The marriage party was small – there were only a few of her friends, some of Luke’s family and two of the partners from the law firm. They had rented some potted plants and a white trellised arch so the living room looked more formal.

  Hannah stood next to Luke, avoiding his eyes. She didn’t want to stare at him like some love-struck teenager. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, as if to say, “Everything will be all right.”

  The judge said a few words, and before Hannah was ready, it was time to say, “I do.”

  Luke bent to kiss her, a brief kiss.

  Their noses didn’t bump, and Hannah smiled. She glanced at him to share the humor, but he stared back at her with a solemn expression.

  Marriage is serious business.

  The guests gathered around to express their congratulations. Luke, keeping an eye on his watch, suggested that she lie down again.

  Hannah lay down on the couch in the den, arranging the skirt of her wedding dress so it draped gracefully, and Luke left to get her some punch.

  His brother Charles, Luke’s height, but with a receding hairline, said, “Welcome to the family,” and bent down to kiss her cheek. “Is any of your family here?”

  “No, there’s only my mother, and she was too ill to come.”

  “That’s too bad,” he murmured.

  His wife asked to see her ring, and was startled by the plain gold wedding band. “It’s very nice,” she said politely, obviously expecting something more elaborate.

  Luke came back with the punch and Charles teased him. “I didn’t realize the law firm was doing poorly.”

  Luke frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “No engagement ring. After Gloria’s rock, I expected ten carats at least. But maybe Hannah doesn’t like diamonds.”

  Hannah’s eyes widened. With all their hasty preparations, neither of them had thought of an engagement ring. Luke looked at her, as if trying to discern whether she was upset by the oversight. “I do like them,” she said quickly, “But with my fingers so swollen right now, we decided to wait.” It wasn’t a great excuse, but it was the best she could think of.

  Luke smiled at her with quick appreciation.

  Margaret, walking by, overheard the conversation and added, “Get it in writing.”

  “You see what I have to put up with?” Luke joked. “No respect.”

  “That’s what you get for being the baby of the family,” Charles returned.

  Hannah sipped her punch, watching the interaction with interest. Luke and his siblings seemed to have a close, humorously adversarial, relationship. It gave her hope that someday, their relationship could be equally happy.

  “Speaking of babies, when exactly are you due?” Charles’ wife asked, and the conversation shifted to pregnancy and birth stories.

  Mrs. Parker served a light luncheon from the kitchen -- fruit salad and little sandwiches. Hannah stood again for a minute to cut the wedding cake, Margaret snapped some pictures, and within an hour, everyone left. The house seemed overly quiet.

  Mrs. Parker came into the den, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “I’ve put the food away and the dishes are soaking. Do you want me to stay and clean up?”

  “No, thank you,” Hannah said. “You can take care of it tomorrow.”

  She nodded. “I’ll come later, around noon, so you can sleep in a little,” she said with a meaningful smile.

  Hannah didn’t correct her mistaken assumption. She and Luke were not a traditional honeymoon couple, anxious to be alone together. With her high risk pregnancy, they couldn’t make love, even if they wanted to. And from the way Luke was acting, she didn’t know what he wanted.

  He had been a gracious host for the wedding, but he seemed to be keeping his emotions in check. If he had any emotions, she corrected herself. Maybe his business-like friendship was all they would ever share.

  Mrs. Parker added, “Congratulations on your wedding. I hope you will be very happy together.”

  After she left, Luke sank into one of the arm chairs and loosened his tie. “I’m glad that’s all over. I thought it went well, didn’t you?”

  Hannah agreed. “It was nice to meet more of your family.”

  “Just wait until Thanksgiving, when you’ll get to meet all the kids, too. It’s a madhouse.”

  “Is Margaret hosting that?”

  “She usually does, but if you’re not careful, she’ll rope you into volunteering.”

  Hannah shook her head. “Absolutely not. Not with a brand new baby. Maybe next year.”

  “Can you cook?” he asked.

