“Thanks for not insisting that the baby must leave,” she said, pulled up the blanket and snuggled in it. A sweet smell hung in the room. There was magic in the air Lulu inhabited. No wonder adoptive parents forged an instant bond with their new infant. Wade was accepting Lulu's presence. Soon he’d come to love her.

He broke into her reveries. “We haven’t yet talked about that B flat—”

“Can’t you, for once, stop working? It can wait for rehearsal.”

“I’m a perfectionist. As you are,” he replied.

She turned her back toward him. “Good night.”

“How about something to help you fall asleep?” He pressed against her, kissed her neck, and his finger toyed with the loose strap of her nightgown.

She looked at the thin reddish city light slashing a line between the curtains. “It’s late.”

“Sure.” The note of sarcasm was unmistaken.

“I’m sorry—” she said.

He turned her shoulders toward him and planted a hard kiss on her lips. “Why can’t you be happy with me? You’re my life.”

“I want you to sometimes forget that I am a singer.”

His hand ran along her body, searching. “Which is what I’m doing this very moment.”

As he proceeded, his hands and mouth demanding a response, she summoned fantasies of lovers she’d had before she married him, or the celebrities whose agents had arranged their dates for publicity purposes. She was surprised when Daniel Chen wandered along the paths of her untapped passion. At the party, they had talked for a couple of minutes, he oblivious to the noise and hilarity in the room, she pulsating with the beat of the drums. She had wanted to dance with him, to lay her hand on his back, to feel his body heat.

She did now, with Wade's warm breath panting in her ear.

She had barely slept when Lulu’s cries woke her.

“Jesus.” Wade tossed a pillow over his head.

Nola rose and picked up the baby. From the pile of toys and toiletries a staff member had purchased, she took out a disposable diaper and put one on the wriggling body. The Velcro tabs stuck at odd angles and the diaper was crooked. As the baby continued to fuss, Nola carried her to the kitchenette and warmed up the milk.

Lulu refused it. She broke into a wail that turned into a shriek. Her body stretched and struggled to escape Nola's grasp as though wishing to flee her own skin.

“That’s it!” Wade yelled from behind Nola. She heard him jab at the phone. “Send in a maid to take the baby,” he barked at someone.