The wedding for Tess and Scott was beautiful, the party afterward noisy and fun. Scott’s six-year-old twin nieces served as flower girls. They dashed around the grounds of Scott’s parents’ lovely home after the ceremony, twirling in their pretty yellow dresses splashed with red poppies and tied with long red sashes. Tess’s small family mingled easily with Scott’s larger one, everyone looking happy to be there to celebrate.
There’d been quite a bit of teasing at the reception about Tess’s two pregnant bridesmaids. Jenny was already almost as big as Stevie. Wearing floating knee-length dresses and carrying poppy bouquets, they’d smiled and perhaps sniffled a bit as their friend had exchanged vows with her love.
“You should sit down,” Cole suggested as the warm June afternoon wore on. “You’re starting to look a little strained.”
Acknowledging the logic in his advice, she found a seat at one of the yellow-draped tables set up beneath a fluttering canopy. “I have a touch of a headache,” she admitted in a low voice. “It’s not bad, just a little annoying. I guess it’s from the heat.”
He frowned in concern. “Do you want to leave?”
“Not just yet.” She looked around the milling, laughing crowd who seemed in no hurry to break up the party. Scott and Tess were obviously having just as much fun, neither of them looking impatient to cut their special event short. “Soon.”
“Let me get you something cold to drink, then.”
She smiled up at him. “Thank you, Cole.”
“He’s certainly attentive this afternoon,” Jenny commented, sinking gratefully into a chair close to Stevie’s.
Realizing she’d been rubbing her temple, Stevie dropped her hand and nodded. “Yes. Not quite to Gavin’s levels of hovering, but I’d say I’m being well cared for.”
Jenny laughed ruefully. “I made the mistake of mentioning last night that my back hurt a little and Gavin asked if we needed to call his EMT buddy to take me to the hospital. I swear, if he doesn’t have a nervous breakdown before this baby gets here, it will be a miracle.”
Stevie laughed. “It’s probably only going to get worse after your daughter arrives. I can’t stop giggling when I think about Gavin with a daughter.”
Her hand resting affectionately on her swollen middle, Jenny made a face, though a smile lit her eyes. “He’s been in a daze ever since we found out it’s a girl. Our poor daughter is going to have a cop dad who’ll scare off all the boys who even look at her. I’m sure I’ll do my share of refereeing between them in about fourteen years, though something tells me Gavin and his daughter are going to adore each other despite the inevitable clashes.”
“I have no doubt,” Stevie agreed in amusement.
She glanced across the lawn toward the food tables, where Cole had been detained in a conversation with Gavin. Probably comparing notes on living with pregnant wives, she thought with a chuckle. Her gaze lingered on her husband’s face. He seemed to enjoy the gathering of her friends, but she knew he’d be glad to get back home. He had a big work project underway and he would probably put in a few extra hours that evening. He would likely stay up a couple hours after she turned in, then he’d try not to disturb her as he slid into bed. She would rouse when he joined her, as she usually did, and would nestle against him in the cozy sleeping arrangement they’d settled into. She always slept better now when he was there, the room seeming empty and somehow darker when he was away.
“Are you still trying to pretend you don’t absolutely adore your husband?” Jenny asked quietly, her gaze focused on Stevie’s expression with the wisdom of more than two decades of friendship.
Stevie latched automatically onto a strand of hair, winding it slowly around one finger. “Cole is a very special man,” she said after a moment.
“And you’re in love with him.”
She shrugged helplessly, feeling her eyes burn with a prickle of tears she refused to release. She could never deceive her oldest friend. “How could I not be?”
“And Cole?”
“Is very fond of me. Very fond of me,” she emphasized. “We have a good life. We’ve had a great time getting the house ready for the baby and talking about the future. We were good friends for a year before we married, of course, and we’ve only gotten closer since.”
She knew there was no call to justify her marriage to Jenny, but for some reason she wanted to emphasize her good fortune.
“You have seemed happy,” Jenny conceded slowly, her brow creased with concern.
Stevie forced a smile. “I know how lucky I am. Really, Jen, don’t worry about me. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
What more could she expect, anyway? Passionate, flowery words? That would never be Cole’s style. Guarantees that he would never desert her or this child? She was confident that would never happen. Promises that he would always be a loyal and faithful husband? Knowing this innately honorable man as well as she did, that was a given. Assurances that he appreciated her mind, her competence, her talents and her body? He made those things known in a myriad of ways every day, not always in words but certainly through action.
