It operated everything electronic in the room—the DVD, the CD player, the television, etc. It had been her practice to just push the power button on the machine she wanted to turn on. The remote was intimidating and entirely Ty’s domain.
Her heart stumbled when the first chords of a song she hadn’t heard for years began to play. It was an old Freddie Jackson song she and Ty had listened to as they’d studied back in college. She couldn’t help but smile. “Where’d you find that?”
It was Ty’s turn to shrug. “It wasn’t lost, just forgotten for a while.”
She sat back in the chair, loving the caramel and ivory pillows she’d insisted on. The relaxing was good for her. Dr. Franz, her ob-gyn, had informed her that during her first trimester she should try and get as much rest as possible. Especially in light of the mild cramping she experienced erratically. Dr. Franz said it wasn’t a big deal as long as she wasn’t bleeding or the pain didn’t become unbearable. But she certainly wanted to be as careful as she could.
“Are you comfortable?” Ty asked. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“Please, no.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “I go to the bathroom enough without any added help.”
“Really? I always thought that was later in the pregnancy.”
“Nope. That was one of those symptoms that started right away. I hear it gets worse as the baby grows. I’m definitely not looking forward to more trips to the bathroom.”
“So you’ve been to the doctor and everything is going to be okay? You and the baby are healthy?”
She couldn’t help but touch her stomach at his words. In the beginning of their marriage, Ty had always been very attentive, providing any-and everything she needed—from a glass of wine when they came home from work to a massage on those particularly rough days she’d had at school.
“Dr. Franz said that everything looks fine. He anticipates a noneventful pregnancy and a healthy baby in late April.”
To her surprise, Ty smiled. “May I?” he asked, nodding at the spot on her stomach where her hand rested.
After a second of stunned silence, she smiled. “Sure. There’s not much to feel yet.”
When his hand replaced hers, Felicia’s pulse quickened. It wasn’t just with the awareness that it had been almost three months since she’d felt Ty’s hands on her. It was also the realization that what he was feeling was something they’d both created. The baby that would forever symbolize their love and commitment. Family.
“This still seems a little unreal,” he said, his eyes glued to her stomach.
“Is that good or bad?” she inquired tentatively.
He lifted his gaze to hers and smiled with complete sincerity. “It’s perfect.”
Keeping his palm on her stomach, Ty continued to stare at her. He used to do that when they were in college. She’d be reading some textbook and assuming he was doing the same. But when she’d look up, those intense, dark brown eyes would be focused solely on her. What was it he used to say he was doing?
“I’m still memorizing you,” he said as if he’d read her mind. “After all these years, I look at you and want the picture of your face to stay permanently etched in my mind.”
Dammit. She wasn’t going to make it. He was pushing all the right buttons, saying all the right things. How could she resist coming back to him?
“I wonder why that is, Ty. I mean, I’ve always wondered why you’d want to memorize me. Is it that you knew one day we would part?” Clearly Ty hadn’t expected that, as his once-soft gaze shifted to mildly irritated.
“I don’t want tonight to go this way, Felicia. I want us to spend the evening together, with nothing on our minds but you and me. Like we used to do.”
She nodded, chastising herself for being a little insensitive. It was a protective instinct, she knew, but was it necessary?
“I hear you.”
“Let’s just relax and not think about our issues for this one night.”
He moved closer as he spoke, his voice lowering to that seductive tone she knew all too well. Still, she heard what he was saying and decided it wasn’t such a bad idea.
“That sounds perfect,” she whispered, just before his lips brushed hers.
Tonight is going to go well, Ty thought with certainty. He had the music and her favorite meal: meat loaf, mashed potatoes and corn. Ty was used to getting his way, and in this arena there would be no changing that. He would win his wife back, and then he’d make sure she never felt she had to leave him again.
After dropping Felicia off at the school this afternoon, he’d thought of her constantly. However, when he’d arrived back at his office, Shondra had called to see if he was available for lunch with her and Malcolm tomorrow, and he’d been forced to think of his father’s death again.
He knew the story of how long his parents had tried for children; it had been years before his mother had gotten pregnant. They had just been about to give up. The appearance of him, his brother and his sister brought a sense of completion to their lives. He realized that with Felicia now carrying his child, he wanted that same thing. His dad was gone, and now Ty wanted to leave his own legacy.
He wanted his career, his wife, his child, his family. And nothing was going to stop him from having them. He hadn’t been so sure of anything in a long, long while.
“Dinner was fantastic,” Felicia said when they stood out on the balcony. “How much did you pay Sarona to cook it for you?” Because Felicia knew nothing if she didn’t know her man. Sarona, the Braddocks’ longtime housekeeper, cooked like an angel. Felicia would know her signature mashed potatoes anywhere.
“I’m offended.” He smiled and leaned against the railing. “You know I can cook.”
“Shrimp pizza and hamburgers on the grill are the extent of your culinary expertise. This was a good soul food meal that you definitely did not prepare yourself.”
“All right. All right, you caught me. But I had the best intentions.”
“You did, so you earn points for effort,” she said, watching as the crisp, white dress shirt, left unbuttoned at the neck, molded his upper body.
Ty had always been sexy. There was no doubt about that. Even in the designer suits he seemed to wear more than anything else, he exuded pure, unadulterated sex appeal. She’d been thinking of nothing else but heading to the bedroom with her gorgeous husband for the duration of the night. Her hormones were going crazy. Luckily her brain still had some power over her libido.
While she’d been lusting after his body, Ty had moved closer so that his hand was now caressing her cheek. His cologne permeated her senses. She looked away, pretending that the view from the balcony was affecting her more than the man standing too damn close to her.
Putting a fingertip to her chin, he directed her gaze back to him. “You can’t walk away from me, from us,” he whispered, his face looming dangerously close to hers.
“Ty,” she whispered, trying to turn away from him. She knew what was coming, and no matter how much she wanted it, she knew that it would be a mistake. That kiss they’d shared before dinner had been brief but still potent enough to leave her off-kilter.
“I love you so much, Felicia.”
At his words, she could do nothing more than sigh. “You said we would take this slow.”
“We’re not supposed to do this tonight. Just dinner, remember?”
He feigned innocence, which was a blatant lie considering that devilish look in his eyes. “We’re not doing anything.” His lips touched hers in a sweeping fashion that sent tingles all the way to her toes.
Her