Christopher and Jaime (Pianos and Promises #1) by Jennifer Peel Page B
Authors: Jennifer Peel
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needed a dose of Allie. My mom was going to come up and stay with her at my place.
I kissed Christopher’s bandaged head and lingered. I missed kissing him. One thing our marriage hadn’t lacked was physical intimacy. I thought it might be awkward at first since we had known each other for so long, but that only made it better. I slept in his arms every night for two years. I still dreaded going to sleep without him. I missed the way he kissed my neck every morning before he got up to run on the treadmill. I missed watching the sweat drip off him and jumping in the shower with him before Allie woke up. Every day, for those brief moments where I had him just to myself, I felt like that was where I always belonged. I thought maybe he had felt that way, too.
I wondered if he missed me. Did the bed feel empty to him? I know he used to watch me sleep on the couch almost every night once I left our bed. He would sit on the square coffee table and watch me, sometimes for minutes, but sometimes much longer. He thought I was asleep, but I was always drawn to his presence. I could hear him breathe, shift his position, and sigh. At times I was tempted to turn toward him, to ask him why, to beg him to change. But I lay there in the still of the night, mostly wondering why he didn’t say anything to me. Why was he watching me?
“I love you,” I whispered to his still form. I gathered up his belongings, including his journal, and took them with me. I knew he wouldn’t want those things lying around. And I knew I couldn’t tell him how much I loved him when he woke up.
I ran home to clean up before I went to get my Allie bug. Walking into my unpacked house was a glaring reminder of how much my life was in chaos. It reminded me that I had a slew of phone calls to return. The insurance company of the woman who hit Chris had called and left messages, as had Chris’ company. I couldn’t deal with it yesterday. And I didn’t want to today, but I knew I had to. But first, a shower, some food, and my baby.
I let the warm water engulf me. The worry began to creep in. Was Chris going to fully recover? How was Allie going to deal with this new turn of events? We had already put her life in upheaval. All she wanted was for Mommy and Daddy to live together again, preferably in our new place. She was so over the loft. Our new home was small, but it had a big backyard and she could laugh, play, and sing at the top of her lungs without disturbing the neighbors or her dad. He was never harsh with her, but when he was home, he was always asking her to keep it down.
I guess he forgot how loud he was as a kid. Sometimes when I was at his house for piano lessons he would howl like an idiot. And when he and his buddies got going, it was deafening. I missed that kid.
Right now, though, I would take arguing with him just to know he was okay.
The water ran cold. I forgot I no longer lived in a place with an endless supply. One perk of the loft. At least the cold was invigorating.
I wrapped myself in a towel and called to check on Allie.
“Hey, sis. How are you holding up?” Caleb asked before I could get a word in.
“Just fine.”
“You would say that even if your house burned down.”
“Probably.”
“How’s Chris?”
“The doctors say his EEG patterns look normal, and they’ll check later today to see if the swelling has gone down. It’s weird to see him so helpless.”
“You sound tired. You’ve sounded that way for a long time. I’ll bring Allie to you this morning.”
“Look at you being all big brotherish.”
“I’m here for you if you ever want to let it out.”
“I’m just trying to get through the days right now.”
“Let us know what we can do to help.”
“Thanks. Taking care of Allie last night was perfect.”
After my phone call to my brother, I fell onto my unmade bed. I still hadn’t unpacked the bedding. I had slept on the couch the first night here, it had seemed less lonely and real.
I needed a
I kissed Christopher’s bandaged head and lingered. I missed kissing him. One thing our marriage hadn’t lacked was physical intimacy. I thought it might be awkward at first since we had known each other for so long, but that only made it better. I slept in his arms every night for two years. I still dreaded going to sleep without him. I missed the way he kissed my neck every morning before he got up to run on the treadmill. I missed watching the sweat drip off him and jumping in the shower with him before Allie woke up. Every day, for those brief moments where I had him just to myself, I felt like that was where I always belonged. I thought maybe he had felt that way, too.
I wondered if he missed me. Did the bed feel empty to him? I know he used to watch me sleep on the couch almost every night once I left our bed. He would sit on the square coffee table and watch me, sometimes for minutes, but sometimes much longer. He thought I was asleep, but I was always drawn to his presence. I could hear him breathe, shift his position, and sigh. At times I was tempted to turn toward him, to ask him why, to beg him to change. But I lay there in the still of the night, mostly wondering why he didn’t say anything to me. Why was he watching me?
“I love you,” I whispered to his still form. I gathered up his belongings, including his journal, and took them with me. I knew he wouldn’t want those things lying around. And I knew I couldn’t tell him how much I loved him when he woke up.
I ran home to clean up before I went to get my Allie bug. Walking into my unpacked house was a glaring reminder of how much my life was in chaos. It reminded me that I had a slew of phone calls to return. The insurance company of the woman who hit Chris had called and left messages, as had Chris’ company. I couldn’t deal with it yesterday. And I didn’t want to today, but I knew I had to. But first, a shower, some food, and my baby.
I let the warm water engulf me. The worry began to creep in. Was Chris going to fully recover? How was Allie going to deal with this new turn of events? We had already put her life in upheaval. All she wanted was for Mommy and Daddy to live together again, preferably in our new place. She was so over the loft. Our new home was small, but it had a big backyard and she could laugh, play, and sing at the top of her lungs without disturbing the neighbors or her dad. He was never harsh with her, but when he was home, he was always asking her to keep it down.
I guess he forgot how loud he was as a kid. Sometimes when I was at his house for piano lessons he would howl like an idiot. And when he and his buddies got going, it was deafening. I missed that kid.
Right now, though, I would take arguing with him just to know he was okay.
The water ran cold. I forgot I no longer lived in a place with an endless supply. One perk of the loft. At least the cold was invigorating.
I wrapped myself in a towel and called to check on Allie.
“Hey, sis. How are you holding up?” Caleb asked before I could get a word in.
“Just fine.”
“You would say that even if your house burned down.”
“Probably.”
“How’s Chris?”
“The doctors say his EEG patterns look normal, and they’ll check later today to see if the swelling has gone down. It’s weird to see him so helpless.”
“You sound tired. You’ve sounded that way for a long time. I’ll bring Allie to you this morning.”
“Look at you being all big brotherish.”
“I’m here for you if you ever want to let it out.”
“I’m just trying to get through the days right now.”
“Let us know what we can do to help.”
“Thanks. Taking care of Allie last night was perfect.”
After my phone call to my brother, I fell onto my unmade bed. I still hadn’t unpacked the bedding. I had slept on the couch the first night here, it had seemed less lonely and real.
I needed a
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