His kiss was so wonderful, so full of promise and tenderness, and I thought my heart would explode. No more doubt or fear. I groaned as I wrapped my arms around his big neck. I loved his hair in my hands. The sensations of his hands on my back.

He pulled his head back, “So, you’re not going to leave?”

“You’re stuck with us.”

“Maybe I like being stuck with you.”

“So you’ve said,” I smiled through my tears.

He brushed my hair off my face. “Are you okay?”

“I am. Now that you’re home.”

He looked down at me. “After everything I told you, you still want to be with me?”

I lifted my hand and stroked his big face. “Yes.”

“Jesus Emily,” he murmured against my lips. “Maybe there is something to be said for talking about our feelings.”

My head fell back as I laughed. “You know I’m never going to let you live those words down. Those words will haunt you for the rest of your life.”

He dropped a kiss on my lips. “I like the sounds of you and the rest of my life.”

TEN WEEKS LATER

“Jackson,”I wailed, panting. The contraction seized my body so hard that I couldn’t breathe.

Green eyes were fuzzy and then my vision cleared, and there he was. My husband. Letting me hold his hand in a death grip. He looked me in the eye. “Em, tell me what you need.”

“I can’t do this without you,” I said, knowing that I wasn’t making any sense. “Please, you have to do this with me.”

“I’m right here.”

“No, with me!” I wailed.

“Okay, sweetheart. I’m with you.”

He climbed into the bed and easily lifted me so that I was cradled in his lap. I lay back against his strong chest, sighing as his arms wrapped around me, his big knees on either side of my body. I felt his face against mine. “Better?”

“Yes,” I whimpered.

“Want to do some patterned breathing?” he put his hands on my belly.

“What?”

“Pant-pant-blow, come on, let’s do this together.”

“That’s Lamaze breathing,” I said, shocked since Jackson had been deployed and I had attended our Lamaze classes alone.

“Youtube, sweetheart. I’ve watched every single Lamaze video out there.”

Another contraction hit me. I panted and blew with Jackson.

“That’s it,” Jackson soothed. “Breathe through it.”

I focused on surviving the next contraction and then fell back against his chest.

“You watched Lamaze videos?” I gasped. “What else did you watch?”