The Man's Outrageous Demands Page 0,43
think of anything right at the moment so I’ll defer to you, with the option of taking back the lead later,” he said and nodded towards her as if he were giving her points.
As he ate another bite, Marabeth considered her options carefully. There were so many questions she wanted to ask him but she wasn’t brave enough yet for those questions. They would be questions such as could he ever love her? Would he be happy being with her and not any other woman no matter how much prettier they were? Instead, Marabeth chose the benign “What were your mother and father like?”
Sam took a sip of wine before answering, trying to figure out how to define his parents which also meant defining his childhood which he’d never taken the time to do until now. “I guess they were normal parents.”
“They couldn’t have been too normal. They raised you to be pretty ambitious. What did they do for a living?”
“My mother was a doctor and my father a military man, just like me.”
“I knew that, I suppose,” she replied, having read about his father at least and his military career which was distinguished in the Cordova Air Force. was an airman, why did you choose the Army? It is more difficult. woman who dedicated her life to saving lives allow you to go into that kind of career in the first place?”
“But if your father
And why would a
Sam laughed. “I guess you need to know a little more about my parents to understand the answer to that question.” He talked about his parents, about their love for each other but that they were separated much of the time. His mother was on call or working late with her patients while his father was out on missions with the Air Force. That was one reason why he was brought up in boarding schools. Also the reason why he was an only child.
“Was it a lonely childhood?” she asked, instantly sympathetic of the small boy who seemed to have been abandoned by parents who were more interested in their careers than in raising their son.
“I don’t think so. Although I have nothing to compare it to. Most of my friends in boarding school were in the same situation so I didn’t know any better. We had fun, ran around when we weren’t supposed to but as long as I got good grades, my parents didn’t punish me too much for my misdeeds. Or at least those I got caught at doing.” He winked at her, “I became pretty good at stealthy missions in high school.”
She knew he was trying to make her feel better but the idea of him living a solitary life with only his friends and without his mother’s loving arms to comfort him when things got tough seemed to break her heart a little. For some reason, she wanted to wrap her arms around him and give him all the love and comfort he’d missed as a child. It was a ridiculous feeling, she told herself. The man was sitting across from her, obviously well adapted as an adult which wouldn’t be the case if he’d been too neglected as a child. “Is that the way you want to raise your children?”
Sam smiled, looking at her intently, feeling warmed by the look in her eyes. “Since they will also be your children, why don’t you answer that question first?”
“I think I want to know your position before I answer.” “Well, since it is my turn for questioning, I’m taking the prerogative to demand an answer first.”
Marabeth laughed but shook her head in response to his original question. “No. I won’t let my children,” she started, using the possessive pronoun since she wasn’t able to think about having children with him yet, “be raised in a boarding school. I want my children here with me until they are ready to go off to university. Until then, they will be raised with other children around the palace or community and with lots of hugs and kisses and understanding.”
“And discipline,” he pointed out.
“Of course,” she replied. should laugh and play. about protocol so often.” “But that won’t be the primary focus of the day. I think kids
They should be outside enjoying themselves and not worrying
He was thoughtful as he looked across the table at her. “Was that what your childhood was like?” he asked softly.
Marabeth hadn’t meant to reveal something about herself and she felt awkward before she self-consiously laughed it