I look up into his gorgeous face and take a deep breath, steadying myself to finish the story.
“So, the doctor told me I was pregnant, and did an ultrasound to see how far along I am. I have a picture.
I’ll show you in a minute.”
“Okay,” he whispers.
“After the doctor left, Jules was flipping through channels on the TV in the room, and stopped on an evening gossip show, and that’s when I saw you.” I try to release his hand so I can stand and pace, but he holds on tight.
“Don’t go. Finish the story.”
“My world fell apart. I hated seeing those pictures, more than I’ve hated anything in my life. I hated the way you were looking at her…” my voice cracks and I clear my throat.
“Nat, it was nothing.”
“I know, but it didn’t look like nothing, and then I learned that you’d been engaged to her, and I was hormonal and scared and sick and I just wanted to be in your arms.”
“Come up here.”
I lie back down next to him and he cradles me close to him.
“When I couldn’t reach you yesterday it made me crazy. I couldn’t concentrate in any of my meetings. It’s not like you to not respond or answer your phone.”
“At first I didn’t know what to say, and then I was mad at you.”
“I caught a late flight back to Seattle and went straight to your place, and you know the rest.”
“I’m sorry for the things I said.”
“Me too.”
“Luke, I don’t want you anywhere near that woman. I don’t want you to work with her.”
“I called her after I left your place last night and told her that I was going with someone else for the movie. I won’t talk to her again. I’m sorry I hurt you. I wasn’t holding her when we left the restaurant. I certainly didn’t kiss her. I probably hugged her goodbye, but it didn’t mean anything. I don’t even remember what I was doing, but the rags always twist things to look the way they want them to. I was probably thinking about calling you.”
“So,” Luke says and I tilt my head back so I can see his eyes. “We’re having a baby.”
He smiles, widely, and just looks so… proud of himself.
“Looks that way.”
“I guess we’d better get married sooner rather than later.”
“Luke, I don’t want you to feel like you have to marry me just because I’m pregnant…”
“Stop right there. I asked you to marry me before we knew you were pregnant.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts. Natalie, I love you so much. I want children with you. This is a wonderful thing. It is soon, sooner than I would have preferred, but a baby is never a bad thing. You’re going to be a fantastic mom.”
I didn’t know I could cry so much in one day. More tears flow. I’m relieved and happy and so in love with this beautiful man.
He leans down and rubs his nose across mine and kisses me in that gentle way that makes me swoon. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you too.”
“Oh, God, Natalie the poor man has almost been killed. Must you maul him?” Jules breezes in with a bag full of food. She plants her hands on her hips and shakes her head.
“Don’t be a brat, Jules.” I sit up and start unloading Luke’s food for him. My stomach grumbles and I’m pleased to see that she brought some for me too.
“We’re having a baby.” Luke gives Jules a wide smile.
“I know. I’m so happy for you guys.”
Jules walks to him and plants a kiss on his cheek, smiling at both of us.
“Lips off my man, Montgomery.”
“Jesus, you’re so selfish.”
***
We’ve been home for a week and Luke has mostly recovered from his injuries. There will be no visits to the gym for a few more weeks, but the bruises have faded.
“The moving van is here.”
“You are not lifting anything. Don’t even think about it. Your wrist is still healing.” He hasn’t even lifted me lately, and I’m missing it.
“Well, that makes two of us.”
“I didn’t hurt my wrist.” I raise an eyebrow at him as he crosses the great room to me.
“I do love your sassy mouth.” He slaps my bottom and I squeal, before moving his hand around to settle on my belly. “There is no lifting for the beautiful woman I knocked up.”
I laugh and caress his handsome face.
“Are you sure about me moving in here?”
“Of course. We’re getting married in two months anyway, it makes sense.”
He stiffens and frowns down at me.
“Don’t you want to?”
“I want to be wherever you are. It doesn’t make sense for us to move in with Jules.” I smirk. “Jules can live in the house as long as she pleases, and I’ll still use the studio for work.”
“But?” He raises an eyebrow.
“But, I think that as our family grows, we might need more bedrooms.”
His face softens and he kisses me gently on the forehead. “I’ll buy you any house you want.”
“I want to stay here for now. We’ll keep our options open.”
“Okay.” He kisses me again before the moving guys ring the doorbell and start unloading boxes and a few pieces of furniture. I left the majority of everything at the other house for Jules.
All of the boxes go up in a spare bedroom so I can sort through them at my own pace. The unloading doesn’t take long.
“Do you need to work this afternoon?”
I ask Luke after the men leave.
“No, you?”
“Nope.” I walk toward the stairway and start ascending the stairs toward our bedroom.
“What in the world should we do to occupy our time on a rainy Thursday afternoon?” Luke murmurs in my ear at the top of the stairs.
“Hmm… we could read.” I suggest.
“Nah, I’ve been doing a lot of that lately.” He nibbles my neck and wraps his hands around my waist, spreading his palm over my belly.
“We could watch a movie.”
“I’m not in the mood.”
We finally make it to the bedroom and I turn in his arms, kissing him softly while I run my fingers down his cheek.
“I’m all out of ideas,” I whisper.
“That’s okay,” he whispers back. “I have a few ideas of my own.”
Epilogue
“Holy shit.”