Page 94 of Wicked By Design

She smiled, finding she could not speak, but not needing words as her eyes filled and she nodded, laughing as emotions chased across his face, too quick to catch. Yet wonder lit his eyes, and a quiet joy that made her heart sing.

He got to his knees before her and kissed one hand, then the other. “We… We are to have a child?”

“Yes.”

He made a choked sound and slid his arms around her waist, his head resting gently on her belly. For a long moment he said nothing, only held her, held them both, and her heart swelled with love for him.

“I will look after you. I will look after you both, I swear it. I will never betray you. I will be the best father I can be, the best husband. I give you my word.”

“You already are the best husband, you ridiculous man,” Cilly said unevenly, stroking his hair. “And as for the rest, well, of course you will. I never doubted it, and our child will never doubt it either.”

He looked up, staring at her in such a way that she felt cocooned by the enormity of everything he felt for her, but it was not overwhelming, it did not suffocate or restrain her. Damian knew who she was, and precisely how devious and strong-willed she could be, and he still loved her, just as she was. They were both flawed, both still a little afraid, but together they could survive anything. Even children. Even the future. No matter what it held for them.

“I love you, my lady, and I hope it is a daughter, the image of her beautiful mama.”

Cilly smiled and leaned down, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “No. A boy first.”

He frowned. “I don’t need a boy yet. I’d like a girl.”

“It’s not up to you, you know,” she pointed out.

“No, nor you either,” he said with a laugh.

“It’s a boy,” she said smugly.

“You cannot possibly know that,” he retorted, sitting back on his heels.

Cilly shrugged and said nothing.

“You cannot possibly—” he began, and then narrowed his eyes. “You can’t.”

“Fine, I can’t.” She threw up her hands. “Oh! Gelato! We must go before it melts.”

Cilly got to her feet as Damian hurried to follow her.

“Celia! Celia, sod the bloody gelato, come back here. How can you be so sure?”

But Cilly only laughed, grinning to herself all the way to the parlour, and she carried on grinning, smiling contentedly with each bite of the enormous bowl of gelato she ate.

Oh, she would enjoy the next seven or so months. She would enjoy them very much indeed.