The room seemed to hold its breath, waiting as William processed her confession. Then his face lit up with a smile that warmed her.
“Truly?” He was obviously thrilled. “Ana, that is... that is wonderful news!”
She watched him rise and come around the table to where she sat, still feeding Lilli. His hands, those healers’ hands, were steady as they rested on her shoulder, grounding her.
“To have a child of my own,” he said, “to love as I do Lilli...” He paused, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “And for that child to come from you, the woman I love, it’s more than I ever dared hope for.”
Ana felt a swell of something inside her. It was overwhelming and yet, at this moment, it was right. She could not fathom the future, but she knew that whatever came, it would be theirs to face together.
“William,” she murmured, her hand finding his. “Iamscared, but your joy...it helps.”
The silence between them stretched. Ana’s heart hitched as she regarded William, the lines of his face softened by candlelight. His words lingered in the air, tender yet terrifying in their implications.
“Love is not a debt you owe for carrying a child,” she whispered.
William’s smile didn’t falter, but it deepened with an earnestness that tugged at her soul. “Ana,” he said. “I do not say it out of obligation.”
His hand, once resting on her shoulder, now cradled her cheek. “I say it because it’s the truth. It was true before this news and it will remain true.”
Ana searched his eyes. Her breath caught as the reality of his words sank in, roots entwining with the very core of her being.
“Less than a year apart,” he continued. “Our home filled with the sounds of two little ones.”
Ana looked down at the baby in her arms. “I hope this one is sleeping through the night before the next one arrives.”
He chuckled. “I do too. Nothing could have made me happier than this news, Ana. I hope you know that.”
She smiled, nodding. “I’m getting used to the idea.”
Ana put the baby in her cradle before joining William in the bedroom where he waited for her.
Ana’s fingers trembled as she reached for William’s outstretched hand. “William,” she began. “I...”
The words lodged in her throat. She swallowed hard, trying to force the words. Even though he’d admitted he loved her, she was having a hard time saying the same thing to him. Yet as she gazed into his eyes, those wellsprings of unwavering resolve, she found a reflection of her longing—a yearning not just for the comfort of companionship but for the all-consuming blaze of love that threatened to consume her.
“I love you,” she said, the declaration slipping out like a sigh carried on the evening breeze.
His smile was slow, deliberate as if he was savoring her words. There was no triumph in his expression, only a deep-seated contentment that spoke of shared hardships and the solace found in each other’s presence.
“Ana,” he replied, “you’ve given me more than I ever dared hope for.”
