Childless: A Novel by James Dobson, Kurt Bruner Page B

collection of dead bugs and pricelessly worthless rocks. She then dismissed herself at Tommy’s not-so-subtle insistence. He said it would be a violation of a soldier’s honor to open his secret stash of battle supplies hidden in a box under the bed in the presence of “the fair maiden.”
    Troy knelt down before crossing his legs to mimic his mini comrade. Pausing at the bedroom door, Julia turned to enjoy one last look at her husband’s face. The stress lines around his eyes so evident only hours earlier had vanished, like wrinkles on a crumpled shirt freshly ironed flat. Troy relished time with Kevin’s kids. He would probably make a wonderful father.
    The thought formed a knot in the pit of Julia’s stomach.

Chapter Twelve
    It was nearly midnight when Julia and Troy stepped onto the hotel elevator. As the doors slid closed he pressed the top button, then took a step backward.
    She noticed the illumined number. “Aren’t we on floor seventeen?”
    He nodded silently.
    “Then why thirty-five?”
    He turned and slipped his hands around her waist. “Twice as much time for mischief,” he said, moving in for a kiss.
    Julia put both hands against her husband’s chest and gave a weak shove while punching the correct button. “Troy Simmons! I’m a respectable woman.”
    “You’re also a beautiful woman,” he said, drawing her body closer.
    The kiss began about floor three and continued until briefly interrupted by a voice announcing their arrival.
    She grabbed his hand and led him into the hallway, where they tiptoed quickly toward a door both yearned to enter and lock behind them.
    Moments later, Julia sensed what little tension remained ebbing out of Troy’s body as she removed his shirt. Then she heard a sound that halted their advance. Troy’s sigh of pleasure and anticipation triggered the memory of another moment, another man. A wave of guilt slowed her throbbing pulse. It was not the first time Troy’s touch had resurfaced old passions. She pulled back, then tried to resume. But a bewildered look told her he had noticed.
    “Is something wrong?” Troy asked between winded breaths.
    She pressed her lips to his, hoping the present reality could overpower the intruder from her past. No good. The taste of Troy’s kiss only fueled the memory of the nameless encounter her body refused to forget. She pulled back again.
    “I’m sorry.” She sighed.
    He placed his hand on hers, joining her on the edge of the bed. The two sat silently while Julia considered what to say.
    “I forgot to bring protection.” A lie. Claiming forgetfulness seemed better than admitting memories.
    The comment clearly bothered him more than the interruption.
    “Don’t worry,” Julia added. “I’m sure you can run down to the lobby to buy some. I’ll shower and slip into—”
    “I don’t want to buy protection,” he interrupted. “I just want to make love to my wife.”
    The comment startled Julia. “You know I’m not on the pill right now. And we don’t like using—”
    “I don’t mean it like that.”
    “What then?” she asked, hugging a pillow to defend her body from the chilly air of an overhead vent.
    Deep lines of stress reappeared on Troy’s face. She knew he wanted to say something that he couldn’t put into words.
    Then it struck her. “You don’t mean…”
    She paused.
    He nodded.
    She swallowed back a sense of panic. “Troy. Be sensible.”
    “I’m tired of being sensible.”
    “We’ve only been married for six months,” she reminded him. “We agreed we would consider kids after a few years.”
    “I know what we agreed. I was just hoping…”
    He didn’t need to finish. Julia recalled the look on her husband’s face when Angie let him hold the new baby before dinner. He stared at little Ricky for at least five minutes, marveling at his fingers, earlobes, and toes. Then he volunteered to sit next to Leah to help her eat. Leah had held a special place in Troy’s heart ever since Kevin told