Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 157175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 786(@200wpm)___ 629(@250wpm)___ 524(@300wpm)
‘Ava?’ A gentle touch rests on my shoulder, and I blink my eyes open, finding Zara suspended above me.
It takes me a while to grasp my bearings, and I see Elsie leaving the room. ‘I think I fell asleep.’ My voice is thick, and I’m unsure if it’s with emotion or sleepiness.
Zara smiles, her friendly face so happy. ‘You’re right. Elsie is amazing!’ She rises to her feet, pouting, now looking disappointed. ‘I was hoping we could do coffee, but I just picked up an e-mail from work. Some silly problem with a project I have to get sorted.’
‘That’s fine. I can’t do coffee today, anyway.’ I can’t? Why can’t I? I can, and I should, though today I’ll be doing it on my own. I can go for a coffee on my own, no problem. I should do something on my own.
‘No?’
‘My husband . . .’ I stop myself from saying something that would give entirely the wrong impression. ‘We’ve had a rough time lately. He’s a bit protective. He worries about me.’ I shrug.
‘Oh no.’ She pouts. ‘I’ll call you. We’ll make those plans, and you can tell me all about it.’
I smile, though I’m not too enthusiastic about her suggestion. The thing I love most about coffee with Zara is the fact that I don’t have to talk about my woes, because she doesn’t know of them. ‘That would be good.’
‘Thanks so much for letting me hijack your session, Ava. It means so much.’ She kisses my cheek and breezes away, leaving me in the room alone. Maybe it’s silly, but I close my eyes again, hoping the memories will come back to me. But after a good five minutes, I give up, telling myself to be happy with what I got.
I leave Elsie with a grateful kiss and head outside, set to go and process the session on my own with a coffee, but when I make it into the fresh air, I find Jesse waiting.
He’s pouting at me from where he’s standing by the car, his puppy-dog eyes pleading with me not to be mad at him. I stop in my tracks and cock my head, pursing my lips in fake disapproval.
‘I love you.’ He gives me a stupid goofy grin, like those three simple words are the answer for everything. Truth be told, they are.
I can’t possibly be mad with the big softy. I’m too elated by the effect the past hour with Elsie has had and the fact that something came to me. So instead of ripping a strip off him, I step into his big body and hug him fiercely. I can tell he’s shocked at my easy acquiescence because it takes him a couple of seconds to return my cuddle. ‘Where the hell is my wife?’
I smile and pull back, beaming up at him. ‘I saw you.’ I have to stop myself from springing around the street like a jack-in-the-box. ‘I was so spaced out, and I saw you in my mind. It was so clear. I saw you holding the twins when they were born.’
‘Really?’ His face is ablaze with happiness as he picks me up and swings me around in the middle of the street. I laugh, not feeling in the least bit dizzy. Because my eyes are on his.
Chapter 35
It’s Saturday, the day of Raya and Drew’s engagement party. As I swish the bubbles in the bath, I run over my plan again, from beginning to end. Every bit involves spoiling my wife rotten. Lavishing her with affection and attention. Making her feel like the queen she is to me.
When the bath is at the perfect level of water and bubbles, I flip off the tap and strip down to nothing. Then I wander quietly into the bedroom, watching her nap peacefully atop the bedcovers as I approach. It pains me to wake her, but I need to kick my plan into action or we’ll be late for Drew and Raya’s party. Kneeling by the bed, I take the single calla lily from the vase on the night table and rest my lips on hers. She stretches and moans, reaching for my naked shoulders. Her touch creates instant flames on my skin. Opening her eyes sleepily, she smiles at the flower and takes it, smelling it lazily before resting it on the bed next to her.
‘Time for a bath, baby,’ I whisper, sliding my arms under her and lifting her from the bed. She snuggles into me as I carry her to the tub, sleepy and warm in my arms. She feels lighter, and as I think back over the time since I brought her home from hospital, she hasn’t once finished a meal. In fact, she’s mostly just pushed the food around her plate. Damn, we need to fix that. I should have been more forceful.