Evenly offered Belle a look of relief with a small smile when Angel stopped struggling to get down from her arms, and then she muttered, "Good morning."
Belle returned the smile and replied, "Good morning," before turning her eyes toward her husband, who, to her surprise, had not sat in the seat she had predicted. She knew he was the kind who disliked changes, and once he picked a spot, he would stick to it, but now he had actually moved away.
Immediately, she sensed something wasn't right with him even before he looked at her. When he finally lifted his eyes, there was a blank, almost dead look in them. Belle felt a tight knot form in her chest as she realized something was troubling him.
He looked away before she could read further into his gaze, lowering his head to stare sightlessly at the food on the table, his expression distant and lost. The sight made Belle ache to go to him and ask what was wrong and what put him in this mood.
