Good Start

Chapter 4

Christine wasn't sure what she had imagined for her wedding, but it was very procedural, going to the courthouse. It was over and done with in less than fifteen minutes and then Mike insisted on taking Laurie, Pete and Mackenzie out for lunch. It annoyed her because the morning sickness had hit her full force.

The rest of the afternoon; he helped her move into his apartment. She wondered about their sleeping arrangements. That twelve hours had been a lot of fun, but she already felt gross and just wasn't in the mood. Finally, as he cooked dinner; she spoke up.

"Mike…so, sleeping arrangements for tonight? If you had something in mind, I feel terrible and am not in the mood." Christine said.

"We can sleep in the same bed and not have sex…or I can sleep on the couch. Is there anything I can do?" Mike asked.

"No." Christine answered.

"Well, this is chicken and wild rice soup. It might help a bit." Mike said.

"It does smell good." Christine admitted.

"Christine…its important to me that you know that I am not going to force you to do something you don't want to. That night…we were both consenting adults and as much as I would like to see it happen again, I am not a man that would force his wife to have sex when she didn't want to. I don't know what your story is. In time I will, I'm sure, but for now; you are calling the shots. I can sleep on the couch or I can sleep in the bed with you." Mike said. It surprised Christine and shockingly, it made her respect Mike a bit.

"There's no point in you being exhausted. As long as nothing happens, you can sleep in the bed." Christine said.

"Good. Now; have you let your parents know?" Mike asked.

"Not yet. It won't be a good thing when I do. Fortunately, they are traveling in Europe at the moment." Christine answered.

"My parents don't know yet but they won't treat you badly. They will just be disappointed in me that you're pregnant. And they will love the baby." Mike said.

"That is all I ask." Christine said. Mike ladled her out a bowl of the soup and handed it to her. In a moment, he sat next to her with his own bowl of soup. The soup surprised Christine. Tasty, aromatic and it didn't upset her stomach. "You can make this anytime." Christine said.

"I enjoy cooking and this is my grandmother's recipe." Mike said.

"I like to cook too, but it was too hard with sharing a kitchen with my room-mate. She was vegan and didn't like meat prepared in the same area as her food. It kind of become a bone of contention." Christine admitted.

"I see." Mike said with a charming smile. That smile would be her undoing.

"Can I get a second bowl?" Christine asked.

"You don't need to ask me for seconds on anything you eat." Mike answered. Christine smiled, stood up and filled her bowl back up. She settled next to Mike again and began eating the soup.

"You work tomorrow, right?" Mike asked.

"At three. I do want to work as long as possible." Christine remarked.

"I figured. Once the baby is born, it might be a bit hard with babysitting, but I am sure we can figure something out. You worked hard for your education. You should at least be able to enjoy it for a few years." Mike said. Christine nodded, but she had to admit, she was a bit disappointed. She had always wanted to be a stay-at-home-mom. Be like Laurie. Of course, Laurie also enjoyed being home when Pete was home and had always wanted to be a good wife. It had never occurred to Christine that she might have a baby with someone she didn't particularly like. But, Mike had some endearing qualities. He was handsome, kind, had been very clear about his expectations and desires, was good in bed and already seemed like he cared about her. Not at all like her father.