Page 15 of Guarded

And she still had about another two months to go.

Annoyed at herself for complaining about it, even in her head, she turned back to the report she was just finishing up for Rycroft. Everything to do with the pregnancy was all systems go. She should be focusing on that, but instead she was missing her husband.

He was still mad at her. Not icy anymore, he’d been civil enough during their phone conversations and their getaway was still on, but he had been a little cool.

She didn’t like it, or the residual tension between them. When Matt had gone with her to their first ultrasound appointment a couple months back, he’d been so excited and she’d never felt closer to him. She even carried their baby’s first picture in her wallet. They still didn’t know the gender. They both wanted it to be a surprise. Briar was convinced it was a boy.

“About done with that?” Rycroft asked her as he walked into the hotel conference room they were using. The recon op had finished an hour ago, and she and others were working on compiling the reports. Not even remotely her idea of a good time.

“Almost. Just one last section to wrap up.” The baby shifted, almost in a somersault beneath Briar’s ribs. She glanced down in time to see something poke out beneath the left side of her ribs and trace around to the right, the fabric of her top moving with it. “Someone just woke up. Funny how he sleeps during the day and does gymnastics in there while I’m trying to sleep.”

“He?” Rycroft grinned. “I thought you guys weren’t going to find out the sex.”

“It’s definitely a boy. Mother’s intuition. And he’s already got strong legs.”

“Active, just like his mama.”

She made a face. “I’m not active anymore. Look at me. I’m like a beached whale sitting here.”

“You’re not that big yet, Briar. Trust me.”

“Well I feel huge.” She put a hand to her belly and something bumped into her palm.

A knee maybe. Or an elbow. The first time she’d seen her belly move like that it had freaked her out, but now she found it cool. She liked feeling the baby move inside her. Matt loved to touch her belly all the time too. He would rub it and kiss it, put his head in her lap and talk to the baby. It was ridiculous and adorable at the same time, and made her fall even more in love with him each day. God, she hated that she’d left while they were fighting. Hopefully they could smooth everything over again during their quick holiday.

“We’ll head to the airport around three, okay?”

“Sounds good.”

He eyed her awkward position in the chair. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to you putting your feet up for a while.”

Briar chuckled. “You sound like Matt. I’ll put them up for a while, promise.” Resting wasn’t something she was used to or comfortable with, but she figured she’d earned some.

Things on the home front had improved a lot since she had officially retired from fieldwork. About a month after her belly had popped over the top of her jeans she had finally made the call, much to Matt’s relief. She had agreed to work closer to home and keep travel to an absolute minimum now that she was in her last trimester. Being an analyst sucked, though.

“You still going away this weekend?” Rycroft asked her, flipping through a file.

“Yes. Down to North Carolina for four days. Matt booked the time off months ago.” He had reserved a room for them at an exclusive B&B on the coast for a getaway. Only a few hours’ drive from home, which her increasingly miniscule bladder appreciated.

“Good for you. Glad you’re taking some time now. It’s busy when the baby first gets here. Everything’s different after that.”

“I’ll bet.” She was glad too, even if she did feel a little guilty about it. Once the baby came, her entire world would change.

Normally the thought of sitting around doing nothing for four days would make her nuts but she was looking forward to some downtime and to reconnect with her husband. Even with the improvements in their relationship, it felt like they had been drifting apart a little lately in the ebb and flow of married life, and their demanding work schedules conflicted a lot. The recent fight hadn’t helped any. This little holiday was just what they needed.

They loved each other and were willing to put in the ongoing effort a committed relationship required. That didn’t come naturally to her but she was trying her best to be a good wife, even if she didn’t always agree with him or do what he thought she should. Thankfully Matt hadn’t held her shortcomings against her—yet. She was already inexperienced in the whole childcare thing, and she wanted this baby to come home to as solid a home as they could provide.

The flight back to Virginia was uneventful. Rycroft drove her home from the airport. Matt wasn’t home from work yet when she arrived. By the time she dragged her suitcase up the stairs she was exhausted. Sleep, or at least solid stretches of uninterrupted sleep, was becoming less and less frequent.

She stripped off everything but her panties and bra and crawled into their king-sized bed for a nap, waking when the mattress shifted sometime later.

Rolling to her other side, she fought her way through the fog of sleep and smiled up at Matt. “Hey,” she murmured, trying to get comfortable.

“Hi.” He leaned over to kiss her softly, the subtle scent of his crisp cologne teasing her, his comforting welcome filling her with relief. He didn’t seem angry anymore. “When did you get home?”

“Five-thirty. What time is it?”

“Just after seven.”

---