Page 62 of Beau
He found her in the library, seated around the desk with the laptop opened in front of her and a tiny frown of concentration on her brow. He stood there just inside the open doorway staring at her. A tray was next to the laptop, and he could see remnants of what looked like some sort of pastry and a half-eaten bowl of fruit.
He had called to let her know he would be a little late coming home, and she insisted on waiting for him to have dinner.
He loved this picture of intensity in her. From where he was standing, he could see enough to light a slow fuse inside him. Her hair was piled on top of her head, wisps of it escaping along her cheeks and neck.
She was wearing a bulky cream and gold sweater and was not wearing a stitch of makeup. He wondered if she knew that pregnancy had given her a glow and that her skin was luminous with it?
She looked up then and he basked in the warmth of love that came immediately, when she saw him.
“How long have you been standing there?”
“Long enough to admire your beauty. And to realize that you ate without me.” Easing off the doorjamb, he sauntered into the room and rested a hip on the desk. “What are you doing?”
“Research. Cancer.”
“Ah.” Leaning over, he kissed the tip of her nose. “How is Marla?”
“Doing her best to be brave. I finally persuaded her to accept our help.”
“Dr. Laing is an excellent oncologist, the best in his field. She will be in good hands.”
Taking his hand, she kissed the back of it. “I love you.”
His brows lifted. “What brought that on?”
“A wife cannot make a declaration of love to her husband? What is the world coming to?”
“I love you back.” He linked his fingers through hers. “How is the decorating coming on?”
Her eyes danced with mirth. “Do you really want to know?”
He had divorced himself from the entire thing, only firmly telling her that she was not to lift even a pillow. The two rooms had been through a major reconstruction. She had been right, the ultrasound revealed they were having two boys and a girl. A twin and a single as they were known as.
“Not particularly.”
“Then don’t ask, because I am going to launch into color schemes and wallpaper patterns.”
“Thank you for sparing me. How are you?”
“Fine. You would not believe how much I ate today.”
“You are eating for four, so it’s acceptable.”
“Then I started obsessing over how long it will take to get the extra weight off and then I stopped thinking about it.”
“Good choice.” Kissing her on top of her head, he rose. “I have some calls to make and then a shower. Where would you like to eat?”
“How about here?” She gestured to the table at the window overlooking the east side of the property.
“Excellent. Just continue doing what you are doing. I will bring the tray in.”
“No. I will get it. I am finished anyway.”
*****
Dinner was pleasant and cozy. Beau had lit the logs in the small fireplace. Georgie added candles in the middle of the small table, and they sat on sofas, next to each other, enjoying the meal of flank steak with mushroom sauce.
With one arm wrapped around her shoulder, Beau ate his meal with one hand, alternately feeding her portions of the wild vegetables. A sense of peace and contentment settled over them and Georgie found herself wishing that it would last.