It was good to have things back to normal again. His deep voice was so much better than television. Jonathan nudged Carmen's arm with his elbow and snickered softly. Destiny's eyelids kept drooping and then she would open her eyes wide as if afraid she might miss something good.
When Destiny finally fell asleep, Alex carried her to her room. Jonathan picked up his clothes and said goodnight before retiring to his room. A few minutes later the soft refrain of a violin drifted into the kitchen. Carmen listened while loading the supper dishes in the dishwasher. He was getting so good.
Alex came back into the living room and glanced at her before striding to his chair. Within seconds he was absorbed in the evening paper. He'd tell her what was on his mind eventually - when he was ready.
She sighed. Katie wouldn't approve of that attitude. Katie accused her of allowing Alex to make decisions because she had no confidence in herself - and that Alex was taking advantage of her because he had a controlling personality. Alex did like to be in control, there was no denying that, but he certainly didn't dominate her. They discussed things. He simply had the final say - most of the time. Alex was better educated and had more business experience. That was fact, not lack of confidence speaking. If she felt more comfortable with him at the helm, he could hardly be accused of controlling her. Still, maybe Alex was tired of the responsibility. More important, she wasn't going to gain experience by leaving it all to him.
Under Katie's tutelage, she was gaining confidence. Still, Alex was her knight in shining armor. Sure, he had faults - like being secretive. Mums always said that you had to learn to look over their faults - forgive them as you would want them to forgive yours. Still, in most ways Alex was the perfect husband. He was sweet and thoughtful, protective and an ardent lover. Yet from the beginning, too many important facts had been shrouded in secrecy. First it had been his inability to have children; then money; and finally, a family. What next? As Katie had pointed out, if she had shown a healthy interest, she would have detected something. Maybe so, but she didn't want to be a nosy suspicious wife. If you trusted a man, you allowed him some privacy. As it turned out, nothing he had kept secret was actually detrimental to their relationship. She had protested the morality of AI until she lost her uterus, finally giving in to surrogacy a few years ago. Children had been a possibility after all. The wealth he had never concealed. In fact, he had repeatedly encouraged her to browse his financial records. She had refused because money had no part in her attraction to him - or maybe because she was afraid he would think that was why she married him. Those things he didn't hide, but he did hide his family. Alex was the reluctant heir to an enormous amount of land and money. Sometimes it was difficult to accept that he actually preferred this lifestyle. It had occurred to her that he was avoiding responsibility. Yet Alex was the most responsible person she had ever met. Still, people did change. He might decide to accept that inheritance. Where would that leave her? Of course, she was his wife and she would follow him to the end of the Earth - but what about him? Would he grow tired of her?