“Come on, honey,“ Colby coaxed. “You’ve talked to your doctor about your fears. She told you what to expect.“
“Jennifer says the doctors lie because they don’t want to scare off all their patients. She says all her women friends who’d had babies deliberately lied to her about what to expect, too. Jennifer says that’s because there’s some sort of unspoken agreement among mothers not to frighten the women who have yet to go through the process. I gather it’s like a rite of passage. Once you’re through it, you don’t tell the uninitiated the whole truth. You just give them a little song and dance about how the pain of childbirth is quickly forgotten.“
“But Jennifer the Twerp has decided to set the record straight?“
Diana grimaced. “She’s vowed to tell the truth to others who are about to follow in her footsteps so that we won’t all go into it as naive and unsuspecting as she was.“
“Jennifer looks as if she’s about twenty-four years old, if that. Are you going to let yourself be traumatized by a woman who’s ten years younger than you?“
“That’s another thing. Jennifer says she’s heard that labor is a lot harder on older women.“ Diana glared at Colby as she saw his mouth twitch. “What’s so funny?“
“You are. For a businesswoman, you certainly have a vivid imagination. I can’t believe you stood there and let that kid scare you half to death like this.“
“Thanks for the sympathy.“
“Honey, you know I’m sympathetic. You also know I’ll be right beside you when the time comes. And so will your doctor and a whole bunch of nurses and trained medical personnel. You’ll have all the facilities of a first-class hospital.
Babies get born every day in that hospital. You’re going to do just fine.“
Diana touched her stomach. “I don’t have much choice, do I?“ She grabbed his hand and kissed his palm quickly.
“Thanks. You always seem to know the right things to say to me. And you’re quite right. I should never have listened to Jennifer. I don’t know how I’d get through this without you, Colby.“
“You wouldn’t be going through it in the first place, if it wasn’t for me.“
There was a short, taut silence.
“It was a mutual endeavor, as I recall.“ She did not like it when the reality of the reason behind their marriage was brought out into the open. Most of the time it stayed discreetly out of sight these days. Colby was as careful as she was not to bring it up. But once in a while it slipped out, usually as a joke that fell flat.
“Diana?“
“I’d better get to that laundry. Got to earn my keep around here.“ She started to struggle out of the thick-cushioned sofa. It was getting harder and harder to move about easily. Gone was the old familiar sense of energetic flexibility and womanly grace she had always taken for granted. She wondered sadly if it would ever return.
Colby reached down to assist her to her feet. “You do more than earn your keep and you know it. Is being a wife and expectant mother all that bad?“
“Heavens, no,“ she said lightly as she picked up the laundry basket. “Why, if I’d known what a cushy job this housewife business was, I’d have thought about enlisting ages ago.“ She started down the hall.
“You won’t be calling it a cushy job after the baby gets here,“ Colby warned behind her.
“So I’ve been told. Jennifer filled me in on that part, too. Apparently I will turn into a walking zombie, what with night feedings, postpartum depression and colic.“
Colby swore softly. “I really am going to shake the stuffing out of that little bubble-brain the next time I see her. By the way, Brandon called. He and some friends came up from Eugene for the weekend. He invited himself over for dinner and a night on the sofa. Is that okay with you?“
“Certainly.“ Diana smiled suddenly. “But I’ll have to go shopping. I don’t think we have enough food in the house to feed more than half a dozen or so people. We’ll need provisions for a battalion if Brandon’s going to be here. Did you get any more ideas for your next book proposal?“
“Yeah. While you were letting Jennifer terrify you, I got a couple of ideas I think I can use.“
“Do you realize it’s nearly Christmas?“
“What about it?“
“I was just thinking how quickly time flies,“ Diana said.
“When you’re having fun, you mean?“ There was a soft, goading edge in Colby’s voice.
“Something like that,“ she agreed wryly.
“Diana?“
“Yes, Colby?“
“Has it been so bad, these past few months?“
She turned at the end of the corridor and saw him standing at the other end, his legs braced, hands on his hips.
There were times when he seemed to challenge her, as if he wanted a clean, hot battle. He was good at winning battles.
Her face softened. “No, Colby, it hasn’t been so bad. Thanks to you. You’ve made it all a lot easier than it would have been if I’d had to face it on my own. I won’t ever forget that.“ She hurried into the bedroom, dumped the laundry onto the bed and began sorting socks.
She had discovered an odd thing about men’s socks. They almost never matched.
Several hours later Brandon dropped into a chair at the dining-room table and eyed the huge pan of spinach and feta cheese lasagna sitting in the center with keen anticipation.
“Who made it, Diana?“ he demanded with a grin as he helped himself to a large slice. “You or Dad?“
“I did.“ Diana glanced at Colby. “Colby washed the spinach, though.“
“I remember the days when the only dish you could make was stir-fried vegetables,“ Brandon said. “You’ve come a long way, if you don’t mind my saying so.“
“Thank you.“
“Not that your stir-fried vegetables and rice weren’t terrific,“ Brandon added quickly. “But a man needs something that will stick to the ribs once in a while, you know?“
“I’m learning,“ Diana agreed. “Under your father’s expert tutelage, I have become a whiz at reading cookbooks, clipping coupons and shopping for something besides vegetables.“
“I’m going to turn her into a wife yet,“ Colby said with a grin. “She’s getting very good at catering to a man’s needs.“