“Is it working?”
Bree was laid back on the chaise lounge, watching the show.
“Of course, it is. ’Cause Daddy’s got the magic touch, and she loves it when he raps for her.”
He crossed the room and slowly lowered the baby down into the bassinet situated next to the chaise lounge, and covered her up. Then he carefully slid onto the chaise next to his gorgeous wife.
“Did you ever think that maybe she goes to sleep when you start rapping just so that she can get away from it?”
Adam shot her a look that he hoped was a blend of surprise and hurt. He poured it on thick.
Bree giggled.
“Wow,” Adam said. “That was harsh, babe.”
All amusement left Bree’s face, replaced by shock and regret.
He had her.
“No, I’m just kidding. That was a really bad joke, honey. Isla loves it when her daddy raps to her.”
“She really does!” Adam insisted. “She loves it.”
“I know she does.” Bree grinned and patted his leg. “She loves her daddy.”
Adam smirked at her.
“Yeah, you better be nice to me. Otherwise, I might decide not to give you this.”
He pulled a small, square, Tiffany’s box from his pocket and Bree gasped.
“Adam! What is this?”
He handed it to her, and shrugged a shoulder as if it were no big deal.
“Just something I wanted the mother of my child to have.”
Bree looked at him with a wry grin.
“A push present? Really?” She made a face and said, “Are we those people?”
“Not so much a push present. More like a ‘you-are-the-most-amazing-woman-in-the-world-and-I’m-so-damn-lucky-you-love-me’ present.”
He watched tears spring to her eyes, and it startled him.
“Oh, Adam.”
“Those are good tears I hope.”
He wiped an escaped one from her cheek with his thumb.
She smiled at him. “Yes!”
“Good. Open it.”
She opened the box and softly gasped once more. The platinum and diamond bangle bracelet twinkled right on cue. Adam took the box from her and lifted the bracelet out.
“Are those charms?”
She reached out and studied them — a platinum heart, and a single perfect pearl.
Adam fastened the bracelet around her wrist.
“Yes. The heart is engraved with Isla’s name on the front and her birthdate on the back. See? And the other one, the pearl? Well, that’s her birthstone. I figure we can add more charms as Isla’s siblings come along.”
Bree laughed through her tears.
“Whoa. Slow down there, cowboy! Let my body recover from this one first, okay?”
“No pressure. Just sharing the plan, that’s all.”
Bree held out her arm, admiring the bracelet from all angles. Then she brought it to her chest, hugging it.
“Adam, it’s so beautiful! I love it; and I love you.”
“Woman, you got no idea how much I love you.”
He leaned in and kissed her. What was meant to be a sweet expression of his affection quickly became a blistering inferno as the kiss deepened and morphed into something near X-rated.
“How much longer are we supposed to wait?” he asked against her lips before kissing her again.
“You know the answer to that, doctor. Four more weeks.”
Her voice was throaty and sexy as hell, and Adam groaned.
“I’m not going to make it.”
“Well, maybe I can make things a little easier on you.”
He felt Bree’s hand run over the bulge in his pants, and he shuddered.
“Oh, my God. Don’t tease me.”
“Would I do that to you?”
She kissed his chin and unlatched the button of his jeans, reaching into his pants.
His cellphone rang just as she took hold of him.
“Aw, shit!”
Bree giggled, and then she pushed him away.
“Oh, make it stop before it wakes her!”
Adam grabbed his cellphone and silenced it. Then he looked at the screen and wanted to throttle the caller. He hit the answer button.
“You are seriously messing with my game, mutant! This better be good.”
“Well, hello to you too.”
Isaac couldn’t help the testy pitch in his tone, but that greeting hadn’t exactly been friendly.
“I’m sorry, but you have really lousy timing, bro,” Adam said.
“I can call back at a better time if that’d be more convenient for you.”
He knew his voice was dripping with annoyance, but he couldn’t help it. Then he sighed and backed down.
“Never mind. Just… I’m sorry. And sorry for interrupting. Go back to what you were doing.”
“No. Ike, wait!”
Now Adam sounded annoyed. And a little worried.
“What’s going on, man? You and Sidney okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine.”
That sounded convincing, didn’t it? He took a breath and tried again.
“I just… you know what, it wasn’t important. Really.”
“Ike. Talk to me. You sound… I don’t know. Troubled. Where are you?”
Isaac huffed out a soft breath, and grinned.
“Don’t worry. I’m not planted on a bar stool, Adam. I’m sitting in my car in the PD’s parking lot, getting ready to head home.”
“And? How’s Sid doing?”
Isaac heard the concern in his big brother’s voice, and he appreciated it.
“She went back to work today.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, it’s probably good for her to jump back into her routine, you know?”
“Yeah, that’s what she said too. But the sadness clings to her like a bad stench, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
He could hear Adam’s deep sigh over the phone.
“It’s only been a couple of days, Ike. Just give her some time. Bree and I haven’t been through it, but I’ve heard enough about miscarriage — both from the medical side and the civilian side — to know that it just takes time to get over. She’ll bounce back. You’ll see.”
“I know she will, Adam. It’s just hard to see her so down. I want to do something to put a smile back on her face. Only I’ve got no clue what that should be. And I guess I was just calling to ask for your advice is all.”
A long silence hung over the phone line between them.
“I’m honored you want my advice, bro.”
Adam sounded touched, and Isaac wondered why.
“Well, what the hell do I know about making a woman happy?”
Isaac rolled his eyes at that sad truth. Because of his huge freakdom — the hypersensitive psychic thing that plagued him with major touch issues — Sidney was the one
