Forgotten Honeymoon by Beverly Farr Page B

care for her. It might not be love, but in time, it could grow.
She stepped closer, lifting her face upwards for a kiss.
“Lars?”
    He pulled back as if embarrassed by his show
of emotion. “I need to get back to work,” he repeated stiffly.
“I’ll call around to find a cook, and I’ll probably be home late.
Good bye, Kelly.”
    She curled her fingers into her palms to keep
from reaching out to him as he left.
    Damn. She’d practically begged him to kiss
her, and he refused. This was the result of kicking him out on
their honeymoon. If she wanted to get his attention, she was going
to have to do something outrageous. But what? She paced across the
kitchen, deep in thought.
    Maybe she should slip into his bed one of
these nights and surprise him.
    She’d considered doing that before, but had
chickened out at the last minute. If she was going to seduce her
husband, she should do it soon, before she grew out of her sexy
lingerie. She glanced at her reflection in the microwave door and
smoothed the fabric of her dress over her slightly rounded stomach.
Maybe she was already too big. A lot of men didn’t find pregnant
women attractive. Did Lars? Did he think she was fat?
    What would she do if he turned her down
again?
    Or worse, what if he went through the motions
out of politeness?
    She sighed. Oh Lars. It was so much easier
when we were just friends .
    #
    Saturday night, Lars called to say that he
would be working late again. Kelly didn’t believe him. Her father
had never put in such long hours. Lars was obviously trying to
avoid her.
    She picked at the veal parmesan that the new
cook Mrs. Levine had prepared, and obediently swallowed several
bites. Dr. Armanzo had given her a food chart to fill out every
day, listing fruits, vegetables, grains and meats. Lars didn’t say
anything, but she’d seen him checking the chart magnetized to the
front of the refrigerator to see how well she was doing.
    Kelly ate half a cup of green beans and wrote
it down on her chart. She didn’t like the regimentation, but she
was willing to do it to have a healthy baby.
    After dinner, she flipped through cable
channels on the large flat screen television in the den. Nothing
looked good.
    She wished she could call Brenda, but she was
on her honeymoon.
    Kelly frowned. She and Lars had gone to
Brenda’s wedding the week before. She felt Brenda was making a big
mistake, but short of drugging the lemonade and kidnapping her,
there wasn’t anything she could do about it. She sighed. Lars
thought she was over-reacting. He liked Marius and said he seemed
“level-headed.”
    Kelly wished them both well, even though she
feared the union wouldn’t last a year.
    The grandfather clock in the hallway struck
seven times, and she remembered Julie’s birthday party. It seemed
like a million years since she’d gone dancing at a club.
    She’d spent the past day and a half resting,
reading, and eating healthy food. She deserved some time off for
good behavior. “How’d you like to go dancing, baby?” she asked her
stomach.
    No answer, but then she hadn’t expected
one.
    “Okay, then let’s go,” she said. “We’ll wish
Julie a happy birthday, dance one song, and come home. Your Daddy
need never know.”
    When she entered the club, Kelly was
surprised by how loud the music was. She’d been reading her
prenatal books and knew babies could hear things in the womb. When
they were born, they could recognize their mothers’ and often their
fathers’ voices. “Don’t worry, we won’t stay long,” she said under
her breath. She’d just say hi to Julie and go home.
    She found her friends near the back at a big
table. They were an eclectic bunch who liked to talk over ideas and
dance. “Kelly!” several cried, and hugged her. Kelly squinted
around the table. “Where’s Julie?”
    “She’s not here, yet.”
    Kelly had forgotten that sevenish often meant
eighty-thirty with her friends. She’d been spoiled lately by Lars’
strict