From you. So you wouldn't leave." There, he thought. He'd come clean in a thorough show of humiliation.
"Of course I'm not leaving. You're wiped out. Anyone can see that. You don't need to get my attention, and I have no clue why you would think I was leaving."
His expression hardened. "This morning you weren't happy that we had sex."
Her expression hardened. "Is that all it was to you? Just sex?"
"No, of course not. We...made love."
"Richard, be honest and admit it was far more just sex than making love." She grimaced. "It's okay. I know I shouldn't expect more and I don't. I truly don't."
"No. It was more. Much more."
"Richard, it really is okay. You don't have to spare my feelings."
"I'm not sparing your feelings!" Once again she wasn't listening to him.
"Shhh. The kids. Look, we'll talk about this later."
"I only said I was ill to get your attention. I'm not ill."
"Richard, you are exhausted," she replied. "And you're half out of it. Now, unless you actually want a drink of water or something, I have to go."
The words hung in the air. "No."
"Get some sleep. You really will feel better."
Richard gave up. He'd tried to do the honest thing, but nobody believed him. He and the boy who cried wolf could cry in their beer together. Soda, in the boy's case.
Maybe it really was jet lag, he thought, closing his eyes. Maybe he was still on the plane coming home, and he'd dreamed the entire thing from the moment he'd walked into the house. He would wake up at any moment and the pilot would be announcing that they were about to land in Philadelphia.
That would be nice.
Callie watched Mark's eyes drift closed. The toddler lay on the sofa while Jason played his video game. She knew she ought to put a diaper on Mark before he took this nap, but he'd just used the bathroom.
Decisions, decisions, she thought wryly, deciding she'd wake Mark in an hour. At least decisions distracted her from the man napping upstairs.
What she couldn't decide was whether to be angry or amused by Richard's confession of faking illness. He had felt warm, after all. And if he acted a bit like an idiot...well, so had she. Like his youngest nephew, he just needed sleep to straighten him out.
Jay put the game on pause and ran out of the room.
Callie suppressed a smile, knowing his problem. He'd played until nature called - threatened, in fact, at any microsecond.
Her amusement faded. She seemed trapped in the world of what would go into children and what would come out. She'd been there and done that far too often in her teens. Richard's three were charming, but the whole situation reminded her of raising her brothers and sisters. Even now, she wondered about Jason playing so many hours of video games and whether it was good for him or not. He'd been at it all day. He should be playing outside with friends or reading a book. Or maybe his absorption in the game was only a momentary thing for him, since the games were going back with her and he wanted to finish all he could before that happened.
She knew she shouldn't care about Jason's "video or not to video." It was Richard's problem.
"Callie! Amanda won't get out of the bathroom!" Jason wailed.
"Go upstairs, then. Quietly!" she commanded in as loud a voice as she dared. She got up to see what Amanda's problem was. Probably the girl was only giving her little brother a hard time. Callie snorted. Siblings. They loved to torture each other.
She knocked on the powder-room door. "Amanda?"
"Go away!" Amanda cried.
Callie thought she heard tears in the girl's voice, and she frowned. "It's Callie, not Jason. Are you okay? You sound upset."
"I am upset," the girl replied.
"Are you hurt?" Callie asked, turning the doorknob, ready to go in if Amanda let her.
"I don't know. I don't know. There's...there's
blood."
"Did you cut yourself?" "No."
"Let me see - " "No!"
This time the girl shouted it in total panic. Something clicked into place in Callie's head. She knew exactly what was wrong with
"Of course I'm not leaving. You're wiped out. Anyone can see that. You don't need to get my attention, and I have no clue why you would think I was leaving."
His expression hardened. "This morning you weren't happy that we had sex."
Her expression hardened. "Is that all it was to you? Just sex?"
"No, of course not. We...made love."
"Richard, be honest and admit it was far more just sex than making love." She grimaced. "It's okay. I know I shouldn't expect more and I don't. I truly don't."
"No. It was more. Much more."
"Richard, it really is okay. You don't have to spare my feelings."
"I'm not sparing your feelings!" Once again she wasn't listening to him.
"Shhh. The kids. Look, we'll talk about this later."
"I only said I was ill to get your attention. I'm not ill."
"Richard, you are exhausted," she replied. "And you're half out of it. Now, unless you actually want a drink of water or something, I have to go."
The words hung in the air. "No."
"Get some sleep. You really will feel better."
Richard gave up. He'd tried to do the honest thing, but nobody believed him. He and the boy who cried wolf could cry in their beer together. Soda, in the boy's case.
Maybe it really was jet lag, he thought, closing his eyes. Maybe he was still on the plane coming home, and he'd dreamed the entire thing from the moment he'd walked into the house. He would wake up at any moment and the pilot would be announcing that they were about to land in Philadelphia.
That would be nice.
Callie watched Mark's eyes drift closed. The toddler lay on the sofa while Jason played his video game. She knew she ought to put a diaper on Mark before he took this nap, but he'd just used the bathroom.
Decisions, decisions, she thought wryly, deciding she'd wake Mark in an hour. At least decisions distracted her from the man napping upstairs.
What she couldn't decide was whether to be angry or amused by Richard's confession of faking illness. He had felt warm, after all. And if he acted a bit like an idiot...well, so had she. Like his youngest nephew, he just needed sleep to straighten him out.
Jay put the game on pause and ran out of the room.
Callie suppressed a smile, knowing his problem. He'd played until nature called - threatened, in fact, at any microsecond.
Her amusement faded. She seemed trapped in the world of what would go into children and what would come out. She'd been there and done that far too often in her teens. Richard's three were charming, but the whole situation reminded her of raising her brothers and sisters. Even now, she wondered about Jason playing so many hours of video games and whether it was good for him or not. He'd been at it all day. He should be playing outside with friends or reading a book. Or maybe his absorption in the game was only a momentary thing for him, since the games were going back with her and he wanted to finish all he could before that happened.
She knew she shouldn't care about Jason's "video or not to video." It was Richard's problem.
"Callie! Amanda won't get out of the bathroom!" Jason wailed.
"Go upstairs, then. Quietly!" she commanded in as loud a voice as she dared. She got up to see what Amanda's problem was. Probably the girl was only giving her little brother a hard time. Callie snorted. Siblings. They loved to torture each other.
She knocked on the powder-room door. "Amanda?"
"Go away!" Amanda cried.
Callie thought she heard tears in the girl's voice, and she frowned. "It's Callie, not Jason. Are you okay? You sound upset."
"I am upset," the girl replied.
"Are you hurt?" Callie asked, turning the doorknob, ready to go in if Amanda let her.
"I don't know. I don't know. There's...there's
blood."
"Did you cut yourself?" "No."
"Let me see - " "No!"
This time the girl shouted it in total panic. Something clicked into place in Callie's head. She knew exactly what was wrong with
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