“It’s just normal testing. Nothing’s going on that shouldn't be, just doing what I need to be doing for our child,” she said.
Our child. I sighed as the words left her lips.
“Well, I want you to call me the second you have those results. Okay?” I asked.
“I will. I promise.”
“Rebecca will be upset that she won’t be getting a cookie today.”
“Tell her I’ll make her a special one for the next time she comes in.”
“I’ll relay the message. You get some sleep, okay? And I’m serious, Heather. Call me if you need anything.”
“I know. I will.”
“What time is your appointment?” I asked.
“Two. I have an alarm set in case I sleep the morning away.”
“I’ll call you around one just to make sure you’re stirring.”
“I appreciate that. Thank you, Andrew.”
I raked my hand down my face and swallowed my groan of frustration. “You take care of yourself. And I’ll see you soon, all right?”
“Sounds good to me. I’m going to go back to sleep,” she said.
Audrey and I spent the day together. She didn’t have school, and I didn’t have training, so we spent the day walking trails through the woods and tossing rocks into the river that ran down the mountainside. I never would’ve willingly chosen to live in the woods. I was a city guy at heart. I loved the hustle and bustle and all the shops and eateries, but there wasn’t the kind of peace and tranquility and natural beauty in the city like there was in the mountains. There were moments, like the ones I shared with my daughter, where I saw myself living here forever, raising a family in my lonely cabin on the mountaintop and descending into town whenever we needed supplies.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket while Audrey ate lunch. It was a few minutes past one o’clock, and I’d promised Heather a phone call. It took me three different tries before she picked up, and I could tell she’d been sleeping hard by the sound of her voice.
“I slept right through my damn alarm,” she said breathlessly.
“Good thing I kept calling then. It’s one fifteen.”
“Okay. I’m up,” she said with a groan.
“I want you to talk to me all the way into the bathroom and turn on the shower. I want you on your feet before I let you go.”
“So demanding,” she said.
“You know you like it,” I said with a grin.
I heard her grunting and groaning like she hadn’t gotten on her feet in years. A few seconds later, I heard the shower running, and the sigh that left her lips shot shivers down my spine. The sound of the water grew and her moans became positively lewd, and I furrowed my brow as I leaned against the kitchen table.
“Are you showering?” I asked.
“Waterproof phone,” Heather said. “Oh, this feels fantastic.”
“Okay. I’m going to tell Rebecca, who’s sitting in front of me, that you said hello.”
She giggled, and the sound made my heart stop. “Give her my love,” she said.
The phone call went silent as my eyes widened.
“I mean, just … tell her hi. That’s good,” Heather said.
“Sure. Will do.”