  The question shouldn’t surprise her. It just re-enforced the fact that they still didn’t know each other very well. “I’m not cordon bleu, but I can cook a turkey.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  Hannah stood. “I should change out of this dress.”

  He looked at her, as if noticing it for the first time. “It’s pretty.”

  She noticed that he said the dress was pretty -- not that she was pretty. Any other newly married man would have offered to help her out of the dress, but theirs was not the average marriage. She said, “Margaret helped me pick it out. She went shopping for me.”

  He was silent, and she felt as if they were running out of conversation already. Not a good sign. She didn’t want to spend the next twenty years with them staring at each other.

  They had decided that it would be easier for him to move in with her until the baby was born, then they could move en masse to his house in Highland Park, when she didn’t have to worry about lying down. She’d wondered what the sleeping arrangements would be, but before she could ask, he’d offered to make up a bed in the guest room. “Even though we’ll legally be man and wife, I want to respect your privacy. We’ll take this marriage day by day.”

  Now she wished he hadn’t been such a gentleman. Even if they couldn’t make love, it would be nice to lie next to him at night, with his arms around her.

  She blushed. “Are you going to be all right in the guest room?” she asked. “You don’t think you’ll be too crowded?” Over the years, her guest room had become more of a storage room, containing boxes of Christmas decorations and some of her painting supplies.

  “I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “I have some work to do. Do you mind if I set up my lap top?”

  “No, I don’t mind,” she lied.

  Get used to it, Hannah. You married a man who prefers work over you.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Luke ate a quick breakfast and walked into the den to say good bye. He looked very handsome in his charcoal gray suit and brilliant white shirt. Hannah asked, “Are you going to court today?”

  “No, just the usual round of meetings. I should be home by eight or nine.”

  Another late night, she thought sadly. It seemed that he worked late every night. When she was his secretary, she’d always gone home at five, so she wasn’t certain whether his late nights were his usual work pattern, or a new development.

  “Don’t bother to hold dinner. I’ll eat something at the office.”

  He sounded very husbandly, but then, he had years of practice with Gloria. He leaned down to give her a good-bye kiss, a chaste salute on her cheek.

  Hannah didn’t know if the kiss was for her benefit, or to keep Mrs. Parker from wondering about their relationship. Mrs. Parker had been startled to discover that he was sleeping in the guest bedroom, but surprisingly, she had said nothing.

  But Luke wasn’t one to worry about others’ opinions, Hannah thought, so perhaps he wanted to kiss her good-bye.

  Either that, or he’d kissed Gloria good bye every day and it was nothing more than a habit.

  Hannah held up a magazine with furniture ads for him to see. “I need your opinion, real quick. What do you think of this crib?”

  He glanced at it briefly. “It’s fine, but we already have baby furniture.”

  “We do?” Hannah frowned. “Did someone give it to us as a wedding gift?”

  “No. Gloria decorated a nursery years ago. Some of the things may be out of date, but you should see what we have before buying anything else.”

  Gloria. Hannah knew she was part of Luke’s past, but she hadn’t realized how she could affect their future. Hannah didn’t want to use the furniture his first wife had bought, but she supposed he was only being practical. She asked, “Would it bother you to use furniture she bought for your baby?”

  “Bringing back bad memories?” He shook his head. “Furniture is furniture. It doesn’t have any sentimental value to me. But if it would bother you, you don’t have to use it. Give it away to a charity and buy whatever you want.” He glanced at his watch. “I have to go. I don’t want to be late.”

  The door closed behind him.

  Hannah sighed and put the magazine aside. She had wanted to include Luke in the process, hoping that planning for the baby would bring them a little closer together, but he didn’t seem to care.

  Later that morning, Ms. Dulane called. “I heard the wedding was lovely,” she said politely. “I hope you’ll be very happy together.”