Which meant that she just needed to grow up and learn to be satisfied with what she had.
He and Gavin approached the table together. Cole handed Stevie her cold beverage, then rested a hand lightly on her shoulder as he asked her friend, “How are you holding up, Jenny?”
“I’m fine, thank you,” she assured him, accepting a glass from Gavin. “I’m having a wonderful time.”
“This time next year our babies will be babbling together when we sit around a table.” Stevie smiled as she envisioned many pleasant future gatherings.
“Hmph,” Gavin grumbled, though he was obviously suppressing a grin when he pointed a finger at them. “I’m going to be keeping an eye on that boy of yours around our daughter.”
“Just so that daughter of yours doesn’t break our boy’s heart,” Cole shot back with a smile.
Stevie reached out to pat her husband’s cheek as the others laughed. “Isn’t he a cutie?”
Cole growled, but she could tell he didn’t really mind her teasing. He was getting used to it by now.
* * *
Though large social gatherings with a lot of strangers weren’t really his style, Cole had a good time at the wedding. It helped that it wasn’t a stuffy, formal affair and that he already knew Stevie’s closest friends. He enjoyed watching her with them. The bond between the three women was so strong it was almost visible. Their men fit in well enough, but that special friendship was the heart of the group, the glue that would hold them all together in the future.
He knew these people would be part of his life now, but he didn’t mind. They had accepted him warmly despite the early doubts he’d sensed in Jenny and Tess. He believed he’d convinced them that he would never intentionally hurt their friend. His wife.
He’d sat in a folding chair among the rest of the audience as Tess and Scott exchanged their vows, though it had been hard for him to take his eyes off Stevie. She’d looked so pretty standing up there in her bridesmaid dress, her blond curls falling soft and loose to her shoulders, her big blue eyes luminous with emotion. Even round with pregnancy, she was beautiful. He was always proud—and a little amazed—to be seen with her.
He knew she would honor the vows they’d exchanged in their own wedding ceremony. Maybe he wasn’t her Prince Charming, but she seemed satisfied with a knight in practical armor.
Satisfied. For some reason, the word made him wince, though he couldn’t quite explain why.
Just what would happen if Stevie’s satisfaction ever waned, if she decided he wasn’t what she wanted, after all? She was a woman of her word, but he’d never want to hold her to it if she truly longed to leave. Would he ever know for certain if her mother’s restlessness nagged at her, too?
For only a moment as she chatted and laughed with her friends, he imagined how it would feel to go back to the life he’d had before they’d eloped. Just him and his cat alone in a comfortable, quiet house. He’d thought himself happy enough at the time, but now the vision made his chest muscles tighten painfully.
Impatient with himself for wasting even a minute of this nice afternoon with pointless imaginings, he shook off the odd mood and focused again on his determination to make sure Stevie had a good time. He couldn’t even speculate about returning to a life without Stevie in it. Just thinking about it made his heart hurt—and this was neither the time nor place to analyze his convoluted feelings for his wife.
* * *
Two weeks before her due date, Stevie stood in the center of the sage-and-cream nursery, looking around in satisfaction. Everything was in place and waiting to welcome the baby, whose name was still to be determined. She had to admit she was the holdup in that respect. Cole had made several suggestions and had liked several of her recommendations, but she simply couldn’t make up her mind on this momentous decision. She smiled a little as she remembered how tactfully he’d vetoed a few of her more fanciful brainstorms.
“I’m not saying the kid would get beat up on the playground if you give him that name,” he’d said about one of them, “but maybe we’d better start martial arts training early.”
Laughing, she’d agreed with him that maybe it wasn’t the best choice for an Arkansas boy, and had gone back to her research.
She rubbed her temple against another dull headache as she absently repositioned a striped-shade ceramic lamp on the antique nightstand she’d found in a dusty resale shop. The turtle night-light sat beside the lamp, smiling blandly up at her. The pretty little bassinet from Branson was displayed in the center of the room. Next to the new crib sat an overstuffed nursing chair and ottoman—a joint gift from Tess, Jenny and their spouses. It still brought a lump to her throat to admire it, and she knew she would think of her dear friends every time she rocked her baby there.
Straightening the soft hand-knit throw draped over the back of the chair, she thought about resting there for a few minutes now. Her head was really starting to hurt and her back ached. Maybe she needed a nap. Though it was a Saturday, she’d tried to work a little that morning upstairs in her office, and maybe she’d simply sat too long in an uncomfortable position. Not that there was any truly comfortable position these days.
