Page 23 of Miracles and Marriage (Making a Family #5)

“So you think I’m crazy to try for a baby?” she asked Gabe.

“Not at all. Your hours are regular, you know where you’ll be and when. Routine is best for a baby. Not for us, though.”

Zoe looked at her sister. She could see the annoyance behind the smile she gave. The two of them were too close for her to be fooled. Chloe was upset her husband didn’t agree with her.

“So,” Zoe said, hoping some topic would pop into mind to get away from this one. Otherwise, she was leaving.

“Where did you just come back from, Gabe?”

“Brussels. Is that where Cal is?”

“Why, is something going down over there?” she countered.

She didn’t want to admit she herself didn’t even know where her boss was.

“This and that,” he replied. “I’ll start the grill.”

He walked out onto their terrace. It was too cold to sit outside without getting bundled up, but Gabe liked grilling in all weather, and he was only outside a short time to check the meat.

“What’s that all about?” Zoe asked when the door closed behind him.

“Nothing specific. We’ve been arguing more lately.

We agreed no children when we married, but I mentioned your quest and said we might consider reevaluating our original position and he about exploded.

Don’t worry, it’ll blow over. And you don’t know you can’t get pregnant.

Give yourself a chance. You just started.

Some people take months once they are ready to conceive. ”

“And some never do.”

She had to keep that thought in the forefront. There were no guarantees.

“Especially if the prospective father’s in Europe and I have no idea when he’s coming back.”

“Don’t you think of Cal as your husband?” Chloe asked.

She brought a tray of cold drinks from the open bar. Setting them on the glass coffee table, she sat on the sofa.

Zoe looked at her. She forgot the story she’d told her sister.

“We’ve been working together for so long, I think of him more like a colleague.”

Pathetically weak. Would her sister buy it?

Zoe sipped one of the cold cola beverages and changed the subject.

“Did you hear Sean is dating a vet?”

“Military or animal?” Chloe asked.

“Veterinarian. Large animal vet, from what Bridget told me when she called last night.”

Bridget was a younger sister who had been to dinner at their parents’ home Wednesday and gathered all the gossip about brothers and sisters—especially brothers.

“Since when?” Chloe asked.

“A few weeks. Probably not serious, but can you picture our debonair brother dating anyone who gets yucky helping birth calves?”

Chloe laughed and shook her head. She asked other questions and the topic of babies was left behind.

Zoe had a pleasant evening with her sister and brother-in-law, talking about current events, speculating on Sean’s new girlfriend and catching up.

She was pleasantly tired when she returned home.

If she and Cal were married—conventionally that was—they would have evenings like that, visiting family and friends.

Laughing, enjoying good food and sharing part of their lives.

Did Cal have a circle of friends he spent time with? She knew about his friend Jason, and the various women he’d dated over the years. Maybe he preferred clubbing to visiting at friends’ homes. Or even solitary pursuits like sailing.

Her idea of quiet family evenings could be totally foreign to him. Would he fit in with her family if they had a baby?

By late the following week Zoe was getting concerned. Emily said she heard from Cal a time or two, not to worry. He’d return when it was time.

Only Emily wasn’t watching a calendar for auspicious days to conceive. Zoe was. And the days were ticking by.

Thursday shortly after lunch, Zoe got a call from Cal.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“In my office. Come in, will you?”

“I’ll be right there.”

Emily was not at her desk, so Zoe knocked on the door which was slightly ajar.

Cal opened it. He looked tired, rumpled and wonderful. How could she have forgotten in the short time he’d been gone how wildly handsome he was? His dark eyes gleamed when they looked at her.

“Welcome back,” she said as he pulled her gently into the office and shut the door.

“I’m amazingly glad to be back,” he said, and pulled her into his arms to kiss her.

The folders slid to the floor, the papers whooshing out and going every which way. But neither noticed. His arms held her tightly. Her mouth met his for the kiss and she responded with enthusiasm. All caution flew out of her mind. She’d missed him, and he was home safe.

The embrace continued with Cal holding her like he’d never let her go. Finally he pulled back a little to look at her.

“I’m tired, out of sorts and have a meeting with the White House in a couple of hours. But I wanted to see you first. How are we doing timewise?”

“It’s smack in the middle,” she said breathlessly.

“Then let’s not waste a minute more,” he said, beginning to trail kisses along her cheek, jaw, throat.

