Hannah was convinced the entire chapel heard him roar and would immediately guess the gist of their conversation. Her face filled with boiling color. "Couldn't we just… well, let it happen naturally?"
His face had tightened into a brooding frown. He wasn't pleased and didn't bother to pretend otherwise. "I suppose."
"Of course, we'll be sleeping in separate bedrooms until such time that we're both comfortable with that aspect of… our marriage."
"Right," he returned caustically before turning away from her. "Separate bedrooms."
Separate bedrooms! The words repeated themselves in Riley's mind throughout the brief wedding ceremony Hannah's father officiated. The fact that he didn't give Riley the chance to kiss the bride wasn't lost on him. What he hadn't figured out was why the old man had demanded Riley marry his daughter in the first place. His father-in-law was as straitlaced as they come. It remained a mystery why George Raymond had insisted Riley marry Hannah. Hell, if it came down to it, Riley wasn't entirely sure what had prompted him to go through with the wedding himself. What his CO claimed had carried some weight, that was true enough, but Riley knew himself well. No one could have forced him into marrying Hannah if he'd been completely opposed to the idea. Which obviously meant, he reasoned, he wanted her as his wife.
Glancing at her now, sitting by his side as they drove to his apartment in nearby Port Orchard, gave him further cause to wonder. She hadn't said more than a handful of words since the ceremony. He hadn't a clue what she was thinking, but he figured she was looking for some way to get out of this.
"It was very nice of Chaplain Stewart and Lieutenant Commander Kyle to arrange housing on the base for us, wasn't it?" she asked softly.
"Very nice," he repeated. He wondered how many strings his CO had had to pull to come up with that. The news had come as a surprise to Riley, who'd lived in a small apartment complex for the past two years.
"When will we be moving?"
"Soon."
"How soon?"
Hell, first he couldn't get her to talk, now he couldn't shut her up. "Next weekend."
"Good. Packing will give me something to do while you're gone during the day. Once we've moved, I'll look for a job."
"I don't want you doing any lifting, you hear?" She flinched at his harsh tones, and he regretted speaking so forcefully. He'd recently bought a book on pregnancy and birth, and it had stated that lifting anything heavy should be avoided. Riley was surprised at the overwhelming urge he felt to protect Hannah and the baby.
"But I want to help."
"We'll do the packing together." He left no room for argument.
"But what will I do every day?"
"What you normally do."
"I've always worked."
He was silent at that, not knowing what to tell her. He didn't want her out looking for a job. It was plain the pregnancy had already taken a toll on her health. "Relax for a while," he suggested after a moment. "There isn't any need for you to rush out and find a job now."
She sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the cushion. "I think I could sleep for a week."
She looked as if she'd do exactly that, but not in his bed, Riley noted bitterly. Not in his bed