“Stevie?” Cole strolled into the room with a package in his hands. He’d been outside on this hot, late July Saturday and his face was still a little flushed from the humid heat, his hair rumpled the way she liked it best.
Already in a sentimental mood, she felt her heart swell even more at the sight of him. She loved him so much. Lately she’d been thinking she should just tell him how she felt. She’d almost done so a time or two, but something had always held her back. Perhaps the fear of making him uncomfortable, of creating awkwardness between them as the baby’s arrival grew ever closer. Maybe even the nagging fear that he would smile indulgently and pat her arm as if writing off her feelings to those annoying pregnancy hormones. It wasn’t like her to be shy with her feelings, but in her current vulnerable state, she thought it might break her heart if he didn’t believe her.
Unaware of her inner conflict, he said absently, “Looks like maybe another baby gift. The return address on this package says it’s from a P. Rose.”
“Pepper Rose,” she said with a quick smile of delight. “The client I told you about.”
“Oh, yeah. You did her kitchen a while ago, right? Big job up on River Ridge?”
“Yes, that’s the one. She’s such a sweetheart. It was nice of her to—Oh, God.”
The pain ripped through her skull like a nail driven into her temple. She put both hands to her head, squeezing her eyes shut against a flash of light, fighting down a wave of nausea.
She heard a soft thud as the package hit the carpeted floor, and then Cole was beside her, his hands on her upper arms. “Stevie? What’s wrong?”
“My head,” she gasped just before her knees buckled.
He caught her—as she knew he always would.
The pain was overwhelming. “Cole?”
He gathered her close. “I’m here.”
“Don’t leave me.”
“Never. Let’s get you to the hospital.”
* * *
Time passed in a haze of pain and fear. Stevie was rushed straight into an emergency exam room, her clothes stripped away, IVs and monitors quickly attached to her. She clung tightly to Cole’s hand when he was allowed near her.
“I’m here, Stevie.” His voice was hardly recognizable.
She gazed up at him through pain-clouded eyes. For the first time since she’d met him, she saw Cole’s face raw with emotions—fear, compassion, helplessness. She thought his hand trembled around hers, though it was hard to distinguish her own unsteadiness from his.
“Tell the doctor...” She recoiled against another wave of pain, then forced out the words. “Tell them to save the baby.”
“Stevie...”
“Mr. McKellar? You need to step out now,” a nurse said, her voice kind but firm. “You can sit in the waiting room. We’ll keep you updated.”
His hand tightened on Stevie’s as if he wanted nothing more than to refuse to leave her, but he nodded grimly and leaned over to press a gentle kiss on her lips. “You remember the bet we made at the mini golf course on our honeymoon?”
She forced an answer through another wave of pain. “I—I remember.”
“I never collected on that bet,” he reminded her, his tone intensely serious. “I’m naming the prize now. I want a Valentine dance with you at our golden wedding anniversary celebration. You got that, Stevie? You have to pay up, you promised.”
A low moan escaped her despite her efforts to swallow it. She managed a nod and a whispered, “I promise.”
“Mr. McKellar?”
Groaning in frustration, he straightened and released her hand. “I’m going. You take care of my wife, you hear? Whatever it takes, you save her.”
“I love you, Cole,” Stevie croaked but she didn’t think he heard her. Didn’t even know if he was still in the room. She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the medical personnel surrounding her.
* * *
She woke much later in a narrow hospital bed, still hooked to IVs and monitors but mercifully free of pain. She sensed the discomfort lurking just outside the range of the medicines controlling it, but for now she was okay, just still very sleepy. The overhead lights were dimmed and the hallways quiet outside the room, so she guessed it was nighttime, perhaps quite late. She vaguely remembered that she was in an ICU unit being closely watched by medical staff. For the moment, however, no one hovered over her bed, which was a relief.
Her restless hand fell on her noticeably flatter stomach and she gasped in sudden fear. The baby?
“He’s fine. I have him.”
Cole’s reassuring voice came from close by. She turned her head to see him settled in a visitors’ chair with a snugly wrapped bundle in his arms. An empty portable plastic bassinet sat beside him. He glanced back down with a ridiculously besotted—and absolutely heart-melting—expression on his face. “Looks like Mom’s awake,” he said softly.
Her heart tightened.
Cole stood and carried the baby to the bed, looking so big and strong in contrast. “He’s doing great. The nurse will be back in a couple minutes to check on you both, but so far everything is good.”
