“No way.”
“Yes way,” she says playfully, giving my ear a little bite. I love when she does that. “Some people get comfort from my column, remember?”
“Well, I certainly get comfort from your new job,” I tell her. “Last night included. How about those little coconut mousse things?”
She smiles gently, stroking her belly. “I wish we had some of that now.”
I kiss each of her nipples, pulling at one ruby red tip and making her squeal. “Do you want some now? I can get a car back to the restaurant. You stay right in bed. I’ll feed it to you like a queen.”
She giggles with pleasure as I give her belly another kiss.
“You spoil me. How did I get so lucky?”
“It’s because I love you. And because you’re incredible.”
She giggles again. “Aw, that’s sweet, Pierce. You don’t need to go back to the restaurant, though. It’s seems a wee bit extreme.”
“Nothing’s too extreme for you, sweetheart. You deserve the best. So if you don’t want chocolate mousse, do you want to go out then? I thought we could get a glass of wine at the High Line?”
“The High Line sounds nice,” she says tentatively. “Wine, maybe not.”
“Not feeling it?” I ask curiously. My girl is usually up for a drink. She is a food and wine critic, after all.
But Casey turns to me, suddenly serious.
“I would love a glass of wine, but I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she repeats. Her hands have yet to stop rubbing her stomach. I pull her closer and breathe in the smell of her hair. She takes my big hands and clasps them in her small, soft ones.
“Mmmmm, or we could just stay here. No problem. I wouldn’t mind snuggling with you some more.” And getting her naked and hot all over again.
She giggles. “No, it’s not that. It’s actually something else.”
I look at Casey, mystified. She’s sitting up now and takes my hand and gently puts it over her stomach. I love to touch her belly, and to feel her soft, round sensuality. Today, for the first time, it feels different, like it’s slightly taut and hard against my palm. I realize what she’s about to say as it’s coming out of her mouth.
Her eyes are happy and shining with tears of joy. “I’m pregnant,” she whispers. “About three months in. A little more, actually. I just confirmed it with the doctor this morning.”
Casey puts her hands on her stomach over mine. She gives me a gentle squeeze as I look at her with awe, shock and love. Overcome with both joy and arousal, I kiss my woman deeply.
I’m going to be a father. To my surprise, I feel myself starting to cry. Oh shit. I’m really and truly losing it. I haven’t cried in decades, but it’s happening now.
My girlfriend shushes me, stroking my black head.
“It’s okay,” she murmurs. “You’ll be an amazing daddy, Pierce.”
“I’m surprised this didn’t happen sooner,” I manage in a choked voice. “I’ve been coming in you all the time, and you’re a very fertile young woman.”
“Apparently I am,” she smiles, shifting. “Actually give me a sec. Pregnant women need to pee a lot. I'll be right back.”
She grabs her silk bathrobe and heads to the en suite. Quickly, I leap out of bed and climb into a pair of boxers because what I have planned isn't something one really does in the nude. The velvet box is in my suit pocket. I was going to wait until tonight, but the time seems right. I can’t believe she told me today because it’s like we’re always reading each other’s minds.
She is my soulmate, after all.
Casey comes out of the bathroom wearing her dressing gown. Her mermaid hair hangs behind her, silky, long and dark. Her hand rests on top of the growing belly that's peeking out of the folds of her bathrobe. She's barefoot and so beautiful that my heart nearly explodes with love.
Seeing her, I take one knee in the middle of my bedroom floor. She gasps when she sees what I’m doing, and what’s in my hand. I'm holding a simple, but exquisite glittering diamond ring.
She starts to cry, really cry. It’s something I’ve never seen her do before. It’s a big day for us, to say the least. Her eyes, normally rich chocolatey brown, take on a golden, shining quality. My woman sniffles, lifting a hand to her face as I softly stroke a finger beneath her eye, brushing away tears. She sniffles again before we lock eyes and my heart soars.
Casey gazes at the ring. It’s old fashioned, but lovely with a bright silver band with intricate carvings around the stone setting. The diamond itself is large, glittering, and cut into a heart shape to maximize brilliance.
“The ring was my great grandmother’s,” I begin in a low voice. “My great granddad proposed to her with it back in Ireland,” I say, taking one of her hands in my own. “This past weekend, while you and Nicole went to that bridal shower in New Jersey-”