This is the second part in a series, so if you have not already read Part I, you might want to do so before continuing.
“Oh, Brad, you shouldn’t have.”
“What? Can’t a man buy something nice for his wife?”
Kiera gently lifted the delicate silver chain out of the jewelry box and admired the diamond pendant that hung from it. “How did you guess?”
“I have eyes. I can see when my wife wants something.”
“Oh, I was just admiring it really.”
“Well, now you can admire it whenever you want.” He took it from her and got up so he could put it around her neck for her. She held her hair up for him as he fastened the clasp at the nape of her neck, then he got back in front of her and stepped back so he could admire it. “Perfect,” he said.
“Thank you,” Kiera said, kissing him.
They finished their meal and their last few precious moments to be alone together before Brad paid the bill and they headed for home.
Once home, it was back to work as usual. Each of the kids had somehow managed to have a crisis in the few hours they had been away. Robbie needed help with his homework, Sally was having a meltdown over something or other, and Kiera still needed to wash and iron Brad’s good suit so he could wear it to his important meeting tomorrow.
As much as Kiera loved her husband and loved spending time with him, she couldn’t help feeling that it just set her back in the long list of things she needed to do. He would help settle the children, but then he would go off to bed while she finished the chores.
No time to think about that now. Motherhood waits for nothing, so she tended to her children.
As she was ironing Brad’s suit, she realized she felt exhausted and restless at the same time. She laughed at her own contrariness. How was that even possible?
She reached up with one hand to finger the new pendant at her collar and reminded herself how lucky she was. Brad was a good provider and he loved her and their children dearly. All he asked for in return was that she take care of the housework. Was that so much to ask?
Consciously, Kiera told herself that it wasn’t. But somewhere deep inside, a tiny voice told her that it was. That he was getting far more out of the bargain than she was. He got the clean house and clothes, the hot, home-cooked meals, and the freedom to go out and make his way in the world, while her path was chained to his. He might gripe about his job from time to time, but she knew he loved it. He loved the thrill of the chase and the exhilaration of landing a new client. He got along well with his coworkers, mostly because they all worshiped his ability to sell ice to an Eskimo.
Meanwhile, Kiera’s only coworkers were Sally and Robbie, and while she loved them dearly, their conversations weren’t exactly stimulating. More like stifling.
But that was a terrible thought to have. Kiera loved her children and would never trade them for anything in the world.
And she loved her husband. She knew that.
Most days she knew that.