Chapter 6
Chapter Six
S teph regretted not figuring out the other woman’s identity sooner because if she had, she would have already been on her way back to her own office rather than coming face to face with her husband while his ex-girlfriend stood there.
“Hey, darling,” he called but before Steph could respond, Vicky did.
“Jonny, I knew you’d be pleased to see me.” Vicky turned to sneer in Andrea’s direction before dashing across to Jon whose visitors were leaving.
“What are you doing here?” Jon asked angrily.
“What? I thought you were pleased to see me, you seemed it when you first saw me,” she said confused, making Steph uncomfortable to be witnessing this exchange.
“I didn’t see you when I came out. I wasn’t speaking to you, I was addressing Steph,” he explained gesturing to her.
“Oh,” snapped Vicky before turning to her and smiling. “I think you were a little modest when you said you worked here,” she said with an arched brow.
“ She does work here,” snarled Jon as Andrea looked on clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable. “ She is also my wife.”
“Oh,” said Vicky sounding genuinely shocked.
“Steph, darling, are you okay?” he asked walking over to her and resting a hand on her hip.
“Yeah fine I just had a couple of things to run past you,” she replied thinking it was essentially the truth.
“Can you give me a minute?”
“Of course. I’ve got some things to do, so I’ll be in my office when you’re done,” replied Steph feeling sick but thought it was more to do with the idea of Vicky thinking Jon meant her with his darling rather than pregnancy.
He brushed the loose strands of hair off her face leaning in and landing a gentle kiss on her jaw with a whisper of, “I can also schedule you a hormonal appointment if you need it.”
With a coy grin and shake of her head she peered around Jon’s shoulder and looked at a bewildered looking Vicky. “Nice to put a face to the name, bye.”
Having refused a drink from Rosie, Steph headed into her office, glad of the safety and privacy this space provided. Kicking her shoes off she threw herself down on the sofa where fatigue washed over her and almost immediately sleep claimed her thoughts and feelings.
The feel of Jon’s body shifting against hers roused her slightly, causing her to move her arm so that it was draped over him while his arms laced around her waist holding her gently. Opening her eyes slowly she smiled to find Jon lying down with her on the sofa and smiling at her.
“Hello,” she said stretching in his embrace.
“Hello yourself. You okay? You know you can work less hours or from home if full time’s too much, Steph.”
Reaching up and resting her hand flat against Jon’s chest she shook her head, “No, I’ll be fine, but I may leave an hour free here and there for a nap or what was it you suggested? Hormonal appointments.”
“You leave free time for whatever you need, darling,” he told her with a smile that was replaced with a frown as she shrunk back at his term of endearment. “Do you want to talk about Vicky’s reappearance?”
“Is there anything to say?” Steph sat up suddenly and climbed across Jon’s midriff as he moved onto his back leaving her balanced across him. “I really need a wee, a pregnant wee, so if you want to talk you’ll have to wait a minute.”
Returning from the bathroom, Steph smiled at the image of Jon sitting up on the sofa, still minus his shoes and tie with the top couple of buttons of his very expensive shirt undone and his hair mussed making him look more than a little tantalising.
“So, other than a reconciliation and/or cash, what did Vicky want?” asked Steph bluntly.
“Just the cash I think but she would have suffered me for a while if it got her the cash, however once she knew we were married and having a baby she made some excuse about being in town and wanting to make sure things were okay between us, no bad feelings and all that, then she left.”
“Did you call her darling?” Steph felt tearful which caused her to silently curse her hormones.
“When?” asked Jon sharply, making Steph’s tears come closer to the surface.
“Ever, like me. You call me darling; did you call her darling like you call it me?”
“Ah. I suppose I probably did at some point. I can’t tell you I have never called another woman darling, but I can tell you I never meant it as much and you may not have been the first woman I called it, but you will be the last,” he said seriously, but sincerely.
“Sorry, I’m being stupid.” Steph sniffed back tears, thinking she was being unreasonable to think and hope she was the first darling he’d ever had. “Ooh, I came down to show you these.” She grabbed the papers she’d thrown on her desk, passing them to him, determined to distract herself from negative thoughts.
“Shit! Richards has gone tits up completely. That’s a shame, they were a good company with some really good assets, it’s just so sad to see them go to the wall. I really do regret them not taking our offer.”
