and Katherine turned to him.
“Thank goodness they didn’t come in here. How mortifying,” she said as she looked at the door.
“Why do you say that?” he asked. It wasn’t as if they’d been doing anything, though if he’d had a few more minutes, that could’ve changed.
She blushed deeply as she looked at him. “Well, it looked really bad. With the back of the couch to the door, that makes it even worse. You’re sitting up while I’m lying down across your lap. If someone had come in, it would’ve appeared . . . well, it would’ve looked like . . .” She stopped talking as a giggle escaped her while her cheeks turned even pinker.
Joseph grinned — big and waggled his brows at her. “Maybe we should get back into position and see what happens.”
“Joseph Anderson, you, like all men, are terrible. That’s not going to happen.”
“You forget, my beautiful wife, that we have no secrets from one another. I know you’ve been naughty a time or two over the years.”
“Hush, Joseph,” Katherine admonished, looking at the door.
Joseph laughed with true joy as he looked at his blushing bride. He’d meant it when he’d told her she was more beautiful today than the day he’d met her. She’d aged with grace, maturity, and unimaginable beauty. He’d never stop loving or desiring her.
“We might not be spring chickens anymore, but you still make me feel like a young lad, and all of the parts are working just fine,” he told her. He sent a kiss through the air.
There was a tap on the door before it opened and one of their cleaning staff stepped inside, before blushing and looking down. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you were in here,” she said before quickly backing away.
“Do you think she heard anything?” Katherine asked in horror.
Joseph laughed again. “From the blush on her cheeks, it’s possible. But desiring my wife isn’t something I’ll ever be embarrassed about.”
“I need coffee before I shower and change,” Katherine said as she stood.
Joseph joined her, slightly disappointed his morning wasn’t going to end the way he’d been hoping. But that just led to anticipation of the night to come. He felt freer than he had in a very long time. And that made him want his wife all to himself.
They walked into the kitchen and had just poured their coffee when the butler stepped inside the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt so early in the morning,” he said. “I have a Dr. Whitman on the phone saying it’s urgent.”
Joseph lost his smile as he stared at the phone in the butler’s hand. It was never good when a doctor said a call was urgent. He went to grab the phone when Katherine stopped him.
“I think it’s for me,” she told her husband. He wanted to argue, instantly wanted to be the go-between, wanted to protect his bride. “Thank you,” she told the butler as she took the phone.
“Hi, Dr. Whitman, this is Katherine,” she said, her mood not shifting at all. Joseph paced in front of her, his coffee forgotten. He stayed close so he could try to hear Spence’s voice coming through the device.
“Good morning, Katherine. Since I’m ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure Joseph is hovering around you, could you put the phone on speaker so I don’t have him dialing me up the second we hang up?” Spence asked with a laugh.
Katherine joined him in laughter as Joseph glared at the phone. Katherine pulled it back and hit the speaker button, making Spence’s voice louder in the large room.
“Okay, you’re on speaker,” Katherine said.
“Well then, I have some news for you both. Dr. Manstein from Johns Hopkins and Dr. Raul Molina from Barcelona have agreed to team up to do your surgery. Don’t let this stress you, but we’re going to move ahead fast. They feel you’re ready, and they have the end of this week open,” Dr. Whitman said.
Joseph felt the color drain from his face as Katherine beamed at the phone. Was Joseph ready for this? He knew Katherine was, knew she hated to live with the unknown, but Joseph wasn’t sure he was ready. Things went wrong in surgeries all of the time. However, there was no way he’d voice his concerns to his wife when she obviously wasn’t concerned. Panic threatened to take him over. He had to turn away from Katherine so she wouldn’t see he was on the verge of losing control.
“I know you’ll have a lot of questions, but let