“Is it moving?” He asked. “Do you know what it is?”
“Yes, the baby is moving now if you want to feel it.” Thump. Thump. Kick. “I remember you used to be excited about feeling Kat move inside me and no, I don’t know what it is,” I answered his second question as I watched him lean forward. “I didn’t want to know.”
He just stared down at me not moving even though he was closer to me. Finally I reached out and took his large hand in mine and placed it on my swollen abdomen right at the point of all the activity. His large hand splayed across my belly. The baby moved against his palm thump, thump, thump and his warm brown eyes grew wide with surprise. Kick.
“And what is that?” I asked unable to take my eyes off his face.
Kerry looked down at me with wonder and what I thought, no hoped was love in his eyes. He answered, “There are no words to describe it Gabby except to say it is overwhelming. A good kind of overwhelming though. We’re lucky.”
“I guess that means you aren’t too upset about the baby,” I said to him.
He pulled me to a sitting position and held me tight against him. “I’m just mad as hell that you didn’t tell me sooner. The last few months have been hell waiting and wondering if you loved me.”
His words registered in my head, then my heart. Tears formed in my eyes.
“Kerry, I wasn’t sure that you were even waiting for me.”
“Always Gabrielle,” he answered still holding me tight. “Imagine the hell I felt thinking that you might still love James Ellerton and our nights together were a mistake.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” I replied loving the feel of being in his arms and hoping that we wouldn’t ruin this chance to be happy together.
“I kept my distance for you. I wanted you to be sure of your feelings. I didn’t want to cause you more trouble with your divorce. Hell I could have been there for you the day you went to court. Keegan and I could have been back here if you had just let us know what the hell was going on. She was so upset when she was on the phone with you. She kept arguing with me about the two of us going home to be with you. I didn’t know what to do.” So many regrets.
“I survived.”
“Your daughter and I almost didn’t.
I pulled back from him. “What?”
“You had to be a wreck that day. She cried for an hour. Nearly tore my heart out. It took everything I had not to pack us both up and fly to Kentucky to see what was going on.” Kerry explained. Our eyes never left each other.
Why hadn’t he? “Why didn’t you?”
“I need to work on that thing I call my pride.”
“Yes you do.” I sounded snippy. “Kept you from Keegan for a very long time.” He rested his forehead against mine.
“Could have cost me you and this little one too?”
“Probably not. I wouldn’t have let that happen again,” I replied. “Kerry McCoy, I was sure of my feelings for you in December when we wer
e together. I am sure of my feelings for you now.”
“You didn’t tell James right away.”
“I explained that to you,” I replied in my defense.
“I know you did but Gab, I needed to be sure that you loved me.”
“I never stopped loving you,” I replied. “Not in all these years. Not my whole life.” My voice sounded tired and sad.
Kerry’s lips were on mine first softly then crushing them with hungry passion from months of separation.
#
While making dinner, we bumped into each other in the kitchen and smiled. Kerry touched me from time to time as if he needed reassurance that I was real and we were together. We hadn’t discussed our future but it didn’t seem to matter to either of us. Keegan eyed us curiously but said nothing about the current situation other than to question her Dad about the new baby.
“I’m mad as hell that your mother didn’t tell me sooner. Somehow I’m not surprised.” I was nearly four months pregnant with Keegan when I told him about her. “I’m happy about the baby. I have another chance to be a parent and to watch that child grow up. I will have to settle on seeing you grow into a wonderful adult since I missed your childhood. I’ll have to be content with that,” he answered stopping in front of Keegan and looking directly into her face.