Her gaze focused without blinking on that little bundle, the beautiful little pink face topped with a blue knit cap. “He’s—he’s okay?”
“He’s perfect. I don’t know how much you remember, but he weighed six pounds, one ounce, and he’s seventeen inches long. Little, but healthy. He’s got quite a set of lungs on him. I heard him protesting an exam a little while ago. Both of you will be staying a few nights here, but everything looks good. Ready to hold him?”
“Oh, yes.”
Smiling in response to her fervency, Cole shifted her loose hospital gown to uncover an expanse of skin on which to carefully lay the baby. Cheek to breast, the baby nuzzled instinctively but didn’t awaken. Cole rested a hand on the little back. “He’s worn out from that fit he threw, I guess.”
Stevie could hardly speak. The feel of the warm, damp little face against her skin was incredible. Her heart was so full of love she could barely breathe. She felt a jerk of nerves as she cradled him against her, cupping his little head through the snug cap. He was so tiny. So fragile. So totally dependent.
Something made her look up at Cole then, and she heard the fierceness of her own voice when she said, “I could do this alone if I had to. I could take care of him and support him. My mom did it. Twice. Lots of single mothers do it every day. I could handle it.”
He took a step back from the bed, looking almost as if she’d slapped him. He schooled his expression quickly. “I have no doubt you could handle it. Are you telling me that’s what you want?”
Her eyes were so heavy, her thoughts clouded. “I just...needed you to know,” she murmured, snuggling the warm, sleeping baby as she drifted on a cloud of exhaustion and medication.
“Get some rest, Stevie,” Cole said quietly. “I’ll be here to watch over you. For as long as you want me.”
There was more she needed to say, but her mouth simply wouldn’t form the words. She slept, knowing he would be there when she woke.
* * *
Cole had believed his inner barriers had been so heavily reinforced during his youth that words could never hurt him now. He’d thought he’d learned years ago to keep his emotions protected, never expecting too much so he wouldn’t be disappointed by rejection.
He’d loved Natasha, but he realized now that even with her he’d always held back a small piece of his heart. He’d grieved when he’d lost her, but it hadn’t destroyed him.
It had taken Stephanie Joan McLane to storm those old barriers and lay claim to every molecule inside him. He wasn’t sure how. Wasn’t certain when the walls had fallen. But the events of this day had left him emotionally battered and bleeding.
Seeing the faces of the medical staff who’d attended to Stevie upon arrival, he’d immediately understood the gravity of her situation. Unable to think clearly enough even to make phone calls to her friends, he’d been almost paralyzed with shock, finding it hard to believe he was facing this tragedy again. He’d been wracked with fear of losing the baby. Of losing Stevie. Even knowing now that she would recover, he felt his throat tighten painfully just at the memory of that nightmarish hour.
Though her blood pressure had been carefully monitored during her pregnancy, it had soared rapidly and unexpectedly today. Pregnancy-induced hypertension. Had she not gotten medical assistance in time, it could have led to seizures, a possible stroke—or even worse, he thought with a hard swallow as he tried to remember everything her doctor had said. Now that the baby had been delivered, Stevie would be fine, though she would remain under watchful care for a few weeks. The doctor had added that future pregnancies were not ruled out, though even more precautions would have to be taken. He couldn’t even begin to think that far ahead. Especially without knowing exactly what Stevie had meant when she’d informed him she could raise this child on her own.
His gaze moved from the woman sleeping in the bed to the swaddled child dozing in his arms. Rocking the baby afterward had brought him back to sanity; he’d felt his world slowly begin to right itself again. Maybe his eyes had been damp and his throat dry, but his heart had returned to a strong, steady beat. He’d told himself that everything was going to be all right.
And then Stevie had woken to tell him she didn’t need him, after all. He’d always been aware of that, but he’d thought they’d become a well-oiled team, each with strengths to bring to the union. He’d thought she could overlook his flaws, his messed up family, his sometimes-obsessive commitment to his work, in return for the parenting partnership she’d thought she wanted.
He should have known better. He shouldn’t have fooled himself that the bubbly, indomitable, fearless Stevie needed anyone, much less him. Maybe she was more like her mother than she had realized, too restless and free-spirited to be tied to anyone other than the child she would certainly adore. How idiotic had he been to think an impulsive elopement based on her uncertainties and his loneliness would last a lifetime?
He’d promised himself he wouldn’t try to hold her if she wanted her freedom. He could go back to the way things had been before. But while his job, his routines, his home might eventually be the same again, there would always be something missing. As uncharacteristically maudlin as it sounded, he would always know that he’d left his broken heart in Stevie’s small, capable hands.
