Chapter 34

The sound of the twins being the twins at the top of their lungs woke Paul, who was still laying on top of the blankets fully dressed. He splashed some water on his face and found his way to the kitchen. In the breakfast nook, he found Andi bright eyed and chipper. She was brushing out Madeline’s golden hair one handed because the twins and Lucy were dominating her left hand inspecting her engagement ring from all angles. So fascinated were they that they didn’t notice papa as he headed down to the gym.

He grabbed some shorts out of the laundry and hit the treadmill, replaying what she said last night over and over, his anger and disgust building, and his plan for what was going to happen with Frank coming to fruition. The anger that he felt for that man kept swelling up in his chest, but what good would it do Andi if he let his anger take over? It was time for planning. The sound of women gushing over a new engagement ring brought him back to reality and let him know Macy was here.

Andi found him on the treadmill, wearing only a pair of shorts and his running shoes. “Bye honey!” she called. “Headed for the conference.”

Paul paused his workout and stepped down. “Have a good day baby,” kissing her, he held her tight. He was sweaty from his morning jog and that was fine with Andi. Her man was the best perfume she could wear. “You’re so chipper this morning, did a few demons get purged last night?”

“No, they’re still there, and they probably will be for a long time, but a good cry helps a lot.”

Just the fact that a woman can cry away horrors like Frank was a mystery to Paul. “That was a great cry. Should we bring that up with John and Macy?” Andi and Paul were meeting with John and Macy for pre-wedding counseling again this night, a requirement for being married in Springville Congregational Church.

“I suppose,” she sighed and rested her head against Paul’s chest, running her fingers through his salt and pepper chest hair. She was thinking of slipping her hand lower under the waistband of his shorts and to hell with the conference when she heard something. A gurgling? What was that? Then it was gone. A gurgling heart can be normal, but it can designate a valve disorder or a heart murmur or suggest heart failure. “Are you ok daddy?”

“I’m fine baby.”

“No, I heard...”

“This is what happens when you buy something twenty years older than you. We creak, we groan, some things rust over.”

She has heard these kinds of things from people who were denying serious conditions, but he is not her patient and she doesn’t have a stethoscope handy. His only medical relationship with her was a sperm donor, which got her back to thinking of slipping her hand under his waistband...

“The pastor’s wife is right over our head and she’s going to take our babies chicken feeding and egg gathering and you’re running late dear.” After a kiss, Andi was on the road headed for the conference and once he had finished up with his shower, he headed upstairs to brief Macy on the planned events of the day. It was time to talk with Frank.

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