“I know, but if you’d offered them what they wanted, you would have now been putting in good money after bad. It doesn’t have to be all bad though,” said Steph buzzing through to Rosie and asking, “Rosie can you get me the Richards file ready for tomorrow please.”
Jon watched her with a smile teasing his lips as she sat behind her desk typing something into her keyboard. “What are you thinking, Steph?” Getting to his feet, he made his way behind her desk where he rested his hands on her shoulders.
“They have got the receivers in who will be looking to sell the business on and pay all the creditors, so, as we know what assets the company had, you may be in a position to buy the best bits for a knock down price.” She grinned looking up at him.
“Oh, Mrs Brooker, I love it when you go all corporate on me.” He leaned down to kiss her lips that were open and inviting.
“Come on, get your stuff together and let’s have an early finish and you talk accountancy terms to get me in the mood,” laughed Jon, moving back to where his tie, shoes and jacket were.
“You have yourself a deal and if you’re free we have an appointment at The Portland in the morning at quarter past nine.”
“Course I’m free for you and our baby.” He grinned, slipping his shoes on to lead her out of the building.
It was five o’clock the following morning when a wide awake Steph broke free of Jon’s protective embrace and keen to have some time alone she scurried off to the bathroom in the main flat rather than the en-suite. Once her bladder was empty she poured a small glass of orange juice and turned on her laptop to check out the situation with the demise of Richards to take her mind off the possibilities of her ultrasound scan later that morning.
Sitting in front of her computer and poring over the information available including some details she’d retained from their original dealings with them, Steph was so engrossed making notes that she didn’t hear Jon come into the room behind her.
“Would you like to tell me what you think you are doing working before six in the morning?” he asked sitting next to her with a frown.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied, not even looking up from the screen.
“Steph, what’s wrong?” Jon asked knowingly.
“Nothing, I just can’t sleep!” Steph snapped. “Go back to bed Jon and leave me alone.”
“Not a chance. I know there’s something bothering you and now that you’re snapping I have no intention of going anywhere without you, so put work away and we can talk or go back to bed, your choice.”
“Choice? You think I have a choice. My life is going into free fall and I have no say or choice in any of it, so fuck you and your so called choices!” shouted Steph unsure why she was shouting.
Slamming her computer shut she stared across at a shell shocked looking Jon and promptly burst into tears.
“Steph, darling, what’s wrong? Please talk to me,” implored Jon as he enveloped her in his embrace.
“Nothing,” she insisted now between sobs. “Ignore me, I’m just being stupid, let’s go back to bed.”
“We’ll go back to bed, but I am not buying this whole nothing. You’re the least stupid person I know,” Jon told her as he led her towards their bedroom while gently kissing the top of her head.
Snuggling under the duvet and wrapped within Jon’s arms again Steph lay still and quiet.
“Darling, you have to know that I can’t let your behaviour go without pushing for answers,” he told her as he kissed her shoulder gently.
“I know. Sorry about before,” she said sincerely.
“It’s alright, well it’s not. I would rather you just told me when you had something on your mind,” he said as one hand dropped to her belly that he began to stroke gently. “I never thought I would say this but I am inclined to agree with Lindsay about swearing in front of our unborn baby.”
Steph smiled at the serious tone of his last comment and then asked, “What about in bed? You usually like my use of more graphic terms when we’re getting down and dirty and we both know I love it when you do.”
“I hadn’t thought of that! That is the exception, but at other times we should both try not to swear in front of mini me.”
“Mini me? Do you intend to continue with that as a name for the next six months?” asked Steph smiling as she frowned.
“Dunno, depends whether he, or she inspires something else. Now you have deferred conversation long enough, what is wrong?”
“It’s a bit weird,” started Steph, swallowing back tears already. “I’m scared.”
“Scared? Scared of what? Getting married so quickly, becoming a parent, giving birth, moving house, taking a career break, what, darling?” Jon was already beginning to imagine all the ways he could alleviate her worries.
Rolling over in his embrace, she faced him and worked through his list of possible worries.
“All of them Jon, that’s what I meant about my life being in free fall but if I look at them in isolation; getting married quickly was fine in itself, I wanted to marry you, but being pregnant pushed us to do it a little sooner. I am petrified of being responsible for another person so yes to becoming a parent. What if I am bad at parenting? An awful mother? I can’t afford to get that wrong,” she cried, tensing as Jon stroked her back.
