends and family. I told him the pressure is on, because I’m not marrying him until the house is finished. There’s no way I’m starting my married life in the house where I grew up.”
Pia understood. Liz had never known her father, and her mother had been distant and an alcoholic. Men had come and gone with a frequency that had led many people to believe that Liz’s mother was in it more for the money than the relationship. Liz had been emotionally and physically neglected, and sometimes there had been unexplained bruises.
“So Ethan is a motivated guy,” Pia teased. “That’s very smart of you.”
“It’s more desperation than intelligence. I keep telling myself that the house is great. It’s all fixed up and there aren’t any ghosts, but I’m looking forward to moving out.”
Pia leaned back against the sofa. “When did you realize you’d fallen back in love with him?”
“It was more finding out I’d never stopped loving him. That was a shock,” Liz admitted. “Time and distance had done nothing to kill my feelings. I guess it’s sometimes like that. People can love for a lifetime. Why?”
“Just curious.” She held up a hand. “Don’t read more than that into the conversation.”
“You’re not falling for Raoul?” Liz asked cautiously.
“I don’t think so.” Pia told herself it wasn’t a lie—she hadn’t decided yet.
“If you are, maybe it’s not a bad thing.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re you and he’d be a fool not to love you back.”
Pia sighed. “If only,” she whispered.
DR. GALLOWAY HELPED PIA into a sitting position, then settled on her stool.
“You’re fine,” the doctor told her. “Everything looks just as it’s supposed to. Both babies are growing very well. Developmentally, they are on target. Your blood work is good, you’re healthy.”
Pia allowed herself to relax a little. “So they’re going to be fine?”
“Sometimes babies don’t make it, Pia, and we can’t know why. Nature has her own way of solving problems. Although they check the embryos before implantation, science is not perfect. But there is no reason to think you’ll have a difficult time from here on. Have you resumed your regular life?”
“Except for stairs. They scare me.”
“They are exercise and exercise is good. I’m not saying this is the time to take up a new sport, but do what you did before. Walk, talk, laugh, take the stairs.”
Pia drew in a deep breath. “All right. I will.”
“Good. Keep stress to a minimum, as much as you can. Get plenty of rest and enjoy that handsome man of yours.” Dr. Galloway’s expression turned stern. “Are you having sex with him?”
“What?” Pia felt herself blush. “No. Of course not.”
“Probably best for the first few days, but now, it’s fine.”
Pia couldn’t imagine ever doing that again. “Even with the babies in there?”
“It’s not like they know what’s happening. Nor can they see what you’re doing. For them, it’s a gentle ride and when Mom has an orgasm, then it’s even more fun.”
Babies and sex didn’t go together in Pia’s mind. Besides, she was confused about her feelings for Raoul. Making love at this point would only complicate an already difficult situation.
“I’ll think about it,” she said.
“I want more than thinking,” the doctor told her with a grin. “I want doing.” She rose. “Be happy, Pia. All is well.”
“Thank you.”
She waited until Dr. Galloway left before standing and reaching for her clothes.
The babies were okay. That was the main thing. Knowing that, she would try to relax. To, as Dr. Galloway had said, live her life.
One month down and only eight to go, she thought, wishing there was a way to hurry along the pregnancy. Or maybe not, she told herself, remembering the eighty-to-a-hundred-diapers-a-week statistic. Maybe it was better to let things happen in their own time.
“IT’S MY JOB,” PIA SAID, wondering if she hit Raoul with something really, really hard, she could make him understand. Or knock him unconscious, which would allow her to do her job. At this point, either worked for her.
“You can’t spend the day on your feet.”
“I won’t. I have chairs set up all over the park, and several people who are going to make sure I sit.” Despite Dr. Galloway’s all clear, she wasn’t willing to take any risks. “I’ll be fine.”
He moved close and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I worry about you.”
“I worry about me, too, but I have a job that I love and I need to get to it.”
He held her a second longer, his dark eyes gazing into hers.
In truth, she didn’t want to move just yet. She loved being in his arms, feeling his body against hers. There was something so right about them being together. But there was a time and place for the mushy stuff, and this wasn’t it.
She stepped back. “I have to get going.”
“I’ll see you tonight.”
“Yes, you will.”