Page 49 of Calamity Rayne Knocked Up

“No, it’s fine. I just feel like we should do something special.” His gaze dropped to my stomach, and then he pressed his palm over my belly. “I can’t believe this. My baby’s in there.”

“Well, I think I play a small part in the procreation, so technically it’sourbaby.”

He smiled at me with such awe. “Our baby. How amazing is that?”

Turned out, we didn’t need champagne or a fancy meal to celebrate. We only needed each other. Hale carried me upstairs, where we made love late into the night.

As he kissed my stomach, he whispered secret promises to the little bean growing inside. Considering my track record, I always assumed I’d be terrified once I reached thispoint, but I was so overwhelmed with relief and gratitude that I was oddly calm. It was as if I was truly ready for this next chapter of our lives.

Afterward, I lay in a mess of blankets and pillows, more satisfied than I had felt in months.

The bathroom light flicked on as Hale cleaned up. On his way back to the bed, he paused by the balcony door. “Rayne, why is my Renly portrait in the pool?”

I bit my lip. “Is that something you really want to know?”

“I guess not.” He chuckled, leaving the window and climbing back into bed.

As he fussed over my body, taking more care than usual, my stomach soured with guilt. “Was it expensive?”

“I got it for a steal at an auction.”

Uh-oh. A steal for me was a two-for-one at Costco. Hale’s definition was probably much different. “How much of a steal?” I braced.

“Fifty.”

“Thousand?”I was going to be sick.

“Yeah.”

There was no way I could replace a work of art like that. And if that was what heconsidered a bargain, that probably meant it was worth twice that. “I’m sorry, Hale.”

“Nothing could upset me right now, Rayne. Don’t sweat it.” He kissed my head. “I’ll just have to find something I like better to replace it. Maybe a nude of my beautiful wife. I have a few on my phone I’m fond of.”

“There will be no nudes of my body hanging in the common areas of this house. And you promised to delete those!”

“I don’t remember that.”

“Hale,” I said sternly. My maternal voice was already developing.

“Shh. Baby, I’m trying to sleep.”

My lips pursed. I was never getting those damn pictures off his phone. “What’s our baby going to think when he learns his father’s a big old pervert.”

“He?” Hale chuckled. “What if it’s another girl?”

I smiled. “I’d be happy either way.” My hand cradled my flat stomach as a sense of warmth spread through my chest. “Our baby.”

Hale’s hand covered mine. “Our baby.”

Mind the Zygote Please

We caught the pregnancy early, so at this stage we were basically dealing with a zygote. But that tiny, little fertilized egg quickly became our whole world.

This was different from the first time Hale was expecting. When Elara’s birth mother revealed she was pregnant, she wasn’t exactly on good terms with him. That led to the blowout between Hale and Remington, and then Remington had a heart attack and broke his foot. A few weeks later, I was hired and put smack dab in the middle of their dysfunction. The rest was history.

But this time, Hale was determined things would go differently.

I awoke to an enormous breakfast in bed. “Oh, my gosh.” I scooted back to the pillows, making room for the loaded tray. “We had eggs?”

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