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“You’re making me nervous,” he said. “Come sit withme.”
She sat next to him on the sofa and he turned to kissher.
“Whatever it is, I know I’m going to love it,” he said, wanting to reassureher.
She laughed a little. “I hope so because it’snonreturnable.”
He pulled at the ribbon. There was no wrapping paper, a fact for which he was grateful given Aria’s nervousness, and he quickly set aside the lid and parted the tissuepaper.
It took him a few seconds to make sense of the grainy black and white image. He held his breath as he lifted it out of thebox.
“Is this…” He turned towardher.
She nodded, her hands fluttering to her neck. “I… I didn’t plan it, but looking back, I guess neither of us should besurprised.”
“Surprised?” He could barley choke the word out around the emotion swelling through his body. “That’s not at all what I’mfeeling.”
“What are youfeeling?”
He turned to look at her. “Do you have to ask? Aria…” He looks down at the picture. “Is this ourbaby?”
She nodded, tears leaking out of the corners of hereyes.
She leaned over, pointed to the bulbous shape at the top of the image. “That’s his or her head.” She traced the limbs. “And those are its arms andlegs.”
He pulled her into his arms, crushing her againsthim.
“Are you happy?” sheasked.
“Am I…” He pulled back to look at her. She was carrying their child, a boy or girl that might have her eyes or mouth, that might have his hair or nose. A child born of their love. Of their strength. Of everything they’d been through to find each other. “I am beyond happy, my love. How could you thinkotherwise?”
“I don’t know.” Her throat rippled as she swallowed. “I’ve known for awhile now. I want to be honest about that, because we said there would be no secrets betweenus.”
“Howlong?”
She hesitated. “Since right after theshooting.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” heasked.
“I don’t know. I just… I was confused about everything that happened with Primo, and I was scared if I told you, I’d be locked up here for the next ninemonths.”
He grinned. “Damnright.”
She shook her head, her expression serious. “Don’t joke about that, Damian. I almost… I almost kept it from you until we got Malcolm. I don’t want to be treated like a piece of glass. I know how much you’ll want to protect me — to protect us — but I need to feel useful, need to be part of getting Malcolm. I need to do that for myself, and for Primo,too.”
“What are you saying?” he asked. “What exactly do youwant?”
“I don’t know yet,” she said. “I don’t know what’s coming. But I do know that I don’t want to be under lock and key. Not now or ever. And I need you to hear me on this, because if you try to keep me behind a golden door, we’re going to have problems. I’m trusting you with this, do youunderstand?”
He ran a hand through his hair. She was being honest with him, but he had to be honesttoo.
“All I want to do right now — after I make passionate love to you — is to prop you up on velvet cushions for the next… how far along arewe?”
She smiled. “Almost threemonths.”
“So I want to prop you up on velvet cushions for the next six months, and then for the rest of your life afterwards, because I want a houseful of these…” he looked at the sonogram image again, “thesealiens.”
She laughed through her tears before her expression got seriousagain.
