Page 125 of I Replaced His Husband
He flinched slightly and instinctively touched his belly. There was a bump, just the beginning of one. I hadn’t noticed it before. He ran his hand over it, almost uncertain, like he didn’t know how to react.
"The baby’s growing," I said with a warm smile.
"Yeah," he whispered so faintly I barely caught it.
I set the banjo aside and slid down onto my knees. Kay looked a bit startled, but I leaned forward, placed my hands on his hips, and… kissed his belly.
He seemed touched and gasped softly, his fingers sliding through my hair. I pressed my head gently against his ribs and closed my eyes, holding him.
"You know," he whispered, "some days I just feel like a mess. Emotional. Fragile. And I get scared. What if I’m not a good dad?"
His honesty caught me off guard. "You worry about that a lot? Giving birth, taking care of a newborn?" I asked quietly, still stroking his small bump.
Somehow, I knew saying"just don’t worry about it"wouldn’t cut it. I wanted to ask something that would help him focus, really sort through what he was feeling.
"Not as much as I used to," he admitted. "Especially since you came into my life. But yeah, there’s still stuff I feel I need to figure out."
Even without looking up, I could tell he was glancing toward the bed. Was he thinking about his nest? Maybe he saw that whole space as part of his journey, his omega path into parenthood?
"I know you may not be ready for me to comment on it. It’s a delicate matter, and I respect that. But I want you to know that seeing you nest was ecstatic for me. It makes me happy, Kay. And the nest is very nice!"
His heart sped up; I could literally feel his struggle to answer, to push through this sensitive topic. But he finally managed to blurt out, "Thank you. I appreciate you for noticing, for caring about whether I'm okay in this way. I know it’s still small and rather modest, but I’ll get there. It’s not an easy thing, you know? My soul just had to find its way back to nesting again, through loneliness and grief. And now it’s starting to be a part of my mental state regarding being a dad."
"I’ll be there for you, Kay. We’ll figure it out together, one day at a time. We’re a team," I whispered, placing another soft kiss on his belly as his fingers kept brushing through my hair.
Kay sighed. "Thank you… It really means a lot. You do make a difference, you know? You really do."
I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. The silence that followed felt good, comforting. I could feel the wave of relief pass through him.
Then he lowered his head and kissed the top of mine. I was on cloud nine, wrapped in the warmth of this simple, lovelymoment, letting myself drift in it, bubbles of happiness rising inside me.
When I looked up, Kay’s eyes were on my lips.
As he leaned in, the kiss felt different. And suddenly I knew why he was so strict about reserving kisses for relationships. They truly carried somethingextrafor him, a strong emotional energy. His aura was soft and sweet now, so tender it made my heart skip.
I wasn’t ready to repeat the lyrics of the song out loud, but I could say this much.
"I… like you a lot, Kay."
He tensed for a split second. I thought maybe I shouldn’t have said it, but then he let out a slow breath, as if releasing some unnecessary nervous, pent-up energy, finally embracing the moment.
"I like you too, Rain," he said softly.
That was all we said. But it was enough.
Today had quietly shifted something between us. One more step forward into our future.
???
Starting the next day, I doubled my commitment to a steady strategy of calm, patient support.
Despite what had been said, despite his confession and his determination to make us work, I still wanted to give Kay space to take things slowly and naturally, without overwhelming him with the lovey-dovey energy typical of the early stages of a relationship.
I didn’t expect a sudden change from how he used to be into someone carefree and happy, nor did I expect him to shift his feelings toward me overnight.
The following week brought more updates about Storm. His lawyer did everything he could to defend him. He presented a range of evidence and brought in witnesses who helped shape Storm’s image as trustworthy in the eyes of the jury. For a moment, it felt like there was real hope for a decent outcome.
But the next court session didn’t go so well.
