“Diana…“
“It’ll work out just fine, Colby, you’ll see.“
“Now listen, Diana…“
“Brandon will be pleased. Don’t worry, I’ll make certain you and Margaret Fulbrook don’t come to blows. You’ve met my mother. She’s very good at keeping the conversation going. If things get awkward, she’ll come to the rescue.“
“Diana, will you listen to me…“
“I’d better make reservations for dinner tomorrow. The few restaurants that will be open Christmas Day will be filling up quickly.“
“Damn it, Diana, if you don’t close that mouth of yours by the time I count to five, I will close it for you. One, two, three…“
She smiled brilliantly and didn’t say another word.
“That’s better,“ Colby said. “Silence at last. You know, there’s a lot to be said for outdated patriarchal machismo.“
Diana leaned over and kissed him. “Shall I give Brandon the good news in the morning, or do you want to tell him yourself that you’ve changed your mind?“
“Ill tell him,“ Colby muttered. “I want to make damn sure he makes certain Margaret Fulbrook knows that this invitation definitely does not extend to Harry the Ox.“
“I agree with you one hundred percent.“ Diana batted her lashes. “I think you’ve made a very wise decision, Colby.“
He ran his palm up her bare arm. “And I think you’re picking up the finer nuances of being a wife faster than I’d ever imagined you would. How the hell did I wind up agreeing to spend Christmas with Margaret Fulbrook?“
“How the hell did I wind up pregnant and unemployed and financially dependent on a man for the first time in my life?“
“You forgot barefoot,“ he said with satisfaction. “At the moment you’re barefoot, pregnant and unemployed.“
She started to tickle him in the ribs. A few minutes later Colby’s sexy laughter aroused Specter. The dog sighed heavily, got up and padded down the hall to find some peace and quiet in the living room.
Three weeks until he became a father for the second time. Colby finished bolting the headboard of the crib onto the sturdy little frame and stepped back to admire his handiwork. One thing his background in construction had given him was a certain skill in taking care of the little things that a husband and father was always being called upon to do.
Diana admired his ability in the home improvement department, and Colby knew he occasionally gave in to the urge to show off.
She would be pleased with the way the white crib had gone together. It looked good in the cheerful yellow and white room. Brightly colored mobiles hung above the bed, and there was a small mountain of plush animals sitting on a nearby shelf. All the necessities of modern baby-raising from a top-of-the-line padded car seat to a chrome-wheeled stroller were neatly arranged around the nursery.
Things were going to be a lot different for this baby than they had been for Brandon, Colby reflected as he angled the crib into position. Everything in this room was brand-new. Not one stick of furniture had come from a thrift shop.
That had been his idea, not Diana’s. She had casually mentioned the possibility of picking up a few used items, and he had vetoed the suggestion »o vehemently she hadn’t raised the notion again.
He could afford to do things right this time around, and he didn’t intend to settle for anything less. Colby knew he wasn’t doing it for the baby, who wouldn’t know the difference between a shiny new crib and a cardboard box. He was doing it for Diana. He wanted her to take pleasure in everything that had to do with the baby. She was a woman who appreciated nice things, and he was determined that she would be surrounded by them while she cared for their child.
Colby finished adjusting the position of the crib and took one last look around the room. All was in order.
This time he was ready.
And so was Diana, he had decided. She’d settled down during the past few months. She’d begun to get genuinely excited about the baby. Colby knew there was still a certain amount of apprehension mixed with her anticipation, but she seemed to be taking everything in stride these days.
At Colby’s insistence, they’d taken a tour of the maternity ward at the hospital where Diana would be giving birth and she’d seemed satisfied that she would be in good hands. She’d asked questions about all the fetal monitoring techniques, anesthesia procedures and the equipment that would be available in the delivery room. She’d had several long conversations with the staff on the subjects of pain control and emergency intervention measures.
And then they’d stood outside the nursery window and looked at babies for a long time. Colby had been pleased with the results. Diana had gotten a distinctly maternal gleam in her eye as she’d gazed at the tiny packages of newborn humanity. They’d gone right out and bought the crib and several small yellow blankets that afternoon.
Diana had kept busy since January decorating the little Victorian house. She’d spent hours poring over wallpaper designs and the latest in Italian lamps while Colby had started work on a new novel.
Diana seemed content with her role of wife, too. Colby congratulated himself. He’d chosen well the second time around, even if he had chosen in haste again. He’d learned a lot about Diana in the past few months. She was a mature adult just as he was, and when she made a commitment, she kept it.
Colby realized that somewhere along the line he had gradually begun to relax. When Diana had gone to view office space for her prospective consulting business, he’d gone with her and even offered suggestions. He knew now she wasn’t going anywhere without him and the baby.
She was a competent woman who could handle a career and a family. She was not an immature young girl who’d run home to her mother when she got bored or frustrated or angry with the hand she’d been dealt by fate: Colby was just now beginning to acknowledge to himself that he had been a little hard on Diana for the first few months. She’d had a lot of old fears about the basic unreliability of men to contend with, as well as the shock of finding herself unexpectedly pregnant and married.
Colby had instinctively fought to tear down all the barriers Diana had relied upon to protect herself and to reinforce her inner fortitude. She’d never really needed or wanted a man.
Colby realized that from the beginning he had seen her self-contained strength not so much as a challenge but as a genuine threat. Deep down he’d been afraid she would use that considerable feminine independence and willpower of hers to lock him out of her life.