Chapter Fifteen

Grace looked in his office and then went to Taylor. “Do you happen to know where Robert is?”

Taylor turned to her. “Yes. He’s at his office uptown. He said he’d be home late.”

She couldn’t help but feel disappointed. They had just been married the day before, and he was already staying away from her.

“Thank you.” Grace went into the family room and chose a book to read. She was engrossed within a minute and didn’t look up until she heard Hannah’s voice. She closed the book and set it on the table next to her before going to find the little girl.

Like she normally did, she found the little girl in the kitchen at the table eating a snack.

Grace bent and pressed her lips to the top of her head. “Did you have a good nap, Honey?”

Hannah nodded.

Grace laughed when Hannah opened her mouth to talk, but it was full of crackers, which spilled out onto the table. “How about you wait until you’ve swallowed your food before you try to talk?”

Hannah grinned and nodded but did what Grace suggested. After the snack, they went into the family room to play cards.

Grace had no idea how much time had passed since Taylor had called from the kitchen to tell them dinner was ready. Shocked, Grace looked at the clock on the wall. A few hours had passed quickly.

The two put the cards away and washed their hands before walking into the dining room. When Grace only saw place settings for her and Hannah, she walked into the kitchen.

“Taylor, where is Robert?”

She looked over her shoulder. “He’s working late. He told me to tell you not to wait up for him.”

Grace nodded. She turned away, not wanting to let Taylor see her disappointment. She tried to keep up her spirits for the rest of the night, but after she got Hannah into bed, her mind wouldn’t stop. Was it really work keeping him away, or did he want to put space between them?

She tried to read the book she started earlier in the day but couldn’t keep her attention on it. Grace decided to go to bed but stood in the hallway, trying to figure out where she should be. In her old room or in with Robert? She didn’t want to push it, so she got ready for bed and slipped into her small, cold bed.

When several hours passed, she gave up, grabbed a blanket and pillow, and made a bed on the sofa in Robert’s office. With his scent surrounding her, she was finally able to fall into a fitful sleep.

She was startled awake when she realized someone was talking to her.

“I’ve been looking for you, Sweetheart,” Robert said as he crouched next to the sofa.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know where to sleep.”

He looked troubled and sighed before he stood and lifted her in his arms.

“Robert, I can walk,” she told him.

“I know, but I can also carry you.”

He laid her on his bed and covered her with the blanket. “I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, watched him walk into his bathroom and strip off his clothes. Her breath caught when she was able to see his naked backside. She didn’t know much about men but knew Robert had a body that made her salivate.

A few minutes later, he walked back into the bedroom in shorts and slid into bed beside her.

Grace was speechless when he draped his arm over his face and sighed. Why did he want her in his bed but then ignore her? After a few minutes, she turned until her back was to him and closed her eyes.

It felt like her heart would burst from her chest when she felt a wall of heat press against her back and his arm come around her waist, pulling her tighter against him.

“I thought about you a lot today,” he said.

“Me, too. Did you have a good day?” Grace asked.

“Not really. There’s just a lot going on right now.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

“No.”

That’s all he said, and the abruptness made a twinge of sadness fill her body.

“I’ll come home early tomorrow night so we can spend some time together,” he said.

She nodded but stayed quiet. It wasn’t long before she heard his breathing deepen and his body relax against her, telling her he was asleep.

Grace couldn’t shut down her mind enough to sleep, so she stared out the window and watched the stars disappear, and the world started to lighten with the dawn.

She held very still when Robert slowly moved away from her. She heard the shower and the toilet, and after a few minutes, the door to the bedroom closed behind him as he walked out. She couldn’t help the tears that ran down her face and dampened her pillow.

An hour passed, and she gave up. The way she felt, there was no way she’d be able to sleep.

Taylor gave her a double take as she walked into the kitchen to get some coffee.

“What happened to you?” Taylor asked.

“Nothing. I just didn’t sleep very well last night.”

“Oh, heck, I have those kind of nights, and they suck. You might consider laying down with Hannah when she goes down for a nap.”

“I think I will. Anything I can help with?” Grace asked.

Taylor shook her head. “No. Have a seat and relax. It will be the last time you do until nap time.”

They both grinned.

Grace kept up with Hannah, but it was tough because she was exhausted. That night at dinner, there were still just two plates.

She walked into the kitchen. “He’s not going to be home?”

Taylor nodded. “I know it’s tough, Honey, but he’s got an important job, and sometimes he’ll barely make it home each night.”

“I didn’t know that,” Grace said. She realized she had no idea what her husband did for a living. The man didn’t talk to her. In fact, she realized he had conversed with her more before they were married.

She thought back to the last months she’d lived there, and Robert hadn’t missed a dinner. Now, he was gone every night. She tried to keep her mind on Hannah and keep her happy charade up.

Grace was exhausted when she got ready for bed that night. She was unsure where she should sleep. She decided on Robert’s room, but once there, she couldn’t make herself get into the large bed. It would just make her feel lonelier.

She’d gone from her father’s house to Robert’s, and she had thought everything would be nice, but she had ended up being more isolated than she’d been at her father’s. Here, she had Hannah and Taylor to talk to, and it helped but when she was alone, she didn’t know what to do about it.

She pulled the throw from the end of the bed and walked to one of the large chairs in the room. She made herself as comfortable as she could and promptly fell asleep.