He settled back in the ICU visitor chair to keep watch over his wife for the remainder of the night. He tried not to think about what might come with morning.
* * *
Though sore from her C-section and still easily tired, Stevie felt much better the next afternoon. After a few nerve-racking initial attempts, she and the baby were both finally getting the hang of breast-feeding. She’d texted photos of the baby to her mother, brother and friends, the latter of whom were giving her a couple of days to recover before descending on her, though she knew they were impatient to meet little Liam.
She’d been moved out of ICU and into a regular room, though she would have to remain in the hospital for a couple more nights. Flowers, balloons and stuffed animals from family and friends surrounded her, but she had eyes only for the rosy-cheeked infant sleeping in a plastic bassinet drawn up next to the cushioned chair in which she sat. She wanted to regain her strength quickly and she couldn’t do that lying in bed.
Every time she heard footsteps in the hall, she perked up, thinking it might be Cole. She’d sent him home a few hours earlier to get some rest and feed the cat. He’d been so tired from sitting up with her all night that his unshaven face had been a little pale. She’d slept a lot after the delivery, but every time she’d been awakened to tend to the baby, Cole had been there keeping watch, sometimes holding Liam with such tenderness that her heart had melted. He’d said very little this morning. She’d figured that in addition to exhaustion, he was understandably overwhelmed with everything that had happened yesterday.
She smiled brightly when the door opened and Cole came in, a vase of cheery yellow roses in one hand, the bag of personal items she’d requested in his other. “They’re beautiful,” she said as he made a place for the roses among the other gifts.
Looking a little sheepish, he all but shuffled his feet. “I thought you might like them. You’ve gotten quite a few deliveries while I was gone, I see.”
“Yes, I have. But your roses are the prettiest.”
She thought he might smile at that. He didn’t. In fact, he looked entirely too serious as he went to look down into the bassinet. “How’s he doing?”
“He’s perfect,” she said with a happy sigh. “He had a good feeding half an hour ago, and he’s been sleeping like an angel ever since.”
“And you?”
“I’ll be glad to get rid of this thing,” she said, waving a hand to indicate the IV line still taped into her arm. “I’m uncomfortable, of course, but it’s not too bad.”
“You wouldn’t complain even if it was.”
She shrugged, still studying his face. “Cole? Are you okay? Did you get enough rest?”
He sat on the edge of the rumpled bed, facing her chair. “I’m fine.”
He didn’t look fine. She tried again to get him to smile. “I’ve finally decided on my choice for Liam’s middle name.”
They’d agreed on Liam for a first name, but the middle name had been more difficult for her. Cole had left the choice to her, saying he had no real preference other than the first name they both liked. She’d known since this morning exactly what name best suited her son. “I want his name to be Liam Douglas McKellar.”
A muscle twitched in Cole’s jaw. He turned his head, but not before she saw a flash of emotion cross his face. Was he touched that she wanted to name her son after him? Happy? Sad? What?
“You aren’t saying much today,” she said, her eyes fixed on his somber profile.
He pushed a hand through his already tousled hair. “Look, Stevie. I just want you to know that whatever you need, whatever Liam needs, I will always be here for you. You have my word on that. But—”
He paused to clear his husky throat.
But? She didn’t like the sound of that.
Her throat closed and she felt her hands begin to shake. Was Cole... Surely he wasn’t trying to tell her he’d changed his mind about being married to her! Had the reality of actually seeing the baby, the physical reminder of the huge responsibility involved in caring for this tiny, totally dependent person, made him reevaluate the promises he’d offered so impulsively? Or had he realized he didn’t want to raise another man’s baby, after all? She was pretty sure she could actually feel her heart breaking at the very thought.
“Cole?” she whispered. “What are you trying to tell me?”
He took a deep breath. “I know you don’t need me to help you raise him. So, if you’ve decided you’d rather do it on your own, if you’ve come to the conclusion that you married too quickly and for the wrong reasons, I won’t stand in your way. I’ll always be your friend, no matter what. I just want you to be happy.”
Her heart started to beat again, slowly, tentatively, as she deciphered what she thought, what she hoped, he meant. She vaguely remembered the fiercely assertive speech she’d made to him while floating on pain meds and shock. “You think I want out of our marriage?”
