Husband By Request
Moving off the bed, she found one of the T-shirts from his drawer and drew it over her head. It fell to mid-thigh.
Quietly she padded across the room and slid her arms around his waist from behind. “Good morning,” she whispered, standing on tiptoe to kiss his nape where the black curls swirled. She adored his hair, which was thick and luxuriant. She adored him.
“Mmm. You smell so good,” she murmured, squeezing him hard. “You have your own male scent. If I could market it, I would call it ‘Strictly Andreas.’”
She didn’t know what she’d expected by way of response, but not the solemn-faced man who turned to her.
He kissed both her palms before letting her go. “I’m sorry if I wakened you.”
The most important thing she’d learned in therapy was to get everything out in the ope
n as soon as possible so there’d be no chance for misunderstandings to fester.
“You didn’t. I woke up on my own, eager to take my husband into my arms, but you weren’t there. Obviously something’s on your mind. Let’s talk about it.”
“Not right now.”
“Yes,” she insisted. “Right now.”
Lines darkened his face.
“This is how things started to go wrong for us the first time, Andreas. I’d hide and avoid…cut and run. You would hold back, go quiet, retreat. We can’t do that anymore. Tell me what’s troubling you, even if you’re afraid it will cause problems.”
It was growing lighter outside. She could see the tautness around his mouth, the shadows under his eyes that hadn’t been there during the night.
“You told me you’d seen the doctor right before you came to Greece.”
“That’s true.”
The tension emanating from him was fierce. “I take it you were referring to Dr. Canfield, the plastic surgeon?”
“Yes. She gave me a clean bill of health.”
He rubbed the back of his neck in a gesture that always signaled frustration. “What about your cancer specialist?”
“I saw Dr. Josephson too. So far I’m cancer-free.”
His eyes narrowed on her mouth. “You wouldn’t lie to me—”
Apparently the change in her had unearthed some demons he’d kept well hidden until now.
“Why would I do that? What purpose would it serve? As you know, I have to be tested once a month. From now on we’ll go to the doctor together and hear the results at the same time.”
Andreas took a shuddering breath. “Did Dr. Josephson suggest you have another mastectomy as a preventative measure?”
“No—” She shook her head in bewilderment. “He doesn’t think it’s necessary in my case.”
Andreas pursed his lips. “Maybe you should get a second opinion.”
“Then we will,” she said, wanting to appease him in any way she could. But by the anxious expression on his face her husband still wasn’t reassured.
“What else are you worried about?” If she wasn’t mistaken, he’d paled.
“Before our separation, I always took precautions.”
“True… So what happened last night?”
His hands suddenly grasped her shoulders. “You know what happened,” he groaned in self-abnegation. “I lost my head.”