“Hey, we will make mistakes, both of us, like all parents do, but if you don’t resent this pushing you into a premature marriage to me and you do want him and will love him and try your best to be a good parent, it’ll work. Add to that the fact that this baby is going to have a Mummy and Daddy who love each other very much and a home that will be comfortable and welcoming, what could go wrong?”
“You think you have all the answers Mr Brooker. Okay, giving birth is painful and I don’t like pain. Lindsay keeps talking about assisted delivery and epidurals and is frankly scaring the shit out of me, oh and I am swearing in bed.” She grinned triumphantly.
“I do have all the answers and you think you are clever, don’t you? Go on.”
“Why and since when have we been moving house or have I been planning a career break?” she asked with definite irritation in her voice.
“You are going to have a baby and a flat is not ideal, so we will move into a house and as you vetoed a Spanish house I will be insisting on an English one. Again, as you are pregnant, you will be taking maternity leave and I thought you may want to take an extended period off to bring up our baby,” he said with only a trace of annoyance in his voice.
“House, we’ll talk. Maternity leave, yes, but not extended and I want to work, I need it, it makes me happy, so we will talk about childcare too.”
“We certainly will talk childcare, go on.”
“That was all on your list.” She really hoped he would leave it at that.
“But none of them had you behaving irrationally or upset, so what else?”
With a sigh and another hard swallow that she hoped would remove the burning at the back of her eyes and throat, she continued, “I’m scared that when we go to the hospital today and they scan me that they will find something.” She spoke with a low, even tone that didn’t hide her worry.
“Darling, I am banking on them finding a baby tucked in there.” Jon laughed at his own response and then stopped as the sad expression crossed Steph’s face and the first tear ran down her cheek.
“I meant something bad, like they did when my mum was having Jay and then me,” she explained and then all the tears she’d been holding in for more years than she could remember flowed.
The idea that embarking on one of the happiest journeys of your life could and would end in heartache and misery was almost impossible to believe, and yet she had experienced it, lived it, been hurt by it and her mother, well she had died because of it.
As Steph continued to sob, almost choking on her own tears, Jon wondered just how much guilt her and Jason carried with them in the knowledge that their lives had ultimately ended their mother’s. He thought back to the letter her mother had written and her father had given to Steph on their wedding day. The sight of his wife curling into him as her sobs grew in number and volume prevented him from reminding her of the letter because it was clear that guilt was being joined by fear that history might be tempted to repeat itself.
“Oh fucking hell, Steph! That never even entered my head. What a prat I am, I am so sorry, darling,” he said sadly as he pulled her closer against him and held her tightly while she cried until she cried herself to sleep wrapped securely in his embrace, but knowing there was absolutely nothing he could say to take away her past or her worries and he hated it because that was his job, to keep his wife safe and happy.
Sitting in the waiting room at The Portland, Steph could certainly see the benefits of private over NHS from the seats to the clientèle. They hadn’t discussed Steph’s tearful admission since she had fallen asleep in Jon’s arms but between her nervous fidgeting and his reassuring glances and touches, his concern was obvious to them both. Jon was holding Steph’s hand in his and stroking the back of it with his thumb when they jumped at the sound of a woman’s voice calling,
“Stephanie Brooker?”
Getting up together they headed towards the source of the voice who was a smiling, middle aged midwife whose fuller figure and gold wedding band suggested to Steph that there was a strong possibility that she was a mother herself.
“Good morning, I’m Sylvia Price and I’m one of the midwives here,” she said, smiling. “If you’d like to come with me we can take a few details and get you all sorted.”
Jon and Steph followed her dutifully and still held hands until they sat in the consulting room.
“Right then, first things first I am quite happy to be addressed as Sylvia but how should I address you? Is it Ms or Mrs Brooker?”
“Mrs, but I’m happy with Steph,” she replied relaxing.
“And you’re the Daddy?” Sylvia asked turning to Jon.
“I’d better be,” he replied, grinning, and no doubt making Sylvia smile and possibly swoon thought Steph.
With an arch of her brows in Jon’s direction Steph smiled as he extended a hand to the nurse and introduced himself, “I am the Daddy and the husband, but as we’re all playing so nicely together, Jon.”
“Lovely. Right, Steph, I need the urine sample you were asked to bring and we’ll go through a thousand and one questions, take some blood, get you scanned and we’ll meet the doctor.” She smiled affectionately as Jon reached out and took her hand in his again at the mention of the word scan.
