A Baby To Save Their Marriage

So why were they still there? Why were they still running through his brain? Why couldn’t he just relax and spend time with his son? Was it possible he’d forgotten how to relax?

There was a movement out of the corner of his eye. Addison was standing in the doorway, carrying Tristan’s backpack in one hand. She was wearing a short red sundress and had a pair of sunglasses on her head.

She knelt down next to them and pulled some suncream out of the backpack, slathering it over Tristan’s skin as he squirmed. When she finished she pulled a baseball cap from the backpack and stuck it on his head. ‘Right. Let’s go and see the kids’ club.’

It was odd—walking away from a place and not locking all the doors behind you.

They strolled up the path towards the main resort. There was a variety of palm trees and green bushes with the occasional burst of bright red and orange flowers. The whole resort seemed to have been planned to perfection.

The kids’ club was through the main reception and next to a small kids’ pool. It was shaded, with a variety of toys, ranging from chalk boards, to racing cars, a complete tiny wooden house and a table for arts and crafts. There were four other kids all playing already with two play leaders. One of the play leaders came over straight away. ‘Hi, I’m Kohia. Is this Tristan?’

Tristan nodded. ‘How did she know my name, Mummy?’

Kohia knelt down. ‘I know all the special boys and girls that are coming to play here.’ She handed a clipboard to Addison. ‘We need you to answer a few questions about Tristan’s medical history, any allergies and likes and dislikes. After that we’re good to go.’

Caleb looked around. Everything seemed fine. The area was clean and tidy, the kids looked happy and the play leaders seemed to know what they were doing. Addison handed back the clipboard and waited a few minutes to make sure Tristan was settled. He was instantly distracted by a painting session at a nearby table. Kohia gave them a wave. ‘Come back around one o’clock.’

Caleb glanced at his watch. Three and a half hours. What on earth would they do?

* * *

This morning had been strange. Caleb seemed in a better mood. He’d finally accepted there was no Internet or phone line and she hadn’t seen him touch his computer at all. It felt like a miracle.

He was still on edge. They both were. But the tenseness in his muscles seemed to have dissipated a little. His shoulders weren’t quite as tense but the furrows in his brow were still there. She could only imagine hers were the same.

Kohia shouted to them as they walked down the path. ‘If you haven’t tried the patisserie inside yet, you should definitely give it a go. The coconut cake is the best ever!’

Caleb turned towards her. ‘Well, there’s a recommendation. Why don’t we give it a try when we’ve looked around?’

She gave a nod. She could sense his nerves jangling again. Was he worried he might actually need to talk to her—spend time with her?

Her stomach gave a little lurch. She’d thought the other night that she might have fallen out of love with her husband. And that made her feel horrible. But it hadn’t occurred to her that the same might have happened for him.

They walked in silence for a while, strolling through the tropical gardens. She’d never seen so many shades of green dotted with bright splashes of colour. Every now and then the foliage parted to give perfect views of the blue ocean and rolling sands. The resort complex was huge. There were five other beach bungalows like theirs, each with their own smaller over-water bungalow. Around the other side of the complex were twenty larger over-water bungalows with thatched roofs and a variety of walkways. The central hotel had four restaurants, three bars, a gym, training classes, a few shops, a spa and the huge, welcoming patisserie. The smell of coffee almost came to meet them.

She felt herself twitch. She craved it. She craved it so badly. She hadn’t actually realised how much she loved it, or how much she drank. But as soon as she’d realised she was pregnant she’d switched to caffeine-free tea. She didn’t want to take any chances with this baby. Not when the odds were apparently stacked against her anyway.

Caleb automatically walked in the direction of the patisserie, his eyes drawn to a huge glass cabinet packed with a variety of cakes.

‘Skinny caramel latte?’ She shook her head again.

‘I’ll have green tea.’ She drifted along the edge of the glass cabinet just as her stomach gave a telltale rumble.

Caleb pointed to the cakes. ‘Which one do you want?’ He turned towards her, a quizzical look on his face. ‘You didn’t eat much this morning at all. You must be starving.’

She was. She’d been unsettled at breakfast and she didn’t think it was anything to do with her pregnancy. Morning sickness had never been a problem before. It was most likely just the state of her life and the decisions she’d need to make.

She licked her lips as she looked at the labels on the cakes. She pointed to the coconut cake. Four layers of sponge with jam and coconut cream frosting. She didn’t even want to think about the calories. Since she’d hardly had any breakfast—or eaten much on the flights yesterday—she figured it would all work out. ‘I’ll have a piece of that. What about you?’