Daphne kissed her son, unable to resist touching his soft cherubic cheek. She wasn't quite sure that she believed Niles' story of how their infant son had picked flowers for her at the park or that he had been the one to choose which flowers his father purchased for her at the florist. But she loved them just the same. And she loved Niles more than anyone would ever know.
It was so thoughtful of him to take David to the park in order to let her calm down. She hadn't meant to get so angry at Martin, but when he repeatedly refused to do his exercises, making excuse after excuse, she simply couldn't take it any longer.
Like a child throwing a tantrum, she nosily folded her exercise table and shoved it into the large bag. And then, despite Ronne's protests, she stormed out of the house, determined never to come back. But not before she got in a few choice words that she rarely used.
Since David had been born she'd made a concerted effort to watch what she said, for even though he was still an infant, she knew he was learning things every day. But at that moment she was just so angry that the words came pouring out.
She could tell by the looks of her father and mother-in law that she'd wounded Martin deeply, but he deserved it. The old man had a bullet lodged in his hip and he certainly wasn't getting any younger. His eldest son had hired her to do a job years ago, and even though she was now a member of the family and money was no longer an issue, she continued to work with him every day. In time, she knew that his he would finally be strong enough to walk without his cane. And when that day finally came, she was sure that there would be a celebration, no matter how silly it seemed.
But when she'd driven home that afternoon, angry and hurt, she was positive that she'd broken every traffic law in Washington State. Once she'd arrived home, her mood hadn't gotten any better, and she was grateful that Niles had sensed that she needed to be alone.
While they were gone, she'd padded upstairs and changed clothes and then back downstairs to the kitchen. Within minutes she'd baked some scones and brewed a pot of hot tea. She knew that it was wrong to eat when she was in such an emotional state. That's what her therapist Gloria had told her.
Gloria had been an invaluable inspiration to her back then, when Daphne had experienced a drastic weight gain. Daphne had learned so many things from Gloria and she cherished every lesson.
Niles had been jealous at first, resulting in their first real fight as a couple, one that ultimately led to their first romantic union. Amazingly she found herself blushing at the thought. What was wrong with her? They had a son now and…
She pushed the thought away, briefly of course. There would be plenty of time later to recreate it, without the painful fight. But there must be something else she could do. She fought with Martin often. In fact, she'd been fighting with him periodically since the day they met.
When it came to his therapy (plus a million other things) the man was completely infuriating at times… and she loved him so much.