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Mark pulled me into his arms. “I don’t think that is what you wanted to tell me though, is it?”
I melted into him, marveling at the strength of his embrace.
“What are you afraid of?” he asked gently.
“Is it that obvious?” I blurted out.
“You are acting rather odd, more than usual.”
“I’m not odd,” I replied, but there wasn’t much heat behind it. “What if it's something that will change how things are between us?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Life is always changing, Sutton, but how I feel for you won’t ever change. You can tell me anything. You know that.”
I looked up at him, biting my lip.
He looked at me intently and then glanced down to see that I was holding my stomach. It was instinctive actually. The baby would have been no bigger than a pea and my stomach hadn’t grown at all.
Understanding lit his eyes and he pulled me closer into his embrace. I felt his warm lips as they grazed my temple. There, in his arms, I knew safety. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out.
I felt him smile against my cheek. “If you remember correctly, Sutton, I have been wishing for this.”
I pulled back and searched his face as I asked, “How do you even know when I can’t get the words out to tell you?”
He traced the edge of my jaw with his fingertip. “First, I like to think that I am becoming an expert on all things Sutton. Second, you haven’t had a period in over two months.”
I felt my cheeks flame as I gasped aloud, “Do you track that?”
He went on as if I hadn’t spoken.
“Third, you have been rather grouchy,” he continued, “and food hasn’t settled very well in your stomach. In the past month you have requested that we go out for ice cream five times.”
“Are you calling me fat?” I cried out.
He laughed. “No, but I am saying that I think I know the woman I love.”
“Okay, Sherlock.” I hugged him close, loving every inch of this amazing man. “What is your hypothesis?”
He kissed me gently. “Did you know that your breasts are growing larger and that your face is glowing?”
“I am breaking out like the sweaty kid in gym class.”
He choked on a laugh. “Be that as it may, I have never in my life seen anyone more beautiful than the future mother to my child.”
There it was. He said it aloud and now it was real. I knew that I was being irrational. Okay, I was fucking crazy. But this wasn’t something I saw for us, not this soon.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” I blurted out.
He shrugged. “I was going to tonight if you hadn’t brought it up. I was actually worried that you didn’t know, and I was concerned about alarming you. I know that you have had a lot of changes recently. I didn't want you to have one more thing to stress over. But experts say that you should be seeing a doctor soon.”
I couldn’t help the smile that broke across my face. “How do you know that?”
He led me sheepishly by the hand over to his desk. In the top drawer was a book about pregnancy and expectant mothers. It seemed that every other page was marked, and he had notes in the margins.
This man. Dear merciful heavens, the love I had for him was overwhelming. “You’re amazing, and I love you so much.”
He yanked the book out of my hands and pulled me close. Placing a swift kiss on my lips, he gave me a sexy grin. "You are an amazing woman. The woman that is carrying my child. Do you know what that does to me?”
He nudged me with his hips, and I felt his massive erection.