âWe canât keep running from each otherâ¦â
Cal threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of Ashleyâs neck and tilted her face to his. âWe have to figure out a way to make this marriage of ours work.â
Fear mixed with her desire. âAnd what if it doesnât?â The whispered words were out before Ashley could stop them.
Calâs expression hardened. He took his hand away from her hair. âWeâll never know until we try.â
True.
âAll right.â Ashley moved away from him. She twisted the glossy length of her hair into an austere knot and caught it in a butterfly clip.
âBut if we do this and we do it on your timetable, then we do it on my terms.â
Cal lifted a brow. âWhich are?â
âIf I come back to North Carolina with you, then we canât make love.â
Cal tried his best to keep his jaw from dropping.
Dear Reader,
Iâm one of the lucky ones. The love of my life is also my very best friend. Marrying him was the easiest decision I ever made. Learning how to be married was a little tougher. (i.e., Should the toothpaste cap be left on or off? Is taking out the garbage a gender-oriented chore or an equal-opportunity event? Just how much information is too much? Or too little?) And though in the early days of our marriage our life together sometimes resembled a Hepburn-Tracy comedy, we eventually achieved a very nice balance and a healthy respect for each otherâs wants and needs.
This is not, however, yet the case for Cal and Ashley Hart. College sweethearts, pursuing dual careers in medicine, they both expected everything to be just perfect when they finally tied the knot. It wasnât. And neither could figure out why.
The problem? A failure to communicate.
And now Cal and Ashley are on the precipice. Do they cut their losses and prevent further hurt? Or roll up their sleeves, renew their commitment and get to work on the challenging task of making their marriage work in a very fundamental and satisfying way?
I hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed creating it. For more information on this and other books, visit my Web site at www.cathygillenthacker.com.
Best wishes,
Cathy Gillen Thacker
âHow long is this situation between you and Ashley going to go on?â Mac Hart asked.
Cal tensed. Heâd thought he had been invited over to his brother Macâs house to watch playoff football with the rest of the men in the family. Now, suddenly, it was looking more like an intervention. He leaned forward to help himself to some of the nachos on the coffee table in front of the sofa. âI donât know what you mean.â
âThen let us spell it out for you,â Calâs brother-in-law, Thad Lantz, said with his usual coach-like efficiency.
Joe continued, âShe missed Janeyâs wedding to Thad in August, as well as Fletcherâs marriage to Lily in October, and Dylan and Hannahâs wedding in November.â
Cal bristled. They all knew Ashley was busy completing her Ob/Gyn fellowship in Honolulu. âShe wanted to be here, but since the flight from Honolulu to Raleigh is at minimum twelve hours, itâs too far to go for a weekend trip. Not that she has many full weekends off in any case.â Nor did he. Hence, their habit of rendezvousing in San Francisco, since it was a six- or seven-hour flight for each of them.
More skeptical looks. âShe didnât make it back to Carolina for Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Yearâs this year, either,â Dylan observed.
Cal shrugged and centered his attention on the TV, where a lot of pre-game nonsense was currently going on. âShe had to work all three holidays.â He wished the game would hurry up and start. The sooner it did, the sooner this conversation would be over.
âHad to or volunteered to?â Fletcher muttered with a questioning lift of his dark brow.
Uneasiness settled around Cal. Heâd had many of the same questions himself. Still, Ashley was his wife, and he felt honor-bound to defend her. âI saw her in November in San Francisco. We celebrated all our holidays then.â In one passion-filled weekend that had oddly enough left him feeling lonelier and more uncertain of their union than ever.
Concerned looks were exchanged all the way around. Cal knew the guys in the family all felt sorry for him, which just made the situation worse.
Dylan dipped a tortilla chip into the chili-cheese sauce. âSo when is Ashley coming home?â he asked curiously.
That was just itâCal didnât know. Ashley didnât want to talk about it. âSoon,â he fibbed.
Thad paused, his expression thoughtful. âI thought her fellowship was up in December.â
Cal sipped his beer, the mellow golden brew settling like acid in his gut. âShe took her oral exam then and turned in her thesis.â