  Hannah smiled. She could tell from Ms. Dulane’s voice that she thought the prospect of their finding marital bliss was unlikely. Hannah didn’t take it personally. Ms. Dulane had dealt with Luke for years, having to give his secretaries ‘hazard pay.’ She’d never seen his softer side.

  The Human Resources Director continued, “I was wondering whether you’ll be coming back to work for the firm after the baby’s born.”

  “I’m sorry. I should have called. But with all the excitement, I forgot. No, I won’t be coming back.”

  “I thought that might be the case, but I wanted to call to make sure. If you are leaving the firm, you need to notify us in writing.”

  “I’ll scan a letter of resignation this afternoon.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I hope this doesn’t cause you trouble, having to find Luke a new secretary,” Hannah added.

  “It’s no trouble. I think Marcie will stay on.”

  Hannah was surprised. What woman in her right mind would agree to work for Luke if she didn’t have to? “Really?”

  “Yes, he’s not as bad as he used to be. He doesn’t shout as often, and I haven’t heard him slam a door in weeks. You’ve been a good influence on him.”

  Had she? Hannah wasn’t sure she should take all the credit, but perhaps he had listened when she told him that his secretaries would do better work if he changed his ways.

  It was comforting to know that a tiger could change his stripes.

  #

  At Hannah’s next appointment, Dr. Armanzo was pleased with her progress. “Everything looks great,” she said. “So we can schedule your c-section for Monday morning.”

  Luke checked the calendar on his phone. “I have a hearing Monday morning. Can we schedule it for Tuesday instead?”

  Hannah wondered what he would do if the doctor said, “no.” Would he miss his hearing or the birth?

  “That would be fine,” Dr. Armanzo agreed.

  Afterwards, Luke dropped her at her house and went back to work.

  Mrs. Parker helped her pack a small suitcase to take to the hospital, and Christine came over with her first baby gift. “Something for you, and something for the baby,” she said.

  Hannah unwrapped a box of newborn disposable diapers and a huge chocolate candy bar. She laughed. “Just what I need. Thank you.”

  Hannah spent the weekend resting, trying not to make herself crazy by counting the hours until it was time to drive to the hospital. It was exciting to know that in a few days she would finally have her baby, after all the years of waiting.

  On Monday morning, Hannah was flipping through a parenting magazine, when she felt a strong contraction. Was this a Braxton Hicks contractions or the real thing? Hannah called Dr. Armanzo’s office, and the doctor told her to get to the hospital as soon as possible. “If you’re in labor, we’ll have to act fast.”

  Mrs. Parker offered to drive. Once she was in the car, Hannah called Luke’s cell. No answer, so she left a voice mail and a text. He must be in the courtroom.

  She called the law office and spoke to Marcie. “When you reach him, tell him I’m on the way to the hospital.”

  “But I thought you were going to have the baby tomorrow.”

  “So did I. But Junior has other ideas.”

  #

  Luke swore under his breath as the police siren started wailing. He put on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. How fast had he been going? He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the officer to get out of his car and walk over to his car. He rolled down his window.

  The police officer was a woman. “Where’s the fire?” she asked as she approached. “Do you have any idea how fast you were going?”

  “No,” he said honestly. “I’m on the way to the hospital. My wife is having a baby, and I was in a hurry.”

  “Is this your first?” she asked.

  “My first baby, yes.” Not his first ticket, though. He’d gotten one for speeding years ago, when he was in college, but she didn’t need to know that.

  The officer peered through the tinted car windows. “Where’s your wife?”

  Did she think he’d left her at home? “She’s already at the hospital.” He wished she would hurry up and give him a ticket so he could get on his way.

  The officer smiled. “Then I suggest you drive a little slower. I’m sure your wife would like you to get there in one piece.” She waved him on, without writing him a ticket.

  Luke couldn’t believe his good fortune. He drove to the hospital, paying more attention to the speed limit signs. When he reached the hospital, he couldn’t find any parking places near the entrance. He drove around for ten minutes before discovering a vacant spot in the parking garage.

