Page 99 of Closer

I take a deep breath and dive in. I won’t know for sure until I take a leap. “I’m pregnant.”

He laughs, as if I’m joking, but then he studies my now seriously pissed off face. I can see him playing our exchange tonight in his head. He cannot see my stomach because it is pushed against his, but it is still relatively flat, and looks as though I just had a large serving of bread for supper.

“We’re having a baby?” He is not mad or disappointed like I expected him to be, like I feared, but there is wonder in this voice, and hope. I nod. “A real baby?”

He rolls us so that he is hovering over me with his arms outstretched, and his hands splayed either side of my head. I laugh, despite myself. “Oui. A realbébé.”

“Holy shit, Brie, are you sure?” He glances down between us and skims one large hand over my abdomen. My insides quicken. “You don’t look—”

“Oui, je suis sûre.”

“I don’t speak French.”

“Then I suggest you learn, because I’m not leaving France, and ourbébéwill speak his native tongue, and English too, I guess. If you choose to be involved in his life.”

“His?”

I slide my hand across my stomach protectively. “It is too early to tell, but I know the child I carry is a boy, and he is as stubborn as hispère.”

His mouth twists into a grimace. “Wait, why would you think I wouldn’t want to be involved in his life?”

“I do not know what you want, Levi. Sometimes I wonder if even you know that.”

“I want you.” He presses his lips to my forehead. “Always you, and I want this baby.”

“Five minutes ago, you didn’t know about this baby.”

“And now that I do, I’ve never wanted anything more.” He lowers his body over mine, careful to rest his weight on his elbows rather than risk crushing me. He cups my face in his hands. “I love you, Brie.”

“Merde, je t'aime aussi. I don’t want to, but I love you too.”

He peppers my face with kisses, hard and fast and then slow and sweet before capturing my mouth with his and kissing me so deeply I forget where I begin and he ends.

He stares into my eyes as he hovers over my body. I open my legs, letting him fall into the hollow between them. His long erection is pressed against my stomach, but he doesn’t rock his hips the way he usually would. In fact, he doesn’t do anything to suggest he wants to make love, other than kiss me so deeply I cannot breathe.

When we come up for air, Levi smiles. “I missed you so fucking much. Tell me you missed me. Tell me it’s been just as hard for you as it has for me.”

“In France we have a saying:tu me manques. We do not merely say, ‘I miss you’ but instead say, ‘you are missing from me’.”

“That makes sense.”

I smile, though my throat is aching, and tears sting my eyes. He lifts my shirt over my head and throws it on the floor. Though I am barely showing, my once small breasts are more than a handful, and it looks like Levi appreciates the sheer lingerie I have on. Shame the panties do not match the bra, but something tells me he won’t be too worried. He slides his fingertips over my sides, and my nipples form two hard peaks. He takes one in his mouth and sucks gently. I moan and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer. He makes love to me as if all of the hurt and angry words, betrayal and sadness had never come between us.

***

Levi nuzzles my breast. He’s been laying in the middle of the bed with his head on my stomach for the last hour, talking to ourbébéabout all of the adventures they’re going to have.

“You hungry?”

I puff out my cheeks and sigh like a horse. “I’m pregnant. I’m always hungry.”

“What do you want?”

“An ice-cream sundae,” I declare with gusto. Levi laughs.

“Fuck, I love you.”

“And frites,” I add, and roll my eyes when I remember that his not speaking French is going to be a problem I will have to endure forever. “Fries.”

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