Page 168 of Dirty Discipline, Vol. 1

“Hey, Baby Love.”

She snuggled into him. “Hey, Big Love.”

“What’s going on with you? You look ill. Are you fighting something?”

He felt her head. It was clammy, but not overly hot.

“No, I’m okay. I must not have slept great last night. Gideon is getting over an ear infection.”

“When did that start? I don’t recall you mentioning it.”

“Oh, sorry, I knew you were coming back, so it must have seemed unimportant.”

She shifted her weight, and he knew immediately there were other things she was not telling him.

“T… what’s going on, babe?”

“Nothing. I swear. I’m just tired. Let’s get the troops inside to baths, and then get them to bed. I really am tired and would like to make an early night of it.”

She pushed off of his lap before he could really respond, and he decided to let it go until the boys were in bed.

She corralled the kids upstairs to the bath, and David decided to wash up the dishes, but saw she had already done it. “My efficient, little wife.” He also noted that the dishwasher was empty and wondered why she had handwashed them.

A knock at the door interrupted his wonderings.

“Oh hi, Trish! How’s it going?”

Trisha Baxter was the wife of one of his best friends, Pete's, and also Tori’s midwife. Their children were grown, and they had been a godsend when the Fahertys had moved to base a few years back.

“I’m doing good! I wanted to bring over a casserole to take some of the load off of Tori’s back. That woman works too hard, David Faherty. You should make her sit down once in a while. I tried to get her to let me start a meal sign-up sheet for y’all, but she wouldn’t hear of it. I’m sure bedrest must be killing her.”

He blinked. “Bedrest?”

Trish gave him an odd look. “Well, partial, but yes… You know, so she doesn’t exasperate her condition.”

David pointed to the living room. “Why don’t you come in and sit down.”

Trish’s eyes widened, and she stood her ground on the porch. “David, as her midwife I really can’t tell you anything she hasn’t already divulged. I’m so sorry, I naturally assumed that she had told you everything. Since this is her second pregnancy in such a short amount of time it’s natural she might need a little TLC.”

“Pre… pregnancy?” David looked at Trish, unable to process her words. “And, ‘everything’? There’s more?”

Trish’s mouth dropped open and then clamped shut. “Oh phooey, I really have made a mess of things, haven’t I? Why don’t you talk with her tonight. If the two of you want to meet with Pete and I to talk through it all we’d be happy to. We’re free tomorrow evening. Cassie is home from school for the summer, and I’m sure she would love to watch the boys while we meet.”

He nodded absently, and took the casserole. “Well, thank you for stopping by. I’m pretty sure we would love to take you up on your offer. Tori or I will give y’all a call in the morning, okay?”

Trish nodded anxiously and rushed off to the car, appearing to be in a hurry to get out of there. David gave a smile. Pete was his best friend, but also mentor, and they were the only other couple the Fahertys knew in real life who practiced the LDD lifestyle. He knew Pete was often chiding his wife over her propensity towards getting involved in everyone else’s lives. If Pete asked him though, he’d explain that this time he didn’t think Trish was to blame. It had been a perfectly reasonable assumption to think he’d know his own wife was pregnant.

He went upstairs and helped Tori with the last of the boys’ baths, got them into jammies, read to them from the Narnia book they were on, and tucked them into their respective beds.

As Tori started walking downstairs, he pulled her to their bedroom. “Let’s chat, love.”

She gave him a weary, but sexy smile. “Well, if you insist.”

Once in their room, he shut the door and crossed his arms.

She looked wary. “Honey?”

“Trish brought a casserole by.”

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