“My favorite color is black.”
“Get out of here. I ain’t raising a goth baby.”
Arthur only smirked. “Oh. I almost forgot.” He retrieved a manila envelope from under the tea tray. “Someone from the OB/GYN office dropped this off.”
Charlotte opened the envelope.
“Is there anything else you need, Mrs. Addington?”
“Nothing. Thank you, Arthur.”
“Very well, madam.”
Charlotte unconsciously held her breath as she read the contents of the envelope. It was the result of her sonogram. A week ago when she and Daniel had gone for an ultrasound, they were told they were having twins. The doctor wasn’t quite sure because the metal plate and pins that had been used to fix her pelvis bone interfered with the machine. So they’d opted to have the technician process the images further. And the result shocked her. She was carrying triplets. The third baby had been hiding behind his siblings during the exam.
“Oh, God! I’m having a litter,” Charlotte said unconsciously.
“What litter?” asked a masculine voice.
Daniel strode in and snatched the sonogram pictures from her hands. He went silent as he pored over them. He looked shocked at first, then he grinned from ear to ear. “That’s it, I forbid you from doing any further strenuous work. Hire a painter for God’s sake. And you should be in bed. Resting.”
She frowned. “You treat me like an invalid. I’m a healthy gal, damn it!”
“Babe.” Daniel stooped before her. He gathered her paint-smeared hands and held them tight. “I can’t lose you again. Do you know, the scariest moment in my life was when you came into my dream to tell me about Jeremy? I thought that was it—you’d be gone forever.”
“What are you talking about? You said you dreamed about me the other day.”
“Not lucidly like we’re having this conversation right now. Please, for the sake of our children, don’t strain yourself.”
Charlotte sighed. Daniel rarely used the word “please.” Since he put it this way, she had no choice but to agree. “All right. I’ll hire somebody.”
Daniel smiled. “Thank you.”
She grinned along with him. Daniel kissed her on the lips. For a long moment, they embraced each other.
Her sensitivity of human-to-human skin contact had decreased greatly after the accident. She didn’t have to worry too much about snooping into other people’s secrets when she accidentally touched them. Perhaps her husband was right; she just needed an outlet to channel her gift. Perhaps the accident had done something to her. She didn’t care. She was happy the way she was now. She looked forward to a new day each time she went to bed, all thanks to him. Daniel had given her many of her firsts.
Her first kiss. Her first date… albeit a forced one.
Now that she thought about it, they’d first made love in this very room.
“Daniel, thank you,” she whispered.
His lush brow arched slightly.
“If you hadn’t kidnapped me from work that day, I wouldn’t be experiencing these many happy things now.”
Daniel laughed. “And you told me I was coming on too strong.” He kissed her forehead. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way, babe. You’re mine.”
The End