Page 103 of Irreplaceable

She strode across the room, and I watched her body in awe. I’d always thought she was beautiful—strong yet light. But now that she was pregnant with my child…I shook my head. She was incredible—our baby even more miraculous for what she’d gone through before getting pregnant. And, impractical as it was, I didn’t want her to leave my side, not even for a moment.

She tilted her head to the side. “What?”

“You’re gorgeous.”

She smiled, her skin glowing as if from within. Her hair was mussed, lips swollen, and I couldn’t imagine anyone looking more beautiful.

“And you’re stalling. The sooner we get this registry done, the sooner we can relax.”

“Okay. Okay.” I stood, delighting in the way her eyes tracked my every move.

I followed her to the shower, enjoying the large size of our new bathroom. As nice as the hotel was, this home was true luxury with its beautiful tile work and multiple showerheads.

“I’m glad you’re home, amore mio.”

She smiled, but then yawned again. “Me too. I’m not looking forward to going to South Carolina in a few weeks.” Hearing the exhaustion in her voice, I frowned. I didn’t care what the doctor said; Harper was working too much. Pushing herself too hard.

At least she’d started limiting her travel to the US, but still. I didn’t want her to travel at all.

I smoothed my hands over her hips and down her stomach. “You’re working too hard.”

She huffed and stepped out of my arms, rinsing off before exiting the shower.

“What? You are,” I said, switching off the faucet and toweling off. How did she not see it? The constant travel, the long hours, the jet lag. I understood it more than anyone, and I knew what it was like to constantly push the physical limits of your body. But this was a pregnancy we were talking about, and she’d officially entered her third trimester.

“The baby is healthy. And I’m not traveling overseas anymore, even though Dr. Fulton said flying was fine.”

“For now. What are you going to do during your third trimester? And what about after the baby’s born?” I asked, pulling on some athletic shorts. She’d been in denial about this for weeks, evading the topic any time I brought it up. “You know you don’t have to work, right?”

“Yes, Enzo.” She glared at me. “I do. I’m not just going to quit my job and live off your money.”

“It’s our money, uccellina. Just like this is our house.” For some reason, I kept having to remind her of that. I was beginning to wonder if she felt like she needed to prove a point or if she was that stubborn.

“I just want you to be happy,” I said. “And I can’t envision you continuing to travel like you are while taking care of an infant.”

“What happened to ‘we’re a team’?”

“Harper.” I stepped toward her, softening my tone. “Of course I’ll be there every step of the way. But…” I tried to choose my words carefully, knowing this was a delicate subject. “I can’t imagine you wanting to be away from our child. Especially not after how long you’ve wanted to be a mom.”

Her shoulders sagged. “You’re right. And that was never part of my plan. But neither were you.”

“What was your plan?” I asked. “I mean, if the artificial insemination had worked?” I’d never thought to ask.

“I’d planned to build as big of a nest egg as I could before the baby came. Then I was going to max out what meager maternity leave I had while searching for jobs back home.” She sighed. “LA is too expensive as it is, let alone with a baby. And I wanted to be near my family.”

Her answer both did and didn’t surprise me. But still, it seemed like something she would’ve mentioned.

“You never told me that.”

“What would be the point?” She sighed. “It’s not really an option now, is it?”

I frowned. We both knew I had another year on my contract. And even then… I shook my head. Professional soccer had been my life for almost twenty years. And while I knew it would end someday, I felt I had more left to give. To the team. To the sport.

“We’ll figure something out,” I said.

She nodded, though she seemed skeptical. Then she grabbed my hand and placed it on her stomach. “Do you feel that?” She smiled.

There was a faint rhythmic beat beneath my hand, and I smiled. “What is that?”

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