“That doesn’t mean the default answer is a no.”
“Okay.” She nodded. “I’ll make sure Brooke updates you with my appointments. Do you want her to send them to you directly or to Hilary?”
“Me. Hilary’s going to be swamped.”
Amandine nodded again, though she was certain Gavin would never make it to any of the appointments. Whenever Hilary got swamped, he got even busier.
“By the way, do you want to go to Houston with me?” he asked.
“I thought it was a board meeting.” She didn’t have a seat on the board, unlike Catherine.
“It is, but you can go into the city if you want. Do some shopping or whatever during the meeting.”
“Who’s coming from your family?”
“Just me and Ethan.”
“What about Catherine?”
“She hasn’t confirmed yet.”
“Mmm… I think I’ll stay home. You can tell me about it when you get back.”
Gavin’s eyebrows rose. “You want to hear about it?”
“Of course. It’s family business, and you said it was important.”
“It is.”
“So I want to know.” She kissed him on the nose. “What’s important to the family is important to me too.”
But the true reason was more complex. Brooke had been right to call her on comparing herself to Catherine and feeling insecure. It wouldn’t be easy to change her mindset, but she wanted to start acting more like she belonged with Gavin, and that meant she needed to be more involved with her in-laws and should try to be more engaged with Lloyd family matters. There wouldn’t be any more Ms. Withdrawn and Distant.
Amandine had demanded that he convince her that she should stay with him, but the four-month period wasn’t just about him doing all the work to salvage their marriage. She wanted him to realize he loved her, and how was he going to do that if she acted aloof or uncaring? Or like she didn’t trust him?
* * *
Even as he nodded, Gavin couldn’t believe Amandine wanted to know. She’d never shown any interest in The Lloyds Development before, and he’d avoided talking about it so as not to bore her. The women he knew were mostly interested in how much cash the company generated, not the daily operational headaches.
She grew pliable on his lap. His body stirred, but her eyelids were drooping and a hint of pallor marked her skin. She was probably exhausted from the trip and the doctor’s appointment. Pregnant women needed extr
a rest and care.
He carried her to their bedroom. She buried her face in his chest and sighed with contentment. He stripped her out of the sandals and dress and placed her gently on the bed. After taking off his own clothes, he joined her in bed, holding her close.
Her breathing had already deepened into sleep. She was so beautiful. Her cool golden hair spilled over his arms and hands, her skin no longer a sickly grayish white. He traced the gentle curves of her body and rested his hand on her belly where their baby grew.
He closed his eyes, trying to savor the moment.
What he felt for her was new to him. Holding her while she shuddered in climax and called out his name equaled mind-incinerating heat. Giving her lavish gifts and spoiling her? Near-gleeful joy. But the emotion that unfurled in his heart… It was quiet and tender, but no less intense than spilling his seed into her womb.
Peace, he realized with sudden clarity. This was peace, bone-deep satisfaction and the sense that everything was right with the world.
He opened his eyes and watched his wife sleeping in his arms. He could imagine them like this ten, twenty, forty years from now. There would be gray in her hair and lines on her skin, but she’d still be the most beautiful woman in the world.
Was this love? The poets made it sound like it was some kind of gut-twisting, heart-ripping emotion. Gavin didn’t feel that way. What he felt was soul-calm and happy.
He realized he was smiling.