One You Never Leave Read Free

“That’s what I like to hear.”
     
     

CHAPTER TWO
    Complications
     
    “ Oh , for fuck’s sake!” Luke slammed the door when he came back from the mail kiosk.
    Emily stood in the kitchen, getting the plates for dinner, and nearly dropped them on the floor when Luke exploded. Her husband might swear, but she hardly ever heard him drop the F-bomb. Nor did he slam the door. “What is it, baby?”
    “The fucking USCIS! They sent a letter saying that they are going to do random home inspections to make sure we are living together as a married couple!”
    “What?” If Luke wasn’t so distressed, Emily would have laughed at the ludicrous situation. She walked to Luke in the living room and took the letter from his hand. “Baby, it isn’t a big deal,” she said, gently kissing his cheek. “So they come. Big deal. What’re they going to find? That you have stinky feet? That I can barely get out of bed without your help? That your wife is about to pop? That’s a pretty good clue we are married, and with a healthy sexy life.”
    Luke ran his hand over the top of his close-shaved head. “It’s just one more thing to deal with.”
    She rubbed his jaw with her hand. Many women didn’t like the feel of a man’s five o’clock shadow, but she loved it. “Babe, it’s going to be okay. Really.” She smiled at him.
    Just then the doorbell rang.
    “There, that’s the pizza. Go get it and I’ll grab you a beer.”
    Luke sighed, and looked over his shoulder. “Stinky feet?” he glowered.
    “Yep. You know it. That’s another thing you need, a new pair of boots. And a whole lotta socks.”
    Luke groaned.
    Emily just smiled at him. She was keeping a list of these things in her head. The Everything-He-Needed list was a growing one, but she knew Luke had other concerns, number one being finding a bigger place for them to live. They had moved into his apartment because it was larger than her old one, but the one-bedroom apartment was not big enough for their growing family. Plus, there was a whole host of baby things and furniture they needed. She knew that not for a second did he regret that she was pregnant with their child, but sometimes thinking about their expanding responsibilities unsettled him.
    And the USCIS wanted to check if they were really married. What a joke!
    Luke opened the door and frowned when he didn’t see the pizza delivery man. Emily stood behind to see who was there.
    Instead, a very thin woman in a gray wool coat stood at the door. Her dark hair was piled into a bun and her face had the pinched look of someone overworked. “I’m looking for Mr. and Mrs. Icherra.”
    “What? Oh, that’s me. And the wife, of course.”
    “The name on the mailbox says Wade.”
    “Well, that was my name before the government took it away.”
    The woman frowned and looked through some papers in her hand.
    “Luke, who is it?” Emily came to the door.  She glanced at the woman and smiled. “Hello,” she said holding out her hand, “I’m Emily.”
    The woman looked up. “I’m Agent Coates from the USCIS. I’d like to ask you some questions.”
    “Really?” She shook the surprise from her face. “Please come in, Agent Coates. We were expecting pizza delivery.”  Emily ushered the woman into their home and settled her in the chair that sat kitty-corner to the couch.
    Luke sank onto the sofa and Emily sat next to him and took his hand.
    “What can we do for you, Agent?” asked Emily.
    “I have some questions about your application.”
    “My application?” said Luke. “We went through all that in our interview.”
    “Well, there are irregularities in your application. You did enter the country illegally.”
    “Yes, that’s true. My parents brought me in when I was five.”
    “And you didn’t apply through the U.S. consulate in your country.”
    “Begging your pardon, but this is my country, Agent. I can’t help it if my parents brought me here when I was too young to know the