He pushed his hands down his thighs as if drying nervous palms. “I know you weren’t thinking clearly yesterday, but you said—”
That fleeting glimpse of emotion gave her encouragement to break in. “You misunderstood my point, Cole. I’m sure I was babbling, so I might not have made a lot of sense, but I’d have hoped you’d gotten to understand me a little better than this.”
He raised his eyes to meet hers. For the first time since she’d known him, she saw self-doubt there. He’d always seemed so quietly competent, so relaxed and assured. But now he looked...almost afraid, she realized with a twist of her heart.
“You said you didn’t need me.”
Had he really believed she would stay with him only if he made himself indispensable to her? “What I was trying to say was that I could get by without your help, if necessary. I have other options. Family and friends. A nice home and a good job.”
He nodded grimly. “I know. But I thought—”
Stevie had always been willing to risk everything for anyone important to her—family, friends, boyfriends. Only with Cole had she tried to be cautious, to put her fear of being hurt above those all-or-nothing instincts. Now she realized how foolish she’d been. What she’d found with him was worth more to her than any relationship she’d ever had before. This was not the time to become shy about expressing her feelings.
She met his eyes squarely. “I’m not staying with you because I need to, Cole. As grateful as I am to you for everything you’ve done, everything you’ve promised, that isn’t why I want to be with you. I married you because I care very deeply about you. Maybe I didn’t even understand how much at the time. During these past six months, I’ve come to realize that you’ve always been more than a friend to me. Even when I thought you weren’t interested, even when I tried to convince myself I wasn’t falling in love with you, I was fighting a losing battle. I won’t stay with you because I need to, Cole, but because I want to. If you want me, too, that is.”
“I want you,” he said almost before she finished her speech. He surged off the bed and leaned over her chair, his glittering dark eyes locked with hers. “And though I know you don’t really need me, I need you. I need your laughter, your passion, the color and energy you bring into my life. I don’t want to give that up. Not now, not ever. When the doctors told me how much trouble you were in when we arrived at the hospital yesterday, I nearly lost my mind. I couldn’t handle the possibility of losing you.” He swallowed hard before he asked, “Will you stay married to me? Please?”
She reached up an unsteady hand to cup his firm cheek. “Yes.”
Not even bothering to blink away her tears, she gave him a watery smile. “I made a promise to you on Valentine’s Day in front of Pastor Dave and Luanne. I knew even then it was for a lifetime. Besides, I owe you a dance, remember? I would never renege on a bet.”
“Damn straight,” he murmured as he swooped down to claim her lips.
He drew back after a thorough kiss that only left her wanting more. “I’m going to do my damnedest to make sure you’re never sorry, Stevie.”
She shook her head in fond exasperation. She heard a little catch in her throat as she replied. “You don’t have to earn my love. You have it. And I’m confident you care about me, too,” she added bravely.
It would be enough, she told herself. She would never have to doubt Cole’s loyalty and affection.
“I do care about you, Stevie. But I am also completely, totally in love with you.”
She felt her eyes go wide, her lips part in surprise. “You—you are? Since when?”
“Since approximately the day I met you,” he answered. “I didn’t think I was your type. Wasn’t sure I had anything to offer...until I found an excuse to make my move.” He gave her a glimmer of a smile. “And then you’ll notice I didn’t waste any time.”
She blinked rapidly against an incipient flood of tears. The last thing she wanted right now was to embarrass him. “I wasn’t sure you... I mean, I know you loved Natasha...”
Her voice trailed off uncertainly.
That cheek muscle twitched again, but he spoke evenly. “Natasha was a special woman. I loved her for her courage, for her determination, for her intelligence and grace. I grieved for her when she died, and I felt guilty as hell that I didn’t see how critical she was those last few days, even though I know she deliberately hid her pain from me. Then I fell for you, and to be honest, the guilt came back for a while when I thought about what a great life I’d have with you and Liam. Maybe that kept me from showing you just how much you’d come to mean to me. I won’t hold back anymore. I love you, Stevie.”
“I love you, too.” Her voice was thick, but she managed to contain the tears to a mere trickle. “And I’m glad you don’t feel guilty now. I’m sure Natasha would have wanted you to be happy. To have a family who loves you and makes you happy.”
“She would have,” he agreed. “So...don’t scare me again the way you did yesterday, okay? When I thought I was going to lose you, too—” Emotion choked his voice, bringing a fresh film of tears to her eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere. I’m so blessed to have you for my husband. And our baby,” she added, stressing the our, “is the luckiest little boy in the world to have you for a daddy.”
He kissed her again as their son gave a little purr of contentment in the bassinet.