“It does not! It looks elegant.”
“I like your hair down.” I tug at the pins again. A few come loose. “Like to run it through my fingers.”
“You are in so much trouble.”
“Awesome. Hope we get to have make-up sex.”
“You’re not getting any kind of sex.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Maybe.”
“I accept.” A bunch of pins clatter to the floor.
Liv’s not making much of an effort to escape, especially when I drag my hands through her hair, freeing it from the ridiculous knot. I comb the thick mass with my fingers until it’s loose around her shoulders. Just the way I like it.
When she opens her mouth to complain again, I slide one hand around the back of her head and pull her in for a kiss. After a few seconds of half-hearted resistance, her body softens against mine. She winds her arms around my waist.
Ah, good. Sinking into her. Nothing but her lush mouth against mine, her breasts pressing against my chest.
“Morn… oh, sorry.”
Liv stiffens and jerks away at the sound of Paige’s voice. My sister enters the kitchen, shooting me a look that appears to say, “Really, Dean? Right here in the kitchen?”
Liv wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Uh, morning, Paige. Sorry about that.”
Paige pours herself a cup of coffee. “What time is Dad’s surgery?”
“Ten.” I glance at the clock. “We’re leaving in half an hour, if you want to come with us.”
“Might as well.” After getting a container of yogurt, Paige sits down to eat and read the paper.
I make Liv an egg and toast. She glowers at me while attempting to put her hair back into some sort of order. I mouth the words “I love you,” which makes her smile even as she tries to maintain the glower.
Warmth fills my chest. Nice. Like the way it used to be.
My mother comes in soon, and there’s some discussion about the weather and the day’s schedule before we head to the hospital. My father is awake and looking better than he did yesterday. The doctor performing the bypass surgery is a well-respected heart surgeon, so my father seems optimistic.
Which is to say he’s not opposing the doctor’s orders.
“Shouldn’t you be at work?” he asks me.
“The semester doesn’t start until February, so I have another couple of weeks.”
My father looks at Liv. “Hello, Liv.”
He sounds almost cordial. Liv smiles.
“Sounds like everything will be fine, Mr. West,” she says.
“Tell me that if I make it out of surgery.”
“Richard, don’t be dire.” My mother starts to unnecessarily rearrange his pillows. “Did I tell you that Marlene called to see how you’re doing? Gordon had heart surgery a few years back, do you remember that? Turned out just fine, and now he plays tennis three times a week.”
My father doesn’t respond. I can see him tune her out. Still my mother keeps up the inane chatter until the nurses arrive to prep my father for surgery. We file out to wait.
Three hours in, we’ve watched way too many daytime talk shows and had at least two cups each of bad vending-machine coffee. Around lunchtime, Liv and I walk to the cafeteria to bring back sandwiches for Paige and my mother.
As we stand in the food line, I tell her about the real-estate agent’s message.
“Oh.” Liv breathes out a sigh. “Well, that’s too bad.”
She doesn’t sound terribly sorry.
“We’re going to need a bigger place soon, Liv.”
“I know.” She hesitates. “Are you going to tell your parents that I’m pregnant?”
Not until the baby’s born.
“Not until we’re sure everything’s okay.”
“Everything is okay, Dean. Dr. Nolan has been saying that all along.”
Yeah. That’s also what Helen’s doctor said, then she miscarried three times. Once in her second trimester. Then she needed a D&C to scrape out her uterus and— Fuck. Fear claws at me. I grab several prepackaged sandwiches and head for the cashier’s line. Liv follows, but doesn’t speak until we’re back in the elevator.
“I just thought you’d want to tell them in person,” she says. “Since we’re here and everything. And it might make your parents happy.”
Doubtful. My mother has never liked Liv, for no good reason except that she’s not as accomplished as Helen. And I sure as hell don’t want to deal with any more crap from my family, least of all anything directed toward my wife.
“I’ll think about it,” I say, even though I’ve decided against it.
Liv doesn’t bring it up again. When the doctor finally comes out with a report that the surgery went well and my father is back in his room, Paige and my mother go in to see him.
I decide to return later that day. Liv is looking tired, and now I’m hyperconscious of her pregnancy, so I take her back home. She puts up some resistance when I suggest she take a nap, but eventually she heads upstairs.