Page 243 of The Moment We Know

“You could do whatever you wanted,” David continued. “You could even write a book—I was serious before about that. The Duke and The Cowgirl won’t write itself.”

She choked out a laugh at the reference to his ridiculous story idea. “What about the other one? The one with the highlander?”

“The Highlander’s Countess. You could write that one, too. In fact, my mom would probably want you to write that story first,” he replied with a snort before turning serious again. “There’s so much you could do. You could start a foundation for abused women and children. You could donate to animal shelters. You could even put some of the money into a college account for Jacob, if you wanted,” he suggested. Then after clearing his throat, he added, “And also for the one on the way.”

It took a few seconds to realize what he’d said, and then she felt her throat tighten up. “What?”

“There’s one on the way, right? You’re with child? You have a bun in the oven?”

“Yes,” she confirmed softly, hearing the happiness in his voice. “How long have you known?”

“A month, give or take,” David answered.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

“I was waiting for you to say something. For all I knew, you didn’t know yet.”

“Did you really think you knew before I knew?”

“It seemed like a possibility, since you weren’t telling me the good news, which I obviously would’ve wanted to hear at the earliest possible date.”

The happiness had been layered with a hint of rebuke, making Paige feel ashamed. “I’m sorry. I should’ve told you when I found out.”

“And when was that?”

“Well, officially … a few days ago, when I went to the doctor. Unofficially, I’ve suspected for about a month.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Is it because you’re not happy about it?” he asked, even though that didn’t seem possible, given how they’d been vigorously trying to get pregnant for several months.

“No, I’m very happy,” she was quick to assure him. “I was just being hesitant because I’m still in the first trimester—”

“Oh, Paige.” He eased his hand up until it was gently resting on her still-flat stomach. He couldn’t wait until she started showing, since she really hadn’t gotten that far along in the first pregnancy. “I understand what you’re feeling, but we need to stop looking behind us and begin looking forward, with a positive attitude and a positive outlook. Starting now.”

“Okay,” she said after a brief, heavy pause. “You’re right.”

“I am?”

She nodded, because deep down, she knew he was.

“You’re not just saying that so I’ll shut-up, are you?” he pressed.

“No. You’re right.”

Deciding she looked sincere, he said, “Okay,” before changing the subject slightly. “So, what did the doctor have to say?”

“She said my bloodwork was fine, that I’m extremely healthy, and put me on pre-natal vitamins.”

“Did she give you a due date?”

“Approximately July tenth, but she’ll have a more accurate date after the ultrasound, which is scheduled in four weeks.” Paige tilted her head to look at him. “So, how did you know? I haven’t had any morning sickness, yet.”

“Well, I’m pretty familiar with your, uh, cycles, so when you missed one, I started to suspect you might be pregnant. Then when you missed the second one, I assumed you were.” His hands traveled up to cup her breasts. “And … your breasts feel bigger.”

Oddly, it was the term ‘breasts’ that threw her for a moment and she raised an eyebrow. “Did you just say … breasts?”

He smiled. “I figured since you’ve been elevated to the ‘mother of my child’ status, I should be a little more respectful.”

“Oh, well … okay, then. That might take some getting used to.”

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