James whirled around. “Summer?” He couldn’t believe she was really there. It was impossible. A figment of his imagination. An apparition. Before another second passed, James walked across the kitchen and swept her into his arms.
Laughing and sobbing at once, Summer hugged him close.
Then they were kissing each other. Neither could give or get enough.
Walter stood in the background and cleared his throat. “I’ll wait for the two of you in the living room,” he said, loudly enough to be sure he was heard.
As far as James was concerned, his father might as well make himself comfortable. Or leave. This could take a while.
Summer in his arms was the closest thing to heaven James had ever found. Not for several minutes did he notice how thin and frail she was. The virus had ravaged her body.
“Sweetheart,” he whispered between kisses. He paused and brushed back her hair to get a good look at her.
She was pale. Her once-pink cheeks were colorless, and her eyes appeared sunken. “Are you over the flu?”
She lowered her eyes and stepped away from him. “I... You’d better sit down, James.”
“Sit down? Why?”
Her hands closed around the back of a kitchen chair. “I have something important to tell you.”
He could see she was nervous and on the verge of tears. The worries that were nipping at his heels earlier returned with reinforcements. Summer had more than a common flu bug.
“Just tell me,” he said. A knot was beginning to form in his stomach. Was she ill? Was it something life threatening? The knot twisted and tightened.
“I don’t have the flu,” she whispered.
Whatever it was, then, must be very bad if his father had brought her to Seattle.
“How serious is it?” he asked. He preferred to confront whatever they were dealing with head-on.
“It’s serious, James, very serious.” Slowly she raised her eyes to his. “We’re going to have a baby.”
His relief was so great that he nearly laughed. “A baby? You mean to tell me you’re pregnant?”
She nodded. Her fingers had gone white, and she was watching him closely.
James took her in his arms. “I thought you were really sick.”
“I have been really sick,” she told him crisply. “Morning sickness. Afternoon sickness. Evening sickness. I...I can’t seem to keep food down.... I’ve never been more miserable in my life.”
“I suspect part of her problem has been psychological,” Walter announced from the doorway. “The poor girl’s been terribly worried about how you were going to take the news.”
“Me?”
“My feelings exactly,” Walter said. “The deed’s done, what’s there to think about? Besides, you’ve made me an extremely happy man.”
“A baby.” James remained awestruck at the thought.
“Now tell him your due date, Summer—he’ll get a real kick out of that.”
“September twenty-third,” Summer announced.
Everyone seemed to be studying him, waiting for a reaction. James didn’t know what to think. Then it hit him. “September twenty-third? That’s the date of the primary.”
“I know. Isn’t it great?” Walter asked.
“How long can you stay?” James asked, taking Summer’s hands in his own.
Summer looked at Walter.
“Stay?” his father barked. “My dear son, this is your wife. I brought her to Seattle to live with you. This is where she belongs.”
“You can live with me?” A man could only take in so much news at one time. First, he’d learned that his wife didn’t have some life-threatening disease. Then he discovered he was going to be a father. Even more important, he was going to have the opportunity to prove what kind of husband he could be.
“Yes. I got out of my contract for medical reasons, and Julie’s getting a roommate. So...everything’s settled.”
James pulled out the chair and sat Summer down. Then he knelt in front of her and took her hands in his. “A baby.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course he doesn’t mind,” Walter said, “and if he does I’ll set up an appointment with a good psychiatrist I know. This is the best news we’ve had in thirty years.”
“When did it happen?” James asked.
Summer laughed at him. “You mean you don’t remember?” She leaned toward him and whispered, reminding him of the one episode the morning after their honeymoon night.
“Ah, yes,” James said, and chuckled. “As I recall, I was the one who said one time wouldn’t matter.”
“I don’t suppose there’s anything to eat in this house?” Walter asked, banging cupboard doors open and shut.
“Why have you been so ill?” James wanted to know. It worried him. “Is it routine?”
“My doctor says some women suffer from severe morning sickness for the first few months. He’s been very reassuring. I try to remember that when I’m losing my latest meal.”
“Is there anything that can help?”
“She’s got what she needs now,” Walter said.
Summer laid her head on his shoulder. “I was worried you’d be upset with me.”
“Why would I be upset when the most beautiful woman in the world tells me she’s having my baby?” He reached for her hand and pressed her palm over his heart. “Notice anything different?” he asked.
She shook her head, giving him a puzzled look.
“My heart’s racing because I’m so excited. Because I’m so happy. We’re going to have a baby, Summer! I feel like I could conquer the world.”
He wanted his words to comfort her. The last thing he expected was that she’d burst into tears.
“But you said a baby would be a mistake right now,” she reminded him between sobs.
“I said that?”
“He said that?” Walter glared at James.
“I don’t remember saying it,” James told him. “I’m sorry, my love. Just knowing we’re going to have a baby makes me happier than I have any right to be.”
“Damn straight he’s happy,” Walter tossed in, “or there’d be hell to pay. I should’ve been a grandfather two or three times over by now. As far as I’m concerned, James owes me.”