“Yeah, great,” replied Steph retrieving the urine sample from her bag, handing it over.
Sylvia glanced down at Steph’s wedding and engagement ring that were glittering under the bright lights in the room and asked, “Have you been married long?”
“Almost six weeks,” replied Steph, the biggest of grins spreading across her face.
“Ah, honeymooners,” cried Sylvia making Steph laugh and relax further.
“Yes, and in case you were wondering this is not a honeymoon baby as my dad is trying to convince everyone, mini me just brought the wedding forward.”
Laughing, she looked back from where she was doing something with the urine sample.
“Oh Steph that makes no difference to me and we see all permutations of modern families here.”
About half an hour later all the questions that had to be asked had been asked and answered, blood had been taken as routine, they were being led to the imaging suite waiting area where Steph began pacing while Jon sat watching her for a few seconds until she almost collided with a very lively and boisterous infant running along the same space she paced along.
“Sorry.” Steph smiled weakly at the little girl standing before her as Jon took her hand and led her towards the chair he’d vacated followed by the little girl of no more than four years.
“Come away Poppy before the silly lady knocks you over again,” snapped an angry man’s voice behind them causing them all to turn.
“Pardon?” asked Jon standing over and facing down the man who was probably the same age as him, but considerably shorter and wider.
“I was calling my daughter out of the way of the danger that is your erratic girlfriend or whatever she is,” he snarled glaring at Steph behind Jon while the little girl with blonde ringlets watched on.
“ She is my wife and she is neither silly nor erratic and she did not knock your little girl over. Oh, and if your little girl had been under better supervision my wife would not have been anywhere near her, so back off!” warned Jon.
“Do you know who I am?” he asked with arrogance seeping from every pore.
“Not a clue and I care even less!” snarled Jon. “Now assuming you’re too arrogant to apologise to my wife, I suggest you take your little girl and look after her properly this time.”
The man laughed, a dark and sinister laugh as he addressed Jon again. “I probably run the company that pays your overinflated salary.”
He was clearly sneering now as Jon responded. “Only in your wildest dreams could you pay my salary. Oh, and for the record I doubt you’re capable of running a fever never mind a company.”
An obviously pregnant woman vacated the room they were waiting outside of and immediately frowned at the man before reaching for the little girl.
“Ross, what are you doing?”
“Me? Why do you always assume I am in the wrong? This idiot was getting all shirty because his crazy wife knocked our daughter over,” the man said sneering between his wife and Jon.
“Just leave it Ross. Sorry,” said the woman looking across towards Jon and Steph beyond.
“Don’t apologise!” shouted the man as Jon took another step closer.
“Look, I am being far more restrained than you can imagine right now, but for the last time, my wife did not knock anyone over and if you refer to her or me as stupid, idiot, crazy, silly or erratic again I will be forced to take you for a walk outside where I will be the one knocking someone over and possibly out and that would be you,” warned Jon flatly as the other man seemed to realise that the threat may be genuine.
“Jon,” called Steph, speaking for the first time. “Leave it, please,” she implored before turning to the other woman, “I almost bumped into your little girl when she was running up and down, but I didn’t knock her over and I did apologise, sorry.”
“It’s fine, really. Poppy shouldn’t have been running around,” replied the woman before turning to the little girl and saying, “Say sorry to the lady Poppy.”
“Sorry,” the little girl said immediately with a big smile.
“It’s fine,” reassured Steph who was pulling on Jon’s arm. “Jon,” she called.
Watching the other woman taking the little girl’s hand, Steph smiled, imagining her baby in a few years. As the woman moved away and joined her husband who was clearly angry with the world, but mainly at his wife whom he was obviously berating, Steph felt sad. She was sad for the woman and for herself, the self she had been with Simon. When they’d been together she had become resigned to always being in the wrong and having to apologise and make amends even if she hadn’t realised it had happened until much later, until now really. He had been a bully who had systematically chipped away at her self-esteem and confidence until she never even bothered to question if she was in the wrong, she always assumed she must be.
When she put further thought into the things he did she shuddered. He had bullied her emotionally, physically and to some extent sexually, always relying on his physical strength and size to force her to submit to his will. Not any more though, now she was able to assert herself personally as well as professionally and knew that not only would it be supported it would be encouraged by Jon, her husband.
