Charade Read Free Page B

me about. My inny is nothing but a fond memory, and you find my outy repugnant. Pregnancy has robbed me of all sex appeal, so you've got the hots for a sweet, young, slim babe and dread telling me about her. Am I warm?" "You're crazy." He reached across the small round table and pulled her to her feet. When she was standing before him, he splayed his hands over her distended abdomen. "I love your belly button, inny or outy." He kissed it through her loose cotton nightgown. Some of the coarser whiskers of his mustache penetrated the sheer fabric and tickled her skin. "I love the baby. I love you. There's no other woman in my life and never could be." "Bull." "Fact." "Michelle Pfeiffer?" He grinned at her while pretending to ponder it. "Gee, that's a tough one. How're her pancakes?" "Would it matter?" Laughing, he pulled her down onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Careful," she warned. "I'll crush your privates." "I'll take my chances." They kissed deeply. When he finally released her mouth, she gazed into his worried face. Despite the early hour and his recent
    shower and shave, he looked haggard, as if he'd already put in a full day. "If it's not my cooking, not another woman, and you're not disgusted by my bloated figure, what is it?" "I hate like hell that you had to put your career on hold." Fearing that it would be something much more serious, she felt a deep sense of relief. "Is that what's been eating you?" "It's unfair," he said stubbornly. "To whom?" "To you, of course." Amanda peered at him suspiciously. "Or were you planning to take early retirement, become a couch potato, and let me support you?" "Not a bad idea," he said with a half-smile. "But honestly, I'm thinking only of you. Because biology strongly favors the male--" "Damn right," she grumbled. "You're having to make all the sacrifices." "How many times have I told you that I'm doing exactly what I want to do? I'm having a baby, our baby. That makes me very happy." He'd greeted the news of her pregnancy with mixed emotions. First, he'd been shocked. She'd gone off the pill without discussing it with him. But once the shock had worn off and he'd become accustomed to the idea of parenthood, he liked it. After the first trimester, she had alerted the partners in the law firm of which she was an associate that she would be taking a leave of absence to stay at home with her child during the critical bonding months. At the time, he hadn't questioned her decision. Now it surprised her that he'd been harboring misgivings. "You've been away from the office only two weeks and already you're antsy," he said. "I recognize the signs. I can tell when you're restless." With a gentle touch she swept errant strands of hair off his forehead. "Well, it's only because I've run out of things to do around here. I've washed the baseboards, alphabetized the canned goods, sorted both our sock drawers. I've completed my list of prebaby projects. But once the baby arrives, I'll have more to do than I can handle."
    His remorseful expression didn't change. "While you're playing Happy Homemaker, the other associates are getting the jump on you." "So what if they do?" she asked, laughing. "Having our baby is the most important thing I've ever done or ever will do. I believe that with all my heart." She took his hand and laid it on her belly. The baby was moving. "Feel that? How can a lawsuit possibly be more awe-inspiring than that? I made a decision, and I'm at peace with it. I want you to be peaceful, too." "That may be asking too much." Silently, she agreed. He would never be totally at peace. But he did find surcease in his love for her and in knowing that his child was soon to be born. He rubbed the spot where the baby had just landed a healthy kick. "I thought the masculine ideal was to keep the little woman at home, barefoot and pregnant," she teased. "What's wrong with you?" "I just don't want the day to come when you regret putting your career on hold." She reassured