“No, I have to get it. I’m expecting a call.” She walked away from him and grabbed her phone off the counter. “Can you watch that rice for me please?”

She answered her phone, “Hey Sydney.” She headed out to the front room and toward the front door already feeling her throat tighten.

“Lynni how are you?”

She’d barely walked out the door when she managed to whisper. “Not good.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Sofia is pregnant. I just found out today.”

Sydney was quiet. That’s all she’d had to say and she knew he got it. She’d called him the day after Valerie and Isabel’s announcements too and just like then he reminded her that she and Angel hadn’t even gone to a fertility expert yet. “For all you know it might be a quick fix.”

She had only brought up the possibility of seeking medical help five months after they’d lost the baby and they still weren’t pregnant. Angel didn’t think it necessary but said he would if she really wanted to. She said she’d give it some more time but hadn’t brought it up since. It was almost as if they did it was their first step toward the real possibility of finding out they may never be able to have children. She couldn’t even bear the thought.

As she talked to Sydney she walked all the way around their property. It reminded her of how excited they’d been when they purchased it. They’d lived in a duplex for the first year and a half of their marriage. They were too excited about getting the restaurant up and running to think about buying a house. It was only when they decided they were ready to start a family that they went to Valerie to help them find a home. They fell in love with it the moment they saw it.

The excitement of owning their own home began to fade after the first several months of trying to conceive with no success. Even now neither wanted to admit they were worried. It was as if they said it out loud made it more real.

She was in the back patio now and had been on the phone with Syd for almost a half hour when Angel slid the back door open and stuck his head out. “You almost done? This rice has been ready for a while now. What were you gonna do with it?”

Sarah knew that tone. He wasn’t happy about her being on the phone with Syd this long. It had been a while that she’d even been on the phone with Syd while Angel was home and it’d never been this long. She tended to cut the calls short when Angel was around but today she just needed to let it out.

Turning her face away from him quickly to hide a tear that escaped she said, “Yeah, I was wrapping it up.”

“Hey,”

She blinked her eyes in hopes of making the tears less noticeable before turning to face Angel again.

His eyebrows pinched and he slid the door wider and took a step outside. “You okay?”

She nodded and smiled. “I’ll be right in.”

Angel stared at her for bit too long before nodding and stepping back in the house.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Syd. Angel is home and waiting for me.”

“Okay and listen going to a doctor about this doesn’t mean you’re admitting anything. All it means is you’re getting a little help. Thousands of couples go through this. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“I’m not ashamed. I’m just scared.”

“Don’t be. You’re both surrounded by people that love you. You’ll have a ton of support and family to hold your hands through this, including me.”

She took a deep breath feeling emotional all over again. “I love you, Sydney.”

She hadn’t said that to him in years. Once they were both married it felt a little weird. They’d replaced it with I miss you. But at this moment it felt right. She’d needed the comfort he’d brought to her in just those few words.

“I love you too, Lynni.”

After hanging up she took a few deep breaths to try and wash the emotions away, before making her way back inside.

~*~

It’d been years since he had to even think about Sarah and Syd. And even longer since he’d worried about it. She was his wife now. He owned her body and soul just like she owned him. She assured him of this, and it went both ways. So why the f**k was he getting so worked up? To walk into his kitchen and feel that vibe. A vibe he didn’t like from Sarah and then have her pull away from him because she had to take this call—a call from Syd. Really?

As if that weren’t bad enough she walked out of the house. She’d never done that. Not that she talked to Sydney often these days but if she happened to she did so openly and freely without any reservation about Angel hearing her conversation.

The sliding door opened and Angel leaned against the counter in the kitchen waiting for her to come around the corner. She did but avoided his eyes placing her phone on the counter nearest to her. “What’s going on with Syd?”

She shrugged. “He’s getting divorced.”

That only intensified what he was feeling. “Is that right? For sure? Or is he just thinking about it.”

“No. It’s a sure thing. He’s not even staying with her anymore and he got served with the papers a few days ago.”

Sarah walked up to the stove removing the lid from the pot of rice. Angel reached out for her hand and pulled her to him. “Let’s try this again. What’s wrong?”

She shook her head and said nothing staring at his chest. He lifted her chin and saw her tear filled eyes. Immediately his worries about Syd were gone, replaced by overwhelming concern. “What is it?”