Always a Warrior(79)
“Nervous?” She kept her tone light but smiled encouragement despite the strong urge to go back to sleep.
He grinned sheepishly. “I haven’t worked as a civilian in twelve years. I’ll have to get used to it.”
“Somerset has government contracts,” Laurie teased. “Just think of their nasty supervisors as nasty military commanders.”
He chuckled then linked their fingers across the small space over the table between the end of the sofa and the chair. The newscast went on and, relieved there was no mention of her father, Laurie gradually relaxed muscles she had not realized were tense. She only had one problem to deal with and decided it shouldn’t really be a problem, only an unexpected surprise.
At the end of the news reports, she gave Damien a smoldering kiss at the front door, wished him a good first day, and went upstairs to get dressed. Her lips tingled pleasantly and she knew she would think of him all day. Several minutes later, ready to face the day, she carried her second cup of coffee onto the back porch and watched the morning sky brighten.
After Stacy left for school, Laurie settled into the corner of the sofa with yet another cup of coffee. But she couldn’t concentrate on the women’s talk show she watched every weekday.
Sometimes she acquired good ideas for plot twists or characterization from the show. Today, however, it didn’t hold her interest. Her mind consistently wandered to the home pregnancy test ALWAYS A WARRIOR Patricia Bruening
115
she had used earlier. The result had been positive. She was pregnant, about six weeks along by her best calculations.
She didn’t question that she had to tell Damien. But how would he take the news? She knew he would not run from the responsibility. After all, their wedding was only a few days away. But he had just started a new job, a totally new life. He had enough adjustments to make.
What would another, unexpected, change do to him? To escape the ever-present confusion circling her mind, she concentrated meticulously on housework.
As late morning became early afternoon, she entrenched herself in her office to continue working on her current manuscript. She didn’t get much done. She stared into space, ignoring the cursor blinking in the middle of the page of text depicted on her screen. Her mind whirled like a tornado around Damien and the baby. She finally turned off the computer she had not touched in two hours, leaned back in her chair, and stared pensively at the ceiling.
“Hi, Babe,” Damien said from the open door.
Startled, she flinched and gaped at him. Blood drained from her head in a dizzying rush.
Guiltily she shifted her gaze to stare at the keyboard in front of her. She had been unaware of the passage of time and had not heard him come home.
“Sorry. Were you busy? I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“No,” she responded in a monotone, unable to prevent her gaze from meeting his.
His eyes narrowed and she squirmed under his intense scrutiny. He knew her too well, read her too well, not to realize something was wrong.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing nine months won’t cure,” she muttered under her breath. How was she supposed to tell him to prepare for yet another major change in his life?
She had not intended for him to hear but Damien had sharp ears. He turned pale and gaped at her in disbelief as he evidently took in her apprehension. He staggered and reached for the door frame as though he had been sucker punched. “Are you pregnant?”
Laurie nodded slowly but could not force a single word past the ache in her throat. She had not meant to blurt it out like that. He didn’t seem pleased. He looked shocked, hurt, and trapped. Well, she wasn’t exactly ecstatic over the news, either. She had never considered having another child.
He raked the fingers of both hands through his hair as he darted wild glances around the office. He looked at everything but her. Dejected, she stood and trudged to the window overlooking the back yard. She stared, seeing nothing though the film of tears blurring her vision. Her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
“Christ,” Damien muttered behind her.
His hands trembled on her shoulders. She stood, tense and rigid, and struggled to blink back the tears. He turned her to face him.
“Not again,” he said flatly, his eyes dark with a mix of anger, bitterness, and pain.
She glanced up at him, puzzled. Realization struck with the force of a sledgehammer. She wanted to kick herself. He already had two children he obviously never saw. Hurt and even ashamed, she dropped her gaze to his chest.
“Let’s sit down,” he suggested. He took her hand and urged her toward the sofa.