“Our lips are sealed,” Em said with an accompanying “zip it” motion to her lips. Ed clapped Travis on his back.
“I’m going to get fat,” Caitlin informed her husband. “You’re up for that?”
Travis turned her in his arms, leaned in, and said, “You’re pregnant. Pregnant is not fat. Is that what this panic is all about?”
“I’m not panicking.”
“Right . . .” Travis eyed her dubiously. Then he tucked her into his side and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll figure it out, sunshine.”
The comfort of his arms did make her feel better. Her nausea started receding, and the first inkling of excitement at the prospect of motherhood started to tickle her heart.
Travis was exultant,but he tried to reel it in, even if he wanted to lift Caitlin and spin her around in pure exhilaration. His woman was in shock right now; although, it seemed she was less tense than she had originally been at the hospital.
They dropped off Emily and Ed at their home. It was almost 3:30 a.m. when they finally pulled into their garage. Caitlin had dozed off and was just rousing when Travis exited the car to go around her side to open her door. The skirt she was wearing was bunched up around her hips exposing the mound between her thighs. His cock predictably stirred. Well, her being pregnant certainly earned her a reprieve from his ire. He’d forgive her any transgression right now. However, her being pregnant also reminded him of the infinitely pleasurable activity of how she got that way. He grew harder. It was that mating instinct. It had to be.
“Want me to carry you, babe?” Travis whispered.
“I’m pregnant, Travis, not an invalid,” Caitlin’s lips curved in a sleepy smile.
Watching Caitlin walk into their kitchen, into their house, which she had spent weeks turning into a home, and knowing she was carrying their baby, he couldn’t hold back his feelings any longer.
“Sunshine?” Caitlin turned and looked at him questioningly. “Come here.”
She took too long in getting to him because of those damned heels, so he held out his hand and when she took it, he yanked her into him. She stumbled into his chest with a gasp.
“I’m so fucking happy I’ve knocked you up, so you’re going to get over any uncertainty you’re having about this baby,” Travis growled at her, their lips a breath apart. “Are we clear?”
“Yes, Travis,” Caitlin sighed against his lips, and there was contentment in her voice.
“You sound happy,” Travis asked warily, not trusting her sudden acquiescence.
“I am happy. I’ve got the man; now I’m getting the family.”
“Damn right you are,” Travis muttered.
“Just took me an hour to wrap my head around it.”
“That’s not too bad.”
“I’m just wondering why my first reaction was panic,” Caitlin whispered. “And I spoiled the news for you.”
“Caitlin, don’t. Nothing could put a dampener on how happy I am right now,” Travis said firmly. “Come on, let’s go upstairs. There’s something I need to tell you.”
After taking a quick shower together,Travis had Caitlin snuggled close to him in bed. They were both too wired to fallasleep, and he felt he had to tell her why she was feeling the way she was about the whole pregnancy.
“You didn’t want to have children before,” Travis admitted. He felt Caitlin stiffen. “When we first got married, it was with my full understanding that it would simply be the two of us.”
“I’m surprised you were okay with it.”
“Babe, I love you more than anything. Was I bummed at the prospect of not having kids? Hell yeah, but that wasn’t a deal breaker for me. I wasn’t giving you any reason to walk away. You didn’t even want to get married, saying you were okay with just living in sin. Fucking. Drove. Me. Nuts. I never understood why because there was no question that we were crazy about each other. It was only when the truth came out about Project Infinity that everything made sense.”
He glanced down at her. “Still awake, Cat?”
“Hmm . . . just thinking. So why didn’t I want kids?”
“Being abandoned as a child and enduring the foster care system didn’t exactly give you the warm fuzzies about motherhood,” Travis said. “I was hopeful if you got to experience the love and support of my family, I could change your mind. It took almost two damned years, but it worked.”
“Sneaky.”