Read Online Her Old-Fashioned Husband by Laylah Roberts - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Laylah Roberts
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dinner, turning off your phone, something I have forbidden you to do.”
Frankie winced, wanting to argue his use of the word forbidden, but knew that was the least of her worries right now.
“And then you went to a nightclub, dressed like a slut, where you got so drunk you didn’t even know where you were, am I right so far?” he asked.
Frankie nodded, opening her mouth to explain, but he held up a hand, stilling her. “Don’t talk, Frankie. Not yet. Just nod or shake your head when I ask a question.”
She nodded again .
“And then, as you were trying to figure out who to call to give you a ride home, a stranger approaches you. Instead of retreating into the club and calling one of your brothers, you instead decide to get a ride with him. A man you don’t know. A man who could have done anything to you and I would have had no idea since you told no one where you were going. Tell me, Frankie, what the hell were you thinking?”
“I guess I wasn’t,” she said in a small voice. Yeah, she could hear how bad it sounded. “But nothing like that happened. He wasn’t a crazy killer or anything.”
“But you didn’t know that!” he nearly yelled, shocking her. Tom never raised his voice. Well, unless he was watching football, of course.
“You were completely vulnerable. I just-I don’t know what to do about this, Frankie. I don’t know how to instill in you a sense of self-preservation. I need to make sure this never happens again, but I...” he trailed off, just shaking his head.
Frankie let out a sob, getting out of bed to kneel at his feet. Ignoring her queasy stomach and throbbing headache, she leaned her forehead in his lap.
“Please, Tom, please.”
She hated having him so disappointed in her. Hated that she’d caused this rift between them.
“Please, what?” he asked, looking down at her tiredly.
“Please punish me,” she begged. “I want to make this right.”
“I don’t know if you can.”
She shook, sobbing. No, please God, no. She couldn’t bear it if he gave up on her. “You’re leaving me?” she managed to ask.
“Christ.” He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her onto his lap. “Of course I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m so much trouble. I’m stupid, I put myself at risk, I worry you. You need a wife, not a rebellious teenager. Hell, even if I got pregnant, I doubt I’d make a good mother. No one woul d blame you if you left me. Y ou’d be better off without me.”
Tom tucked her head against his chest, his large hand splaying over the side of her face as he rocked her gently.
“Hey, I do not want to hear such nonsense out of your mouth ,” he said firmly . “ You are not stupid. And I happen to think you’d mak e a fantastic mother . You’re kind, funny, smart. Baby, we’ve got plenty of time to have children, don’t we? We don’t have to rush things. I thin k we should take a break , I don’t like what it does to you each month, you’re spiraling into depression and I won’t have it. I’m your husband. I’m supposed to protect you from things that hurt you. And each month I see you in such pain I want to punch something. I just can’t stand it.”
“I’m sorry,” she cried. She’d been so filled with her own misery; she hadn’t been able to see past it to see his much pain .
“What do you say we take a year off from trying to get pregnant? Just a year to let us be by ourselves. I’d quite like to have you to myself without this pressure.”
“What if there is something wrong with me, though?” she asked, terrified that would be the case.
Tom kissed the top of her forehead. “We’ll get tested , put our minds at ease. Do you agree to wait, though?”
Frankie thought long and hard. She was tired and sad. She’d been so obsessed with her need to have a baby that she hadn’t seen the effect it was having on her, her husband, her marriage. And truthfully, some time to themselves to just be together sounded ideal.
She nodded.
Frankie winced, wanting to argue his use of the word forbidden, but knew that was the least of her worries right now.
“And then you went to a nightclub, dressed like a slut, where you got so drunk you didn’t even know where you were, am I right so far?” he asked.
Frankie nodded, opening her mouth to explain, but he held up a hand, stilling her. “Don’t talk, Frankie. Not yet. Just nod or shake your head when I ask a question.”
She nodded again .
“And then, as you were trying to figure out who to call to give you a ride home, a stranger approaches you. Instead of retreating into the club and calling one of your brothers, you instead decide to get a ride with him. A man you don’t know. A man who could have done anything to you and I would have had no idea since you told no one where you were going. Tell me, Frankie, what the hell were you thinking?”
“I guess I wasn’t,” she said in a small voice. Yeah, she could hear how bad it sounded. “But nothing like that happened. He wasn’t a crazy killer or anything.”
“But you didn’t know that!” he nearly yelled, shocking her. Tom never raised his voice. Well, unless he was watching football, of course.
“You were completely vulnerable. I just-I don’t know what to do about this, Frankie. I don’t know how to instill in you a sense of self-preservation. I need to make sure this never happens again, but I...” he trailed off, just shaking his head.
Frankie let out a sob, getting out of bed to kneel at his feet. Ignoring her queasy stomach and throbbing headache, she leaned her forehead in his lap.
“Please, Tom, please.”
She hated having him so disappointed in her. Hated that she’d caused this rift between them.
“Please, what?” he asked, looking down at her tiredly.
“Please punish me,” she begged. “I want to make this right.”
“I don’t know if you can.”
She shook, sobbing. No, please God, no. She couldn’t bear it if he gave up on her. “You’re leaving me?” she managed to ask.
“Christ.” He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her onto his lap. “Of course I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m so much trouble. I’m stupid, I put myself at risk, I worry you. You need a wife, not a rebellious teenager. Hell, even if I got pregnant, I doubt I’d make a good mother. No one woul d blame you if you left me. Y ou’d be better off without me.”
Tom tucked her head against his chest, his large hand splaying over the side of her face as he rocked her gently.
“Hey, I do not want to hear such nonsense out of your mouth ,” he said firmly . “ You are not stupid. And I happen to think you’d mak e a fantastic mother . You’re kind, funny, smart. Baby, we’ve got plenty of time to have children, don’t we? We don’t have to rush things. I thin k we should take a break , I don’t like what it does to you each month, you’re spiraling into depression and I won’t have it. I’m your husband. I’m supposed to protect you from things that hurt you. And each month I see you in such pain I want to punch something. I just can’t stand it.”
“I’m sorry,” she cried. She’d been so filled with her own misery; she hadn’t been able to see past it to see his much pain .
“What do you say we take a year off from trying to get pregnant? Just a year to let us be by ourselves. I’d quite like to have you to myself without this pressure.”
“What if there is something wrong with me, though?” she asked, terrified that would be the case.
Tom kissed the top of her forehead. “We’ll get tested , put our minds at ease. Do you agree to wait, though?”
Frankie thought long and hard. She was tired and sad. She’d been so obsessed with her need to have a baby that she hadn’t seen the effect it was having on her, her husband, her marriage. And truthfully, some time to themselves to just be together sounded ideal.
She nodded.
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