Olivia lifted one hand to cover her mouth. Up until that morning, he’d figured she knew but was waiting for a special moment to inform him.
But her eyes were filling up with tears and various expressions of delight, disbelief, and terror crossed her features in a matter of seconds. “But! I cannot be!”
Upon which, Gabriel toggled his brows at her, feeling more than a little pleased with himself. “I’m almost surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”
And then she buried her face into his chest again. “What if…?” A tremor ran through her. “What if the baby gets my eyes?”
Gabriel pulled her even closer into him. “Then we will have a violet-eyed boy or girl to love and care for.”
She shook her head. “That’s not what I meant.”
He squeezed her again. “We will love him, or her, all the more.”
“I don’t want our baby to…” He knew what she was thinking. He would never allow their child to suffer as she had.
“Well…” Gabriel stared at the ceiling, cradling her against his chest. “If we have a child with eyes like yours, we can always seek out a qualified physician. And if we are given instructions, we could always follow them correctly. But we will never allow our child to feel anything other than our love.”
She sniffed but then nodded.
Gabriel dropped a kiss onto her hair. “Be happy, love. And allow me to spoil you until you and the baby are delivered safely.”
“And after?”
“And after,” he agreed. “So we’ll have this Christmas party as long as you don’t attempt to do everything yourself. As to Miss Cline and Lord Crestwood, are you certain you want to stir the pot, so to speak?”
“She might not even come. Neither of them, in fact. It cannot hurt to send them both invitations, though, can it?”
Gabriel could only chuckle. His dearest Olivia. Matchmaking now.
He turned both of them so that he could look into her face. “As long as you are happy. Are you happy?”
She nodded. “A baby! Oh, Gabriel! This is going to be so much fun!”
*** The End ***
