The grin spread across his face, chocolate and brandy suffusing his breath with a heady mixture she still tasted on her tongue. Her head swam as he kissed her nose. “Yes.”
Rebecca blinked again. He knew? How could he possibly know? The realization had just hit her that very morning, a sudden epiphany in the bathroom when the forgotten, unopened box of tampons toppled over in her attempt to reach the new bottle of shampoo. When was the last time she’d needed one?
Granted, she had never been one of those women whose cycles occurred with the accuracy of a Swiss timepiece, but she had never thought much of it. Stress, irregular sleeping and eating patterns, serious injuries – all those things that had played such a prevalent part in her life – also affected her natural biology. It was not uncommon for her to go several months without having need of feminine products. She’d never really given it much thought, and pregnancy had certainly never been a concern.
But now... things were different. She was in Pine Ridge, not some third world nation. She ate regularly. Got plenty of sleep. And was married to a gorgeous, virile man with an insatiable appetite for sex. The question “how can I be pregnant?” suddenly became “how can I not be?”
The instant panic that followed her revelation had literally brought her to her knees. A baby? They’d never discussed having a family, and certainly not this soon. She, like Kane, was looking forward to leaving the world behind for a while. Going up to the mountains and staying there for weeks getting lost in each other. What would he think of a baby?
Nausea roiled within her. She forced it back down, telling herself it was only the power of suggestion. After all, she hadn’t experienced anything like morning sickness... or had she? When was the last time she’d actually eaten breakfast? Mornings were hazy at best. She’d wake up with Kane already moving inside her – she loved his special brand of wake-up call. Desire and lust overrode everything else for a while. It was Kane who usually rose out of hunger first; more often than not, she opted for a little more time beneath the covers. It was only well into the day that the desire for food roused her.
And she had been very tired these last few weeks. She’d been blaming it on their excessive sexual appetites, and all of the time and effort that went into planning a wedding – flowers, music, fittings, etc.
It was there, on her bathroom floor, just hours before her big church wedding that the truth hit her. She was carrying their child.
Power and sensuality surrounded her as Kane brought his lips within inches of hers, allowed his finger to trail along her jaw. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
The chastisement in his eyes was tempered with amusement. So far, so good. “I just realized it this morning. I didn’t know how you would feel ...”
The amusement vanished and his eyes darkened to sapphires. Anything else she might have said was abruptly halted by Kane crushing his mouth to hers.
“Do you still have any question of how I feel about this?”
She lifted dazed eyes to his. “We never talked about it. I wasn’t sure –“
His mouth came down on hers once again. By the time he released her, her lips were tingling and swollen, her mind pleasantly dazed.
“Are you still unsure?”
“About what?” she asked dreamily.
Kane laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Our baby, Rebecca.”
“You’re happy?”
“Sweetheart,” he said softly, pulling her against him, eliminating the last shreds of doubt. “I couldn’t be happier.”
Rebecca wrapped her arms around him, this huge bear of a man who was her husband. Not a day went by that she didn’t love him more than the day before.
The moment was interrupted by a sudden and loud banging on the door. “Time’s up, kids.” It sounded like it might have been Jake, but Rebecca wasn’t sure; they sounded so much alike.
“Fuck off,” Kane yelled back.
The laughter came through clearly. “Time to cut the cake. Ian’s threatening to do it himself if you don’t get out here soon, and Taryn threatened to shove the topper up his ass if he does.”
Rebecca laughed; even Kane’s lips curved a little. “We’ll be right out,” she called, then grinned at Kane. “You can dress them up, but you can’t take them anywhere. Do they ever behave?”
He snorted. “No. Never.”
“Good,” she said. “At least it will never be boring. I guess we should go. It is our wedding, after all.”
When she tried to step away, Kane tugged her back and kissed her. “Or we could just stay here until they all go home.”
“You heard what he said.”
“I did,” he agreed.
“You don’t think she would really do it, do you?”
“I know she would,” he grinned. “Even more reason to stay here.”
She laughed and pulled away. “Come on, Mr. Callaghan. Maggie spent forever on that cake. And the sooner we do this, the sooner we can go home and really celebrate.”
Kane’s eyes flared with heat. “Well, when you put it that way, what are we waiting for, Mrs. Callaghan?”
Thanks for reading Kane and Rebecca’s story