Page 104 of Where the Wattles Bloom

That in itself was hard enough to contemplate, but the fact he would miss out on all the pregnancy milestones drove talons into the underside of his brain. He’d miss out on Rowena’s body burgeoning as it grew to accommodate their baby, miss out on all the baby’s uterine acrobatics, maybe even miss out on the birth.

Which he tried not to contemplate, but he knew was a distinct possibility given the unpredictable nature of birth.

But all that noise evaporated from his brain the second he put his foot on the deck, pulling up short at the sight that greeted him. Rowena lying wet and naked in the bathtub, her nipples peeking through a slurry of sudsy bubbles floating on the surface of the water.

Her hair had been fixed in a pile on top of her head, exposing the line of her nape, her head was propped against the rolled edge, and her knees were bent, rising out of the water all pale and sudsy. She was staring out over the landscape as if transfixed, and Lachlan dragged his eyes off her to the view before them.

The infinite, cloudless dome overhead descended down to the horizon at a spot too far away to pinpoint. The setting sun splashed the landscape, gilding all it touched. Leaves and trunks and scrub outlined in amber, the haze of dust kicked up by his tyres several minutes ago draping over everything in a gauzy golden hue.

But Rowena was, by far, the most captivating part of the vista. Lying in the bath he’d installed on the deck he’d built with his own two hands. Like she was as much a part of the scenery as the wattles and the gums.

Like she’d always been here. Like she belonged here.

He glanced down at Red, who seemed just as absorbed by the woman in the bath. Red looked up at him, turning his head to the side, asking the question. Lachlan nodded and, permission granted, the dog trotted across the deck.

Rowena didn’t hear him approach, startling as Red nuzzled her hand, water sloshing. But she cooed a greeting, scratching behind the dog’s ear as she glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him. Lachlan sucked in a breath as the smile landed like a fist to his chest.

‘Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,’ he murmured as he willed legs, suddenly far too wobbly, to walk.

She looked him up and down as he closed the distance. ‘Right back at ya.’

Another fist landed at her teasing. He liked that she felt comfortable enough in his company, in their relationship, in this place, to tease. He halted beside the bath, determined to keep his eyes on her face and not let them wander.

‘You made it home,’ she said, her head lolling back against the rolled edge to meet his gaze.

A third fist found its mark. Home. If only it was more than a word to describe where someone lived to her. If only she really saw Blairgowrie as her home, too. ‘Yep.’

‘Long day.’

‘Very,’ he confirmed, pushing away the image of roadside debris and scorched earth as he’d eventually passed through the accident site. ‘Room for two?’

‘Absolutely.’

Lachlan grinned, succumbing to the urge to let his gaze wander, starting at her knees and lingering on her nipples. His body stirred as he kicked off his boots. Red yipped and wagged his tail, sensing a swim was on offer.

‘Home,’ Lachlan said without even looking at the dog as his shirt hit the ground.

Obeying without question, Red trotted away, leaving them alone—Rowena wet and naked, him fumbling with the fly on his good Calvins, like he’d never seen boobs before.

She wasn’t helping, of course, watching him undress like he was putting on some kind of show for her. The hungry lick of her gaze took him from semi to hard in a flash, the smug tilt of her mouth somehow also a huge turn-on.

The water sloshed as she sat up and scooched forward a little, and he eased into the lukewarm water behind her, his legs bracketing hers. She settled against him, her back fitting snug to his front, and Lachlan sighed a deep sigh as a well of contentment melted away the stress of the day.

‘That’s better,’ he murmured, his lips buzzing her temple.

‘It is.’

Those two words cranked up his contentment another notch and, despite wanting to know every minute detail of the scan, Lachlan was happy for now to just hold her close and bask in this shared moment in this place he loved so much, watching the sun slowly disappear.

‘It’s so beautiful here,’ she said after long, silent minutes had passed.

So, stay, he wanted to say. Stay. But he said, ‘Tell me about the scan,’ instead.

Then he listened as she told him all the ins and outs of the ultrasound. Everything from how the baby was sucking her thumb to the tight squeeze of Reggie’s hand. He asked questions, which Rowena answered, and he revelled in how her language around the pregnancy had shifted.

He knew that she’d never be able to completely extinguish her anxiety over something going wrong, but the positivity of her tone was encouraging.

Lachlan’s hands moved to her belly through water that had now completely cooled. There wasn’t any discernible bump yet but he swore he could feel a slight roundness pressing into his palms when he flattened them. ‘Any kicks today?’