AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not gonna trip while I’m carrying you,” he protested immediately.
“Annnd,” she interrupted firmly, “I do not want you straining your back before we have a little fun together. There’s not enough liniment in this world for that, and I’m going to be really upset if we can’t…”
“Alright,” he cut her off, laughing. “Nowthatis something I can understand! Let’s go,” he prompted, clasping her hand and nearly dragging her inside. “I want to see that pretty belly, kiss every stretch mark, and hold you for hours saying ‘hello’…”
“I thought you’d never ask,” she sighed happily, hurrying beside him as they ran into the house like a couple of kids.
* * *
Hours later,Killian was tracing circles on her stomach that was covered in too much lotion. He’d squirted a ton on his hands, rubbing them together to warm it up, and was slowly massaging it in while they just lay there and talked.
“I adore your body…” he breathed softly; his eyes focused on her belly. “Forget Bora-Bora or Tahiti – this is paradise.”
Her eyes stung with emotion as she watched the myriad of expressions cross his face, tracing each small stretchmark, his finger dipping into her belly button almost tickling, and then the fascination as the baby moved finally… no longer asleep, but somehow knowing that Daddy was there.
“Ohhh my gosh,” he whispered hoarsely, his voice full of emotion. “Can you hear me, sweetheart? Do you know how much I want to meet you – and how beautiful you are already to me?”
Killian looked at her in that moment, laying his hand across her stomach as the baby moved around again, kicking. His dark shining eyes held hers as his throat worked several times, as if he was unable to speak in that moment. He just stared at her emotionally as a tear streaked down his cheek.
“Thank you,” he whispered reverently, his voice so soft she barely heard him. “Thank you for everything, Destiny. Your beautiful heart, your sweet love, your incredible soul, and for sharing your body with me in ways I never imagined. You make me feel whole, created a miracle between us, and I am growing into something I never dreamed that I would have the chance to develop into – a husband and a father.”
“Killian…” she breathed tearfully, touching his cheek.
“You sawme, the real me somehow, and offered me a chance,” he paused, his voice trembling. “… And I saw you. I took that opportunity knowing nothing would be the same ever again, but I never imagined… any of this,” he choked emotionally, moving slightly and adjusting where he sat.
Instead of rubbing her stomach with his hands, he laid down beside her, pressing himself bodily against her side, laying his head on her shoulder, and enveloping her into as much of a hug as possible. He put his leg over hers, wrapped his arm around her waist, and just held her.
“My whole universe is here,” he whispered softly, causing her to lean forward to kiss his hair in reaction to the love flowing between them in the silent room.
* * *
The next morning,they woke up together and shared time cuddling on the loveseat, watching the news, and touring the house together so she could show him the changes.
She couldn’t help but smile as she showed him the nursery, so proud of the buttery-yellow and soft blue, pink, and purples that reminded her of a sunrise. The hues were something that could be used for either gender, but it was definitely moving towards more of a girlish theme as she added more to the room.
Killian sat down in the large rocking chair, pulling her into his lap, holding her close as they talked.
“I love the crib you found – and this chair,” he said softly.
“I wanted something comfortable that either of us could sit in for hours, if we wanted to.”
“Oh, I want to,” he chuckled, leaning down to nuzzle her nose. “But I have something else I want to look at too… in a bit.”
“What’s that?” she asked curiously, looking at him.
“Well, see, I got distracted in the most wonderful way yesterday…” he teased and tickled her, making her squirm to get away just before they both stood. He took her hand and pulled her towards the bedroom.
“Again?” she laughed in disbelief.
“Noooo,” he drawled in mock exaggeration. “Sheesh, woman… I was coming to look at the walls to see where our new bathroom is going to go.”
“What?!” she balked, stopping in her tracks. “Killian, wait… I was joking.”
“I wasn’t.”
She watched as he looked at the walls, pacing back and forth, knocking slightly along the drywall, and then took off… quickly following him. He walked out the back door, towards the corner of the house, and smiled.
“This would be easy,” he said, laying down and looking under the house at the crawlspace, before jumping back up and dusting himself off. “Guess I should have put on a t-shirt and shorts instead of running out here in my boxers.”
