“Oh, wow.”
“What?”
“It’s just, well, he’s kicking so much.” Bella stood and circled the table. Grabbing Luke’s hand, she placed it on her stomach. For a moment, neither of them breathed. Luke just waited, and then… there it was. The tiniest flicker, like a butterfly kiss, against his palm. Then it came again, a little harder. This was their baby, kicking him.
Luke had palpated plenty of pregnant stomachs at work and felt plenty of baby kicks, but this felt completely new. He was feeling his own baby, Bella’s baby.Theirbaby.
He looked up at Bella, his mouth opening slightly.
“Oh, wow,” he echoed.
“I know.” Her voice was low. Luke realized his hand was still on her stomach, and her hand was still on top of his, light and warm. Their eyes met, and the world seemed to slow until it was just the two of them — or the three of them.
“We’re having ababy,” he said.
“Did you just figure that out, Sherlock?” Bella’s voice was still soft and warm, despite the teasing edge.
“I think I didn’t really realize it until now,” Luke admitted. “I mean, I knew we were having a baby, but I didn’t know we were havingthisbaby.”
Bella laughed softly. “What other baby would we have had?”
“That’s not what I mean.” Luke stood suddenly, so that they were face-to-face. His hand still rested on her stomach. “Bella, this changes everything.”
Worry flared behind her green eyes. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, we can’t go on like this. We can’t pretend that we’re just roommates or strangers. We’re going to be parents. I think we have to start talking.”
“What do you mean?” Bella repeated. “We do talk. We talk plenty.”
“I mean, I want to know about you. I want to know about your family, about your dreams, about what you want for this baby. And you should know those things about me, too — because like it or not, we’re going to be in each other’s lives forever because of this little one.”
“I think being roommates has been fine,” Bella said guardedly.
“Yeah.” Luke nodded. “It’s been fine. But I think we can do better. We’re going to be a family, Bella. That comes with a certain amount of responsibility.”
Bella let out a slow breath. “You might be right.”
“Good. Are you done with dinner?”
She nodded.
“Then come with me.” He took her by the hand and led her into the living room. They sat together on the couch, across from each other. The window was open, and warm spring air spilled through. It felt like a new beginning.
Luke was scared. Keeping his distance had worked for him; it had worked really well. As long as he was distant from Bella and the baby, he wouldn’t be too badly hurt when they left his life. But he realized now that he’d be hurt anyway, and it was better not to pretend that they were strangers.
“So, tell me something. Something about you.”
“Um…” Bella looked uncomfortable. “What do you want to know?”
“Tell me about your family,” Luke suggested.
“I’m an only child, no siblings,” she told him. “I don’t speak much with my parents anymore, although they live near here. They were both only children, too, so I don’t have aunts or uncles. My grandparents have passed away.”
There was a world of hurt in those few sentences. Bella really was all alone in the world — no wonder she’d been so upset in the hospital when she realized she had to take time off.
“And you?” she prodded.
“I’m an only child, too. My parents live back East, in Pittsburgh, and I visit them now and then. We talk on the phone a bit, too. They’re great parents, but we’re all busy with our own lives.”Tell her about Jenna,an insistent voice at the back of his mind putin. After all, they were being honest with each other. Still, he struggled to find the words. “Um, and I was married, but I’m not now.”
