though.
“Do you think the beach will be crowded?”
“Oh, no. Not this time of year. We may even be the only ones out
there.”
“Good.”
“What do you mean, good?”
“Because, darlin’, you look really sexy in that swimsuit. I don’t
want you mad at me if I cover you with a T-shirt, nor do I want to get
in any fights with strange men for ogling you.”
“Oh, puh-lease!”
“No, uh-uh. I’m not exaggerating. You look amazing. Perfect.
Luscious.” As he said the words, he approached, his voice growing
deeper and deeper. He smiled at her rosy blush and kissed her when
she offered her lips to him.
“Fine. We’ll probably be alone, anyway.”
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“Good, because I don’t want you covered up. You need sunscreen.
Lots of sunscreen.”
Juliana giggled and said, “You do, too, on those lily-white legs,”
and scampered out of his reach.
They cruised down to the beach in his truck, and sure enough,
there was hardly anybody down there. Ash removed the intricate
dragon kite they’d painstakingly assembled at the house, out of the
backseat. The long tails were picked up by the wind currents as they
fell to the sand from the truck cab.
Juliana helped him straighten it out. “You know, I would have
settled for the My Little Pony kite.”
“Uh-uh. Go big or go home, right?”
They straightened it out and had it up in the air a moment later,
the red and purple dragon spinning, flying, and fluttering in an
outrageous display of color. They stayed on the beach for two hours,
flying the kite, looking for seashells, and building a sandcastle.
Another family gravitated toward them on the lonely beach, the two
preschoolers fascinated by the large, intricate, and colorful kite. The
children squealed and clapped their hands when Ash maneuvered it
and made it dance up and down and spin for them in different
directions. When it was time to get the fair-skinned Juliana back
indoors, they parted company with the family, leaving the kite in the
capable hands of the children’s father. The two little boys squealed
happily when Ash told them they could have the kite, and they ran up
and hugged both Ash and Juliana’s legs and thanked them.
Ash walked with Juliana on the beach, their arms around each
other, taking their time. He reached out a hand and slid it over her
abdomen.
“I can’t even tell you’re expecting my baby. How do you feel?”
“I feel good, Ash. But this explains why I was so exhausted.”
“Have you decided what you’re going to do about the store?”
She smiled happily. “Yeah. Each time I’ve had to take off, for
whatever reason, I’ve come back to find the store in good shape,
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running like it should. There are imperfections but nothing that can’t
be fixed. Leah is in a perfect place right now, and I think she’ll be
ready to take over in a month or so. What would you think about me
resigning from the store in May and taking a little time off, looking
into the opportunity at Discretion and see how things work out? I
want to focus on us and the baby.”
Feeling sappy and love-struck, Ash said, “I think that sounds
perfect. You don’t have to work if you don’t want to. I can support
this family. Soon we’ll have the foreman’s house, but if you want to,
we can buy land and build our own place. You take all the time off
you need. I want you happy, and I want to take care of you, like you
deserve.”
“I love you, Ash.”
“I love you, darlin’,” he murmured and brushed her hair away as it
fluttered against her cheek and kissed her.
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Epilogue
Ash sat beside his very pregnant wife on the couch, lifted her
swollen feet into his lap, and rubbed them soothingly. His mom and
sisters had warned him about pregnancy hormones early on. He was
an A-plus student at mastering the two key phrases for solving all
problems and getting out of trouble, “I’m sorry” and “You’re right,”
and he employed them liberally.
Truth be told, apart from a few crying spells, which he really
couldn’t blame her for, she did pretty well. Besides pain and stiffness
in her lower back, her worst complaint had been her appearance. She
felt like a whale, and she was self-conscious of her body, especially
when she was naked.
Ash figured he was better off putting his feelings to work to show
her how he felt about her appearance. He looked upon her expanding
midsection with admiration and amazement, not with alarm like a lot