“Well, I wanted to ask you about one of her little idiosyncrasies in particular.” I tapped my fingers restlessly against my thigh.
“Oh? Which one is that?” He reached for the mouse and moved it, his brow furrowing as he focused on the screen.
“I read somewhere that the Queen doesn’t like the wordpregnant. She prefers to say that women are in the family way.” I watched Nicky’s face closely.
“Does she?” He lifted one shoulder. “Maybe. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that. Not the sort of thing a grandson would pay attention to, I guess.”
“Well, I’d like to know.” I pushed away from the steps and walked into the living room, pausing behind Nicky to rub a hand over his shoulder. “Because when we tell your grandmother that we’re having a baby, I want to make sure we do it in a way that won’t offend her.”
For a moment, I wasn’t sure he’d heard me or understood the words I’d just spoken. He was so still, I thought perhaps he was tuning me out. And then his eyes widened as they lifted to meet mine, his lips parting slightly in shock.
“Ky.” He breathed my name. “We—are we having a baby?”
The moment was so fragile, so momentous, that I was nearly afraid to breathe. I nodded with the barest movement of my head.
“Kyra.” Nicky swung around in his chair and gripped my hips, staring up at me. “Are you sure?”
“As sure as I can be without seeing the doctor yet, but ... yeah, three tests say I’m pretty damn certain.” I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. “Are you happy, Nicky?”
He studied me. “Are you?”
I nodded again, but this time, I was emphatic about it. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, I am.”
The widest, most beautiful smile in the world spread over his face as he pulled me down onto his lap. “Then I am ecstatic. Ky ... I can’t believe it. I mean, I know we weren’t activelynottrying, but we never really talked about it. When did this happen?”
“As far as I can figure, it was on our island trip. There must be something in the water down there.” I linked my fingers behind his neck. “Or maybe it was all the rest and relaxation and ... I don’t know, just gratitude for second chances.”
“Whatever did the trick, I’m not going to complain.” He swept my hair back away from my face. “I just can’t wrap my mind around it yet. When do you think—I mean, when should we expect it—her? Him?”
“One or the other,” I laughed, nuzzling his neck. “I think in the fall, probably—maybe September? I’ll know more after I see the doctor. I figured I’d try to get there this week some time.”
“Some time? How about tomorrow?” He leaned back to look at me, his face serious. “We need to make sure you’re all right. Healthy and all that. And the baby, too.” Wonderment lit his eyes. “Baby. It feels odd to say it.” His hand flattened on my middle. “Stranger still to think our little one is already right here, with us.”
“I know. Odd for me, too. As for the doctor, if it will make you feel better, I’ll see if I can arrange to get in there tomorrow. Want to go with me?”
“Damned right I do. We’ll change our schedule for tomorrow. I should call ...” Nicky paused and gave his head a small shake. “Sorry. I’m jumping ahead of myself a bit, I guess.” He skimmed the back of his fingers over my cheek. “I guess we shouldn’t tell anyone until you’re a bit further along. And we won’t announce it until a little while after that.” A frown creased his brow.
“What’s that about?” I trailed my fingertips over his forehead. “Why do you look worried now?”
“Just thinking there’s now one more soul I have to think about protecting. It’s bad enough that every time you leave the house, I’m terrified. I don’t know what I’ll do when I have to think about another piece of my heart walking around out in the world.”
Tears filled my eyes. “That’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard you say, Nicky, and you have left me speechless too many times to count.”
“Hey, no crying.” Nicky swiped his thumbs under my eyes. “This is a happy time.”
“Sorry.” I sniffled. “I think you might have to get used to this. From what I’ve read, pregnant women can be emotional. I’ll do my best not to become a weepy wimp, but I can’t make any promises.”
“I’m not going to complain.” His fingers combed through my hair as he cradled my head. “I’m going to be the best, most supportive husband and father-to-be. Even if you have late-night cravings.”
“Or months of morning sickness?” I grimaced. “I think my mom had that with me.”
“For your sake, I hope it doesn’t happen that way. But yes, even if that’s the case.” He held me close, and for a few moments, we were both quiet. “I don’t want to make you anxious, sweetheart, but considering the people still out there who are targeting us, we should probably let our security officers know about this before anyone else. After all, you’ll need to make visits to the doctor’s office that aren’t on our normal schedule. They may need to run checks on the hospital and so on.”
“All right.” I nodded, my head rubbing against Nicky’s shoulder. “I never dreamed that the first people I’d tell about my pregnancy would be Scotland Yard.”
“You didn’t. You told me.” One of his hands slid down my back. “You know, Ky, you’re going to have to educate me about all of this process. Pregnancy, childbirth—the whole thing.”
“Ha!” I smiled. “You’re assuming I know anything. I mean, I sort of remember when my mother was pregnant with Bria, but I wasn’t old enough to know the details. And none of my friends have had babies. I’m feeling my way through new territory, too.”
