She briefly looks up from her screen when Mark enters the kitchen and takes in his appearance. “Were you at the gym this whole time?” Usually he showers there before he leaves, but he’s still wearing his workout clothes. His hair sticks up from running his fingers through it. The back of his neck is red and she wonders if he’s been rubbing the area, trying to work out the knots. He carries his stress in his shoulders and neck, and the past few months have been wearing. His family’s company has been trying to close a large deal. Lost in her own plans, she hasn’t been present to support him the way he needs.

He pulls out a chair beside her and sits down. He leans forward and, elbow on thigh, shoves his hand into his crusty hair. He looks at her and sighs, lets his hand drop.

She leans away from her laptop and frowns. He looks exhausted. “Everything all right?”

He doesn’t answer. Stretching out a leg, he gets his phone from the side pocket of his shorts. He cradles the device in his hands and slowly flips it end over end.

She angles her chair to face him. “Did something happen at the gym? Are you hurt?” Her gaze roams his body, searching for an injury.

“How would you describe our marriage?” He doesn’t look at her. His attention is on the phone. Over and over it goes.

“We’ve had our rough patches, but I think we’re doing okay, don’t you?”

“I thought so.”

“But . . . ?” she prompts when he doesn’t say anything further. “Mark, what’s going on?” He woke her with kisses, they made love, and then they had coffee and read the paper in bed. They went to brunch around eleven, and after, Mark went to the gym. Aside from the stress of the deal he’s trying to finalize, he seemed fine when he left. Did she miss something?

Mark finally lifts his eyes to hers. His are full of hurt. “Do you want children?”

The hair on her nape rises. She picks up the pen beside her hand, clicks it twice, sets it back down. “I do, but now probably isn’t the best time to start trying again.” She gestures at her laptop. He agreed to wait after she’d implored for his support. Give her venture the chance to thrive because Joy had realized she couldn’t simultaneously handle the stress of starting a family and a new business. Mark was suggesting micronized progesterone supplements. He’d read articles, and pregnancy success after multiple miscarriages seemed promising. Joy wasn’t sure she wanted to go the route of hormonal therapy.