First Kiss Last by Sara Miller (read e book .TXT) 📗

They headed out on foot, finally making it to the restaurant for brunch. Leah was sure the food was excellent but she didn’t remember tasting it. If they had a conversation with their meal, she could not recall.

On the walk back to their apartment, Leah felt hyperaware. She couldn’t help but notice several black trucks. When they passed a coffee shop with the front window steamed up, she felt herself physically react. What if she went in? What if Cade was in there right now, waiting for her? She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

“Babe?” Eric squeezed her hand and she looked down, just now realizing he was holding it. “Did you want to stop in for a coffee?”

Apparently, she had come to a complete stop on the sidewalk.

“No!” Leah immediately knew she overreacted and tried again, “Ugh, sorry. I didn’t sleep well . . . I’m not sure more caffeine would be a good idea.”

Eric shrugged and pulled her along.

When they got home, Eric settled in the living room to watch TV. Leah turned her anxious energy on the kitchen. She cleaned it from top to bottom until everything sparkled and smelled lemony fresh.

Keeping as busy as possible seemed like the best idea. She dusted and vacuumed, giving the entire apartment a thorough once-over.

After a late dinner, she attacked the bathroom. Leah was scrubbing the tub when Eric came in to brush his teeth and say goodnight.

“Don’t stay up too late.” He kissed her forehead and went off to bed.

She did not join him for a couple more hours. Not until she had completely run out of things to wipe and polish. By the time Leah’s head hit her pillow, she was dead to the world until her alarm went off early Monday morning.

As a “reward” for her hard work cleaning the day before, Leah stopped at the bookstore on her way home from work. She purchased a mocha latte from the in-store coffee shop and spent over an hour perusing the books. She managed to select only two, then made her purchase and headed home.

“I got us salads.” Eric told her in lieu of a greeting. “Picked them up on my way home from the gym.”

“I was at the bookstore.” She held up her bag as proof. Not that he’d asked. He was stretched out on the couch and barely looked up from his laptop.

“Anything good this time?” he teased. He liked nonfiction and made fun of her preference for romantic comedies and mystery novels. When she did not respond, he told her, “I put your salad in the fridge.”

Eric had not waited to eat with her. Leah grabbed her dinner and sat at the table to eat by herself. Even though her husband was only a few feet away, she felt alone.

The salad was bright and colorful, unlike everything around her. Eric only liked color on a plate, not in his day-to-day life. Leah sighed.

“Everything okay? Salad good?”

“Yup. Thanks.” She picked at the purple cabbage and bright orange carrots. The dill dressing overpowered everything. Eric insisted on what he called “meatless Mondays.” Leah was not a fan. She gave up on her dinner and pulled out one of her new books.

She spent the rest of the evening reading. When Eric finished watching the news and clicked off the TV, she was almost halfway through the book.

“Just another chapter,” she promised.

Eric laughed, kissed her forehead and headed to bed. She couldn’t put the book down and ended up reading several chapters before slipping into bed late for a second night in a row.

After work on Tuesday, Leah went home and cooked dinner from scratch. She loved cooking and was craving more than just another salad. Eric argued that with their busy schedules and so many restaurant options nearby, it made more sense to grab take-out. Usually she went with it. Tonight, Leah did her own thing. She hoped a good meal would create the kind of companionable dinner she longed for.

“You cooked?” Eric sniffed the air in confusion.

Eric’s question sounded more like an accusation.

But that didn’t interfere with how she felt about the meal she had made. Leah looked down at her chicken primavera and smiled. It looked both healthy and filling.

“Yep. You hungry?”

Eric shrugged. He sat down and quietly ate without commenting further.

So much for a companionable meal. Swallowing her disappointment, Leah cleaned up, took a long bath and finished reading the book from the night before. Just like the previous nights, Eric went to bed before her.

The next morning, Leah woke with a headache. The late nights were taking their toll. She was miserable all day. When she got home from work, she crawled into bed. She figured it would be a safe time to get a couple hours of rest. As a single dad, Cade would be too busy making dinner or helping his kids with their homework to take an evening nap, so there was little danger of him sleeping and dreaming. Leah was not emotionally ready for another shared dream. Varying and limiting her sleep patterns were the only thing she could think of to keep them at bay.

Knowing how overtired she was, Leah set an alarm. She did not want to risk sleeping straight through until morning.

The alarm woke Leah shortly before Eric got home from the gym.

As he walked in, he called out to her.

“I got something to eat on the way home.”

“That’s okay,” Leah sighed. “I’m not really hungry.”

“I’m gonna hit the shower and then bed,” he said.

While Eric was showering, Leah gathered dirty clothes. As Eric came out of the bathroom, Leah started the washing machine.

“Really?” he said critically.

“Yeah, I forgot to do it over the weekend and I’m almost out of clean clothes.” She could have gotten by a few more days but she was scared to sleep.

Eric looked like he might call her on it. He stared at her and she couldn’t read his expression. Leah hugged the laundry basket close and waited. He