Romantic love story

Chapter Forty-seven: Always Have Hope

The mirror was too short. Madison backed away, turned sideways and touched the blouse covering her belly. Though everyone knew she and Terry were having a baby by now, at seventeen weeks, people could still miss the signs unless they looked closely. If she wasn't careful, they could get her to worrying that the baby wasn't growing like it should. Izzy had warned her not to listen to them. The doctor had said the baby was doing well, and Madison had heard the heartbeats. She was tall and slender, and she simply wasn't showing very much this early in the pregnancy.

She was still growing though, and while it was good for the baby, it wasn't so great for Madison. The stress of the added weight hadn't been helping the osteoarthritis in her hip, making it more important than ever for her to keep up with her exercises. Little by little, the muscles around her hip were being strengthened. It helped that Izzy had started taking regular walks with Madison around the neighborhood, and when the snow prevented them from going out, they walked laps around the house. Thankfully, Dr. Nelson had cleared Madison to keep using acetaminophen for the pain, and so far, Madison had been able to manage her flare-ups.

So far, this hadn't been more than she could bear.

Madison turned in front of the mirror, straightened her hair, and hoped the gas in her belly wouldn't embarrass her tonight. Even though Terry had yet to redeem the coupon for his spaghetti dinner, she had done it for him. Before she got any bigger and she didn't feel like a romantic dinner for two. It had meant getting the rest of the family fed a little earlier than usual, but Izzy had helped. Izzy had fixed their meal and cleaned the kitchen, so everything had been ready for Madison. All Madison had to do was fix their own dinner, and get ready, herself.

The house smelled of the garlic bread that had just been taken out of the oven, and it made Madison hungry no matter where she went. She added lipstick, then went into the bedroom to slip on a bracelet for a touch of jewelry.

As Madison moved into the hall, she could hear Izzy reading to the girls in the master bedroom, the laughter of little ones enjoying time with their momma. Passing by the office, Madison paused to see Terry and John working at their laptops. Not wanting Terry to see her and get the wrong idea that his dinner was ready, Madison hurried to the kitchen.

She checked the spaghetti sauce, then went to set the table.

She wanted dinner to be perfect.

* * * *

The smell of dinner kept reminding Terry he hadn't eaten yet, and he fought to push it out of his mind, and keep working. Not easy to do when he could smell the garlic butter from here. The small red box sitting inside his desk drawer was tempting his empty stomach, but that box was for someone else, not him.

"You should've taken her to a restaurant." John looked over his laptop. "That's what I'm planning with Izumi."

"I tried," Terry shrugged. "Maddie wanted to stay home."

"That works, too," John grinned. "I'd say you're ready."

"You think so?" Terry looked over the bouquet hiding beside his desk. "I've never given anyone Valentine's Day flowers before, or at least no one who was my sweetheart."

"Nothing says it like red roses."

"But you think I should have taken her out?"

"Not if she wanted to stay in." John leaned back in his chair like the longtime married guy he was. "Forget it. You're doing fine."

"I just feel so guilty." Terry swiveled toward the door. "She's in the kitchen, fixing our Valentine's meal, carrying our child, doing all the hard stuff, while all I do is sit here and wait."