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‘These are tears of happiness,’ she said as the tears dissolved into a bone-deep longing.
She climbed onto his lap, straddled his hips, and wrapped her arms round his shoulders, loving the strong resilient feel of him as his rough palms caressed her thighs. ‘Nate, the chances are we’re both going to mess up from time to time.’ She certainly had, by letting her own insecurities get in the way of seeing that he had insecurities too. ‘There aren’t any guarantees.’
‘I know that,’ he said as his hands stroked, squeezed. ‘But I don’t want to let you down.’
‘This is a journey, not a final destination. You only have to be willing to come on the journey with me. That’s all.’
‘But I’ve never loved anyone before. And I’m pretty sure no one’s ever loved me. I don’t have a clue what I’m doing.’
‘Oh, Nate.’ She buried her face in his neck, taking a deep breath of his scent and loving him all the more.
She hugged him close, and wished that she could reach down inside him to that little boy who should have been adored and yet had been so easily discarded. Was it any surprise that, having come from that, he had no idea how much he was capable of?
‘I’ve never loved anyone before either,’ she admitted. ‘But it can’t be that hard. I’m sure we can figure it out together if we take it one step at a time.’ She cupped his cheek, her heart swelling when he leaned into the caress. ‘And if you promise me not to freak out again, I’ll promise not to overreact.’
His lips tilted up in a grin. ‘I guess I can manage that.’
‘It would also help if you made a promise not to be too overprotective,’ she said, deciding to push her luck. ‘You don’t have to be responsible for me. I’m really rather good at taking care of myself.’
He stared at her, his wandering hands starting to set off little sizzles of electricity to go with the love blooming in her heart. But then he surprised her by shaking his head. ‘No deal, Tess,’ he replied. ‘It’s not responsibility I feel. It’s more than that. I want to take care of you.’ His palm glided over her midriff. ‘And our baby. This would be a lot easier if you’d let me.’
‘I guess I can live with that,’ she murmured, feeling loved and cherished and increasingly foolish for having misconstrued his need to care for her as a need to control her.
She gave a shocked little gasp as his fingers drifted down to the back of her knee, then circled up her thigh under her nightgown. ‘But only on condition that I get to take care of you too,’ she added.
He smiled as she leaned forward to kiss him. ‘Deal.’
She opened
her mouth, let his tongue take possession, sealing their bargain in the best way she knew how. His hands drifted down to cup her buttocks, and she settled against him, when a strange fluttering sensation tickled under her belly button.
She jumped back, dislodging his hands, and nearly toppled off his lap.
‘What the...?’ Nate grabbed hold of her waist and hauled her back. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, nothing...’ She grasped his hand, flattened his palm against her belly. ‘I think...’ she said, then felt the sharp little pump again.
‘What is that? Indigestion?’ he asked, looking shocked and puzzled.
‘I think it’s the baby, kicking.’
He cursed and placed both hands on her belly, rubbing the soft cotton of her nightgown over the slight swell. The small movement came again, and his eyes locked on hers, widening in wonder.
‘Wow!’ he whispered, his voice hushed as new tears stung her eyes. ‘That is awesome. He’s a little slugger, isn’t he?’
She quirked a brow. ‘Who says it’s a he?’
He chuckled. ‘With that kick, we both better hope it’s not a billy goat!’
She laughed with him, and they collapsed together onto the couch. The comforting weight of his hand pressed to her belly, the slow murmur of his breathing as they sat together in the moonlight making her feel more secure, more loved than she had since she was a little girl.
‘Come on.’ He stood and scooped her off the couch into his arms.
She fastened her arms around his neck, played with the short curls of hair at his nape. ‘Where are you taking me?’ she asked, putting her best flirtatious grin in place.
‘I’m taking you to bed,’ he said, smiling down at her, the desire in his face tempered by tenderness. ‘So we can start this journey right.’
She clung on, her heart soaring.