A smile began to curl her lips as Jon took the seat next to her for a split second, muttering, ‘what a dick’, before she heard her name.
“Stephanie Brooker,” called a voice from the doorway both petrifying and relieving her that it was time for her scan.
The short time between her name being called and her lying on the bed with the sonographer explaining exactly what she was going to do seemed a lifetime to Steph and she could feel all of her muscles and joints hurting due to how tense she was.
“Darling, that’s quite painful now,” said Jon breaking her thoughts as he gestured towards the vice like grip she had on his hand alerting the sonographer to the extent of her nervousness.
“Mrs Brooker this is your first baby, isn’t it?” She looked down at Steph’s notes.
“Yes,” Steph replied loosening her grip on Jon.
“The painful grip is usually reserved for labour.” She gave a warm and supportive smile before attempting to reassure Steph further about what she was about to do. “This is completely pain free, for you and your baby,” she told them both.
“I know that, sorry, I’m being silly. Can we just get on?” asked Steph.
“If you’re sure you’re ready?”
“We’re ready,” confirmed Jon as he gently held Steph’s hand and kissed the back of it tenderly.
Jumping as the cold gel hit her belly, then laughing at herself, Steph was temporarily distracted as the sonographer began moving the scanner across her belly. Jon, knowing she needed to relax began discussing the different types of scans available.
The lady scanning, who had now introduced herself as Madeline, took the cue Jon offered her and began to discuss all of the different scans available.
“There is a 3D scan that will show very clear and specific features on the screen in the form of an image that you can have photos of. Then there is the 4D scan that is more like a movie as you get the added dimension of movement on the screen which offers the option of a little home movie. The one we’re doing today which is mainly for medical purposes will date your pregnancy, look at your baby’s heart beating and make sure he or she is lying in the right place and that everything is as it should be, and . . .” she said before turning the screen towards them both as she continued, “And you get to meet your baby, so baby Brooker meet Mummy and Daddy, Mummy and Daddy say hello to . . .”
“Mini me!” cried Steph as she saw the image of patchy black, white and grey shapes that merged into the perfect image of a baby, her baby.
“Wow!” was Jon’s initial comment before he and Steph looked to each other and found that the other had tears brimming their eyes and huge grins on their faces.
“He’s real. We’re having a baby and he has a head and a nose and a mouth and a . . .” started Steph reciting all the features and body parts on screen as Jon interrupted.
“And a thumb in his mouth.”
“He’s perfect,” said Steph as she began to sob rather than just cry now as she became completely overwhelmed with all the emotions of impending motherhood and worries for her own health out in the open.
Jon immediately embraced Steph and held her firmly as her tears began to subside.
“Everything is okay though? With the baby and Steph?” Jon asked and was relieved when Madeline nodded enthusiastically, albeit with a little confusion as to why he seemed so concerned for his wife.
“Can we have photos?” Jon stared, fascinated by the image of their child on the screen before them.
“Of course.” Madeline nodded with a smile. “We’ll do another scan at around twenty weeks.”
“Jelly Bean!” Jon almost shouted startling Steph, ignoring all the details about scans.
“What?” asked Steph confused.
“Mini me has offered us his or her own alternative, he looks like a jelly bean,” explained Jon making Steph laugh.
“He looks like a little person, Jon,” she corrected.
“Yes, but the way he’s lying, all curved in the middle, he looks like a jelly bean.”
“Yes he does,” she agreed and then turning to Madeline who was cleaning the excess gel from Steph’s belly asked, “Can you see whether it’s a boy or a girl?”
“Not yet, but at the next scan we may be able to.”
“Then we will wait a while longer,” said Jon accepting the photos that Madeline was offering as Steph got up and finished cleaning herself up.
Taking the lift to their floor at Brookers, Steph leaned against Jon and felt grateful for the protective arm that was wrapped around her. Grant joined them in the lift and smiled as he chatted with the woman who was already in the lift but as their conversation quieted Jon called for his attention.
“Grant.”
The other man spun to face them.
“Are you free later, if not later today, tomorrow?”
“Er, I’m not sure, I have got some things scheduled,” replied Grant.
“Will you call Andrea when you get a minute and arrange a meeting with me, just an idea I have,” Jon said mysteriously making Steph immediately suspicious.