His hands caressed, his lips inflamed. She couldn’t get close enough. When he shrugged out of his jacket, she helped. He unfastened her blouse, she unbuttoned his shirt. In no time Cal moved and swept his arm across his desk, dashing everything to the floor.

“Not a bed, but it’ll do,” he said hoarsely.

Zoe took a breath. It was the most wildly exciting gesture she’d ever seen. This man couldn’t wait. Nor could she. She reached for him and leaned back against the cool wood of the desk. Her last thought was she hoped he’d locked the office door.

Zoe dressed in record time, not looking at Cal. They were crazy! What if Emily had entered? What if another staff member had knocked to see if Cal were available? It wouldn’t take long for the word to spread that he was back. She scrambled for one shoe.

He had an appointment at the White House soon, for heaven’s sake. What had he been thinking?

She reached for her shoe and was dumbfounded by the heap of folders, papers and phone messages on the floor. Mingling in were pens, pencils and his phone.

“Oh, my word. We’ve got to get this cleaned up before anyone else shows up!”

He knotted his tie and shrugged.

“Let Emily do it.”

Zoe straightened and glared at him.

“We most certainly will not! I don’t want the entire world to know what we did. I can’t believe it myself. We need to get back in some kind of order before she opens that door.”

“She’s taking a late lunch.”

His eyes held amusement as he watched Zoe begin to frantically gather hands full of papers, stuffing them in folders and stacking them on his desk.

“Some of those papers there belong in the Sorenson folder,” he said as he knotted his tie.

“Then get them,” she said, scrambling to gather other sheets. She placed the phone on his desk, moved it slightly and then patted it as if willing it to remain in place.

Cal watched bemused. She was going to have the office suspiciously clean if he didn’t stop her.

But he was enjoying the show. Every time she leaned over, her skirt molded her shapely bottom. Her feet were still without shoes, the shimmer of her stockings catching the light. Her hair was disheveled, any lipstick long gone.

He felt a kick in the gut. He’d purposefully kept all thoughts of Zoe at bay while in Europe.

He’d needed all his concentration for the job at hand.

And he was due to debrief the president in less than an hour.

He had to get home, shower, change and make it to the White House in less than sixty minutes.

But he couldn’t move. He was fascinated as she muttered to herself all the while she snatched up papers and stuffed them randomly into waiting folders. He’d have a mess to clean up. But the overpowering desire that had swept through him when she came in had been unexpected.

He’d acted totally out of character. Never before had he made love to someone on a desktop.

The window to conceive was not that great to begin with.

He’d been gone for days, keeping a hectic pace that never relaxed.

As soon as he finished with the president, he planned to sack out for at least twelve hours.

At least he tried to justify the situation.

If he knew Zoe, she hadn’t moved into his place while he’d been gone. Were they back to square one now?

“Where are you staying these days?” he asked as he finished tying his shoes.

“At home, where else?”

“My place.”

The desk began to resemble the way he usually kept it. It’d pass muster with Emily at least. He waited for her to elaborate. She remained silent.

“I thought you were moving into my flat,” he said finally.

“The more I considered it, the more I didn’t like the idea. The current arrangement suits me.”

“The beach cottage or the desk?” he said whimsically.

“The beach cottage. This was an aberration. Do you realize anyone could have walked in on us?”

When her voice rose slightly at the end he realized she was really upset by the aftermath.

Instead of a warm memory, he’d embarrassed her.

“It wasn’t my intention. I’d love to discuss this with you, but really I have to go. Later?” he asked, checking his wristwatch again.

“No, not later. Maybe not ever.”

She jammed her foot into her shoe and stormed to the door.

Just as she reached for the knob, Cal reached out and stopped her, turning her to face him.

“You could have said to stop at any time,” he said quietly.

“I didn’t want to,” she said petulantly.

He threw back his head and roared with laughter. A moment later, he leaned over and brushed his lips against her cheek.

“I’ll remember that, not the histrionics about the mess we made. I’ll call you when I’m finished at the White House.”

“Don’t bother. I’ll be busy.”

She pulled her arm free and twisted the lock and threw open the door, almost running down the hall.

Cal watched until she disappeared into the ladies’ room.

“That went well,” he murmured as he headed out.

He ran his fingers through his hair. He’d acted like a love-struck teenager, unable to finesse the feelings he had when around Zoe.

There was no excuse, except she had been more than willing.

He could remember the sounds she’d made urging him on.

The sweet touch of her hands on his skin.

Her mouth kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

Blast it, he didn’t need this fresh memory. He had a debriefing to attend.