“You have them.” Another inconvenient prick of tears stung her eyes, but this time she knew the reason for her recent susceptibility to shows of emotion. And the unsettled nature of her stomach in the mid-morning. And the tiredness and hunger which seemed to forever plague her over the last few weeks. “You have them all, Morgan, and one more thing as well.”
“Oh?” He flashed her a rogue’s grin, clearly thinking naughty thoughts. His thumb stroked her nipple, setting off a fresh ache between her thighs. “And what is that, darling?”
“A daughter or a son,” she said simply.
He stilled. “Pardon?”
“A babe, Morgan,” she explained, happiness swelling inside her again now as it had the day before when she had made the realization with Freddy’s aid. They had laughed until the laughter had turned into happy tears, knowing their children would take their first steps together, just as they had wanted. All through the remainder of the day and the evening, Leonora had kept the news to herself, though she fairly burst with it. “We are going to have a babe.”
“You are certain?” Awe tinged his voice. His hand slid from her breast, gliding over bare skin to settle upon the curve of her belly.
“As certain as can be,” she said, resting her hand over his. “All the signs are here, and it took a chat with Freddy yesterday to make me realize.”
“Another debt of gratitude to Mrs. Kirkwood for me.”
She searched his gaze, a sudden bout of nervousness hitting her. “This, too, I shall accept on her behalf. You are pleased, are you not, my love? I know it is soon, but I am eager to be a mama.”
“Pleased?” He kissed her, one fast, hard press of his mouth over hers. “I am bloody elated, Leonie. But do you mean to tell me you have known since yesterday and said nary a word?”
“I was waiting for the right moment,” she admitted weakly.
He kissed her again. “With you, every moment is the right moment. Whitley told me once I must let go of the past or it will kill me, and I did not know then how very right he was. Letting go of the past and moving forward with you is the best decision I ever made. All I want is our future together, our family growing, our love growing every day. And now, I must thank you again, darling. Thank you for this precious gift.”
She smiled at him. “How will you thank me, my lord?”
Her husband gave her a wicked grin. “I have a few ideas.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and tugged him to her for a kiss. She had a feeling she would like his ideas.
All of them.
And when he gently rolled her to her back, his lips never leaving hers, he proved her right.
Epilogue
From the momentMorgan had learned he was going to be a father, he had set three objectives.
Objective one: make his wife’s confinement as comfortable as possible.Accomplished with the aid of many kisses, back rubs, and, of course, strawberries.
Objective two: prepare himself to be the best father he could be, for he did not want to have the same cold relationship with his children that he suffered with his own sire.In medias res, for he knew nothing about being a father aside from the immense love he felt for his daughter or son.
Objective three: spend the rest of his life making Leonie and their children happy.A promise.
Retribution had been the sole thing on his mind when Morgan first saw Lady Leonora Forsythe. Loving Leonie had been the sole thing on his mind nearly every day since. But that love was about to grow bigger.
“Bloody hell, man,” Monty’s exasperated voice cut through Morgan’s introspection. “Your pacing is making me dizzy.”
He made what must have been his two hundredth circumnavigation of his study, Caesar trailing nervously in his wake with each step, and pinned his cousin with a glare. “Are you certain it is not the port?”
Monty glared at him. “You need not be judgmental. It is not every day a man is forced to be present for a lying in. I do not mind telling you I am quite bilious over it.”
“You are here to offer me support,” he noted wryly. “Not to drain my wine cellar. And how do you think I feel? My wife is in pain and I can do nothing to aid her.”
“Confinement is the business of females,” Monty said with a sniff. “She has the physician and her mother to attend her. Our place is to sit in the study and fill our gullets with spirits.”
Morgan raised a brow. “And how is that different from any of your other days, Monty?”
Monty glared back at him, unrepentant. “Other days, I would be betwixt the thighs of a woman. Instead, I have spent the last few hours coddling my ungrateful cur of a cousin as he paces a hole in the Aubusson.”
