Rating: ★★★★☆ Tags: Mystery Detective, General, Fiction

AMY ELLIOTT DUNNE
TEN MONTHS, TWO WEEKS, SIX DAYS AFTER THE RETURN
I
was told love should be unconditional. That’s the rule,
everyone says so. But if love has no boundaries, no limits,
no conditions, why should anyone try to do the right thing
ever? If I know I am loved no matter what, where is the
challenge? I am supposed to love Nick despite all his
shortcomings. And Nick is supposed to love me despite my
quirks. But clearly, neither of us does. It makes me think
that everyone is very wrong, that love should have many
conditions. Love should require both partners to be their
very best at all times. Unconditional love is an undisciplined
love, and as we all have seen, undisciplined love is
disastrous.
You can read more about my thoughts on love in
Amazing
. Out soon!
But first: motherhood. The due date is tomorrow.
Tomorrow happens to be our anniversary. Year six. Iron. I
thought about giving Nick a nice pair of handcuffs, but he
may not find that funny yet. It’s so strange to think: A year
ago today, I was undoing my husband. Now I am almost
done reassembling him.
Nick has spent all his free time these past months
slathering my belly with cocoa butter and running out for
pickles and rubbing my feet, and all the things good fathers-

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to-be are supposed to do. Doting on me. He is learning to
love me unconditionally, under all my conditions. I think we
are finally on our way to happiness. I have finally figured it
out.
We are on the eve of becoming the world’s best,
brightest nuclear family.
We just need to sustain it. Nick doesn’t have it down
perfect. This morning he was stroking my hair and asking
what else he could do for me, and I said: ‘My gosh, Nick,
why are you so wonderful to me?’
He was supposed to say: 
You deserve it. I love you
.
But he said, ‘Because I feel sorry for you.’
‘Why?’
‘Because every morning you have to wake up and be
you.’
I really, truly wish he hadn’t said that. I keep thinking about
it. I can’t stop.
I don’t have anything else to add. I just wanted to make sure
I had the last word. I think I’ve earned that.

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