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The flocked tree looked as if it belonged in the foyer of a classy hotel Glossy gold boere strung in one continuous ribbon froht red porcelain poinsettia floere syels Leah counted twelve In gold goitha uitar, a harp, a saxophone, a tuba, and flute A horn and tro the heavy white li roo hers toward the Christht so too"

She hung her coat in the closet

"Debbi outdid herself this year," Andrew said, bending over and turning on the tree lights Ten strings ofwarm shadows about the room

The decorator was a friend of Andrew’s ift to Andrew and Leah, Shirley Lundberg had their Christ her ar her head to his shoulder

"How’d your day go?"

There was farWhat Andreanted to knoas if she was feeling the same queasy sensation she had the last few days both in theif her period had started In sureat, how about yours?" she asked, saze skirted past hers "Let’s sit down," he suggested With a flip of the switch, the gas fireplace roared to life and tongues of fire licked at the iether they sank into the soft comfort of the leather sofa Andrew’s arm was tucked around her shoulders and he rested his chin on the crown of her head "I’ve been thinking," he began

"This sounds ohter contained a dash of concern "I’d feel a whole lot nancy test kits," he continued

"Why does itoff his request "We’ll know sooner or later, won’t we?"

"You’ve been on this eh all week and I’nant," she said with supre for us There’s never been any physical reason e can’t have children Dr Benoit assured us of that countless times How many times has he claimed all we need do is relax and that it’ll happen e least expect it? I don’t know about you, Andrew, but I’m floored by this"

"Leah, please, listen to reason"

"Our ti to listen to his arguments

"If you’re so certain, then it won’t matter if you take the test now or later, will it?" Andrew pressed

"I’ to buy another one of those awful test kits I hate them" She eased herself away froh this routine countless tily the sa she studied the results she couldn’t make them read what she yearned for so desperately No, she wouldn’t subject herself to that again

"Leah, please I just don’t want you to get yourself worked up over this You’re a few days late and already--"

"I don’t know that I’ nant, great, if not, well, then I’nant"

He was uncharacteristically silent, but Leah knew her husband well enough to recognize how deceptive this cal for his hand and kissing his knuckles

He didn’t respond immediately "I can’t stand by and watch you do this to yourself How h this?" he deo a little higher and you fall a little harder Each tier to recover"

Leah knehat he was saying was true, but this was different This time she’d throw back her head and shout for joy This time her heart and her soul would be left intact How she wished there was some way to reassure Andrew

"I don’t want you to worry about ainst him "Don’t, please"

"Does this nancy test?" The fire crackled in the distance adding punctuation to his request

She hated to refuse hied up far too many unpleasant memories That was all in the past, and her future, their future, was spilling over with promise

"No, Andreon’t Not this time" She threw her arms into the air and fell backward so that she was sprawled across his lap, s up into his face "Now kiss h to blot her out "Leah, for the love of--"

She didn’t allow hiripped hold of his neck and levered herself upward until her mouth met his As familiar as she ith her husband’s body, Leah knew exactly what she needed to do to evoke a strong and positive response

"Leah" Her nae to ravish you," she whispered, opening the buttons of his neatly pressed dress shirt He groaned when her hands ed, between slow, deep kisses

"What about it?" she asked, rotating her hands around to his back His heart was pounding hard and fast, but then so was her own

"Can wait," he told her brokenly

Leah sht"

It wasn’t until she was dressing for work the followingit had been sitting on the bathrooht before

The night before A sht be an old etChrist fire