invoices and handed half to Maya. "Start folding and stuffing. Until we hear otherwise, this is your bread and butter."
No topic would distract her for long from the knowledge that her "date" tonight with her husband could only have one outcome. Maya wriggled in nervous anticipation as she stuffed envelopes.
Religious ceremonies had little meaning to her, but after tonight... Axell would probably expect her to share his bed on a regular basis. She didn't know if she was prepared for that kind of commitment. Between the kids, the school, and the shop, she barely had time for herself. How would she find time for a husband?
She had to. She'd promised. Maybe he'd be satisfied with one night a week.
Maybe she wouldn't.
* * *
"You didn't really mean it about the policeman, did you?" Maya asked anxiously as Axell came home after she'd finished feeding the kids. "I called Dorothy and she said you'd already called her. She can look after Constance and Alexa while Matty and Cleo get reacquainted." She nodded toward the bedroom wing. "Cleo's reading him a book."
Axell set his briefcase down on the table and glanced around the miraculously spotless kitchen. "Why am I getting premonitions of disaster?"
Maya dried her hands and surreptitiously watched him. He looked calm and reasonable tonight. No slamming doors, no wild looks melting her like candle wax. He'd combed the wayward strand of hair back from his forehead and apparently shaved before coming home. She could smell his aftershave as he approached. Nervously, she eyed his impeccable blue suit.
"I didn't know how to dress." She backed away. "I thought we'd be going somewhere casual. It's a weeknight..." That was a stupid thing to say. Did she imagine the flare of heat in his eyes?
"I'll order pizza and you can wear nothing," he answered in that bland tone she knew concealed the workings of his mind.
The suggestion shot a shiver of arousal down Maya's spine.
"But I thought we ought to attempt something civilized like a date first. There's a place in Charlotte with good jazz. Do you like jazz?"
That offer fished her thoughts out of the gutter. A date. She could handle a date. "I don't know anything about jazz, but I'll learn. What do I wear?"
"Black is traditional," he said solemnly. At her look of horror, a twinkle developed in his eye. "Anything that makes you happy is fine."
Apparently his ability to push her buttons incited sufficient confidence for him to reach out and brush a recalcitrant curl from her forehead.
Just his touch ignited smoldering fires. Maya backed off.
Smacking him would make her happy. Getting this over with would make her happy. Even the spontaneity of last night was vastly preferable to his pragmatic approach. If it weren't for the kids, she'd be tempted to walk into his bedroom and tear her clothes off and have done with it.
"I'll only be a minute." Scooping up Muldoon for reassurance, Maya fled.
Taking a deep breath to calm his rocky nerves, Axell wandered into the family room. In these last weeks he'd grown accustomed to finding Matty and Constance bent over some game together. It felt odd to see just Constance sitting in front of the TV. He hadn't realized how much he'd miss Matty once Cleo took him. Would Maya be interested in giving him a son?
That was definitely not the direction to follow right now.
Constance threw him one of those suspicious looks he recognized as one of his own.
"Why can't I go with you?" she demanded.
Well, at least she was talking to him. "Because sometimes married people like to do things alone."
"You and Mama never did."
He and Angela had few interests in common. Hell, he and Maya had few interests in common, but this time, he meant to develop some.
"We did sometimes, you just don't remember," he said. "You get Maya all to yourself all the time. It's my turn tonight, okay?"
She wrinkled her nose in disapproval and looked away. "Will the mean lady take Matty away?"
Maybe they shouldn't go out tonight. Her whole world had been in a tumult for so long...
It wasn't likely to get better soon. With a sigh, Axell stroked her hair as he'd seen Maya do. "Cleo is Matty's mama, and Maya's sister. She's really sad right now, so maybe she says mean things. Try to be nice, will you?"
Constance shrugged, and he figured that was the best he could hope for.
Standing, Axell wondered for the millionth time if he'd done the right thing in marrying a woman like