“I’ll be back in H.R. in about an hour, so will do it then,” he said as he reached the floor he wanted and as he exited with the woman he’d been chatting to he called back to them, “Oh and congratulations on the baby.”
“Thanks,” they replied in stereo as the lift doors closed leaving them alone.
“What are you up to?” asked Steph bluntly turning to face Jon.
“Oh, darling, you really are very suspicious you know.” He grinned.
“Because you’re a sneaky sod,” she replied, making him laugh as he pulled her against him.
“And you love me.”
“Yes I do, but I’m hoping to get over it eventually.”
“Not a chance, Stephanie, it is you, me and Jelly Bean forever.”
“You know we can’t actually call him Jelly Bean.” Steph leaned into Jon affectionately as she softened against him wondering if she could talk him into an early finish and an afternoon in bed, being held as she slept.
“We could if we wanted,” Jon countered.
“What?” she asked confused suddenly.
“We could call our baby Jelly Bean,” he clarified.
“Really? Jelly Bean Brooker?” laughed Steph as they exited the lift.
“Yeah, especially if we want our baby to have the shit kicked out of him every day at school,” said Jon seriously.
“I thought we weren’t swearing in front of him. Maybe Jelly Bean is just for Mummy and Daddy at home then.”
“Yup and sorry Jelly Bean,” said Jon reaching out and patting Steph’s belly. “Now I have got to go but feel free to pop in this afternoon, you and Jelly Bean.” Jon wore a smile of wonderment and awe before dipping down to kiss Steph gently on the cheek while rubbing his hand across her belly.
“I could hardly pop in without him, could I?” Steph pointed out.
“I will see you both later then,” he said as he headed through to his own office.
Steph stopped to chat with Rosie and share her baby photos before accepting the Richards file that she took into her office and buried herself in until the end of the day with just a short break for lunch that consisted of a trip out for a wander around the nearby shops and a bagel.
Entering Andrea’s office just before five o’clock, Steph found Grant and a couple of other people she didn’t recognise leaving Jon’s office.
“Mrs Brooker.” Grant smiled as he passed her, followed by the other two, a large man of around forty, tall and broad with a beer belly to match and a woman early to mid-thirties who looked quite matronly.
“Hi, darling, I thought you’d gone home without me.” Jon stretched across to kiss her on the cheek as the others left. “Andrea you may as well get off and I will see you in the morning.”
Following him through to his office Steph reached into her bag and pulled out a gift wrapped parcel.
“I thought as you’d got the bug for photos in your office another one may be appreciated,” smiled Steph offering the gift to Jon.
“I don’t think having our first photo together from Charlie’s wedding and one of us at our own wedding equates to a bug,” he muttered as he accepted the gift offered and tore the wrapping from it before grinning and possibly melting a little. “Steph this is brilliant,” he exclaimed turning the silver frame containing the image from her scan showing their baby in perfect silhouette sucking his thumb while the frame’s engraving announced, ‘Baby’s 1 st Photo’.
“You like?” she asked knowing he did.
“I love it. I love you, Mrs Brooker, now what did you have for lunch?” He the photo of Jelly Bean down on his desk at an angle opposite their wedding photo showing Jon in white linen trousers and a matching shirt while Steph wore a white crocheted dress standing on the beach, both of them happy and tanned and far cooler than they had been in the more formal wear they’d worn for the half an hour of the actual wedding service.
“A bagel,” replied Steph as she adjusted the photo from Charlie and Lindsay’s wedding on the other corner of Jon’s desk.
“A bagel is not lunch, Stephanie.” He frowned his disapproval before taking her hand to lead her out.
“A bagel was lunch today, Jonathan,” she replied amusing herself.
“Darling, if I have to, I will lunch with you every day to ensure you consume more than a bagel, and for your information a bagel would not have been a sufficient lunch to nourish just you, so it definitely isn’t adequate nourishment for you and Jelly Bean.”
“Sorry, but I am still struggling to eat large quantities and keep it down,” she explained. “I will try to eat more. If you like we could grab something on the way home and then maybe an early night.”
“Have you missed your hormonal visit today darling?” asked Jon as they entered the lift.
“No, well yes, but I was thinking of sleep, for a while anyway. I like sleeping while you hold me,” Steph whispered suddenly aware of the other couple of people in the lift.
“Then you have yourself a date, Mrs Brooker, me, you and Jelly Bean.”