Lined With Silver by Roseanne Evans Wilkins Page B

She’d never been
pregnant before. She had no idea how big she’d get nor how fast she
would show. And Nikki always lost her babies early. Taking it easy
seemed like the right thing to do.
    Would she even be able to continue to work at
the firm? This whole marriage thing was supposed to allow her to
keep working. Maybe she wouldn’t even be able to. She thought about
the money she’d been putting aside for retirement. She’d have to
dip into that for living until the babies were born. Could she
survive nine months without an income? With Nikki and Brad swimming
in cancer bills, she didn’t want to ask them for any
assistance.
    She snuck a glance at Zack. Judging from his
insistence at paying her bills during their stay in DC, she doubted
he’d allow her to pay her own way if she had to quit. He’d want to
pay her bills. She knew him well enough to know that.
    Would she let him? She didn’t know if she
could swallow her pride long enough. Nine months of swallowing was
a long time, and that would be a huge sacrifice with no benefit
whatsoever to him.
    Realizing that she really wanted to give
Nikki the gift of her babies, she relented. “Your place or
mine?”
    Zack shot her a look, then chuckled. “I’m
glad your humor has returned. I’m hoping you’re not as grumpy as
Jade is when she’s expecting. I enjoy having her hours away when
she is.”
    “Since you’re my husband, you won’t have that
luxury.” Sondra teased.
    “I’m not complaining.” Zack’s glance raked
over her. Unlike Scott’s looks, this one lit a fire inside. It was
a fire that would have to remain unused. She wouldn’t risk the
babies, and she knew Zack wouldn’t, either. “In answer to your
question,” Zack’s voice interrupted Sondra’s thoughts, “since I’m
going to be moving into your place, do you mind if we spend the
night at mine? That way I can gather my things.”
    “I’m not that helpless.”
    Zack stared at her a moment and then directed
his attention back to the snowy road. “Were you planning on going
anywhere?”
    “I have some shopping to do, and I wanted to
attend church on Sunday.”
    “If you’re like Jade, you really can’t drive
anywhere.”
    Sondra glared at Zack a minute and then
realized it wasn’t his fault. This was a choice she made. Once
again, she relented. “Your place is fine.”
    They stopped at her townhouse. As they walked
up the shoveled walks, Sondra felt exhausted. It hit her like a
wall just like it had at the party, but she didn’t want to say
anything to Zack.
    She wasn’t accustomed to having someone in
her life to lean on, and she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to
get used to it. It would only last until the babies were
born—longer if his father hadn’t yet passed away.
    She snuck a look at Zack. His wide shoulders
looked strong enough to help her with her burdens, and it was only
during the pregnancy that she would be this helpless. Maybe she
could lean on him. He took care of her at trek. He would certainly
be willing to do it now. He hadn’t changed in all the years she
hadn’t seen him. Except he was even better looking than he was back
then.
    As they walked into the living room, Dewk was
scratching at the sliding glass door. Sondra let him in. He bounded
up and stopped just short of knocking Zack over.
    “I forgot about your companion.” Zack
confessed.
    “Yes, he can be rather annoying. You’re not
allergic are you?”
    “No allergies. I’m just not used to animals
in the house.”
    “You didn’t grow up with pets?”
    “Jade has asthma, so no, I didn’t.”
    Dewk’s tail was slapping against the wall as
they walked to the bedrooms. His happiness was audible. Sondra
hoped Zack enjoyed dogs as much as Scott did. She hadn’t thought to
ask.
    She opened the door to the guest bedroom. It
was done in neutral colors. She’d been mindful of her dad and Brad
as visitors when she’d planned the décor. “This will be your
room.”
    “Nice.”
    “You can