  He sprinted up to the admitting desk. “My wife. Hannah Jamison. She’s having a baby,” he gasped.

  The clerk across the desk keyed the information into her computer. “Ms. Jamison is currently in surgery.”

  Luke had wanted to talk to her before she went in, but he was too late.

  An aid escorted him to a room with couches and a vending machine where he could wait. “You can join her later in the recovery room.”

  Luke sat, clutching his hands together, trying not to remember all the malpractice cases he had read in law school. It wasn’t common, but some women died in childbirth.

  After an hour, Dr. Armanzo approached him. “Mr. Jamison?” she asked.

  For a moment, he didn’t recognize Hannah’s doctor in her scrubs with a cap on her head. “Is she all right?”

  “Your wife is going to be fine. She hemorrhaged and had to have a blood transfusion, but she is stable and doing well.”

  The fear he had been feeling started to fade. “And the baby?”

  “A healthy little girl, six pounds, one ounce. Congratulations.”

  A girl. His own daughter. He felt a surge of pride fill his heart. He was a father. “When can I see them?”

  Within minutes he was dressed in cotton scrubs, with a shower-cap on his head and little plastic booties that fit over his shoes. He sat in a plastic chair, waiting while Hannah gradually came out of the anesthesia.

  “Is the baby all right?” she asked. Her speech was a slow.

  “She’s fine,” the nurse assured her.

  “What did I have?”

  “A beautiful little girl. Six pounds, one ounce.”

  Hannah blinked. She saw Luke and smiled a sleepy smile. “Hi. Glad you could make it.”

  “Better late than never,” he said, grateful that she wasn’t angry with him. Gloria would have been furious, and she would never have forgiven him, throwing the fact back in his face whenever they argued. But Hannah was different. He took her hand in his, being careful not to jostle the IV in her arm. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here earlier.”

  “It’s okay. The baby took us all by surprise. Did your hearing go well?”

  “I don’t know. As soon as I received your message, I turned it over to Nichols.” Nichols was one of the junior attorneys also assigned to the case. But he didn’t want to talk about work. Right now, all he cared about was Hannah and their daughter. “How do you feel?”

  “Tired. Happy.” She asked, “Have you seen the baby?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Go see her. Make sure she has all her fingers and toes.”

  “I will.”

  Hannah yawned. “And if you don’t like her, we’ll take her back to the grocery store to get another one.”

  The nurse’s eyes widened with concern, thinking that Hannah was hallucinating from the drugs.

  Luke explained, “That’s a joke.”

  “As soon as you feel up to it,” the nurse said to Hannah, “You need to walk around.”

  “Walk?” Hannah laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding. My legs feel like macaroni noodles.”

  “You don’t have to do it right away,” the nurse said. “You can wait an hour or so, but you need to walk before you eat dinner.”

  “Good. I am hungry. What’s for dinner?”

  “Chicken broth and rice. You have to eat something light for your digestive system.”

  Hannah made a face and turned to Luke. “I was hoping for a steak. Maybe you can smuggle in a chocolate milkshake.”

  He looked at her, amazed by her inner strength. She looked exhausted, and he knew she was in pain, but she still managed to find humor in her situation. He was a lucky man. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  “No outside food for twenty four hours,” the nurse reminded sternly.

  Luke said, “Yes, ma’am.”

  Hannah laughed, then said, “Ouch, don’t make me laugh.”

  Much later, Luke stood in a tiled hallway, looking through a glass wall at the nursery. Rachel Lynn Jamison lay in a little plastic bassinet labeled BABY GIRL JAMISON. She looked red and wrinkly, and incredibly small. She wore a little knit hat on her head, and a long sleeved sleeping gown that covered her hands.

  As he watched her kick her little feet, he felt an overwhelming joy. Suddenly, it didn’t matter to him that Hannah had gone to a sperm bank, that she hadn’t told him that he was the biological father. All the resentment and anger he had felt before, faded away.