Maternity Leave

Part II

An R.L. Mathewson Chronicle

“That’s not going to work on me,” Devin said, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood there, wondering why they were having this conversation again.

“Yes, it will,” Charlie murmured absently as she continued nibbling on the jelly donut that the man that he’d been counting on to talk some sense into her gave her, thinking that it would be enough to get her to listen to him.

Amateur.

“You really think so?” Devin asked, dropping his hand away with a sigh as he grabbed his desk chair and pulled it closer so that he could drop down on it as he considered his options.

“I really do,” Charlie said, nodding as she finished off the donut and reached for another one.

“Then we have a problem,” Devin said, watching as his adorable, and very pregnant, wife took her time selecting her next donut.

“I guess we do,” she said, holding his gaze as she held up the donut and took a bite.

“You’re going home,” he told her, hoping that it would be enough.

“I’m really not though,” Charlie said, shifting her attention back to the donut that he was tempted to steal just to piss her off, but…

He’d learned his lesson during her first trimester when he-

No, it was still too soon to think about that, Devin thought, telling himself that he would be able to forget about that night one day. He just…he just needed a little time, he told himself, forcing his thoughts away from the incident that was better left forgotten and focused back on his stubborn wife.

“You’re due in two weeks,” he reminded her.

Nodding, she said, “And that’s two more weeks that I can work before I need to focus on bringing our love child into the world,” making her best friend turn his head to hide a smile before she saw it, knowing that it would only encourage her.

“Would you stop calling him that?” Devin asked, leaning back in his chair as he absently drummed his fingertips on the armrest while he considered her.

Blinking innocently, Charlie said, “No?”

“There’s nothing that I can say that will get you to go home and rest, is there?” Devin asked, continuing to drum his fingertips against the armrest as he considered doing something, but…

She would never forgive him.

Then again, it didn’t look as though he was going to give her much of a choice, Devin thought as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and slowly scrolled down his lists of contacts while he waited for her to say something to put a stop to this before it was too late.

“There really isn’t,” Charlie said as he sat there, slowly nodding as he found the name that he’d been searching for only…

He wasn’t sure that he could do this to her.