The Contract (The Contract 1)

“Just tell me.”

She drew a deep breath. “I’m pregnant, Richard.”

The air stilled around me. The breath caught in my throat, constricting and thick. Her words echoed in my head.

We’d had the discussions, agreed she should stop taking the pill, and I would wear condoms, then when we were ready, start a family.

“Uh . . .” Were we ready? “When?” I breathed out.

She cupped my face. “It’s early. Really early. I think after the award dinner when we couldn’t wait, and we celebrated in the car? We didn’t use protection, my darling. It was only one time, but that’s all it takes.”

I managed to nod, remembering that night. My campaign for the Kenner Footwear company had won the highest award for the year. Graham had been thrilled and so proud—and so had I. I had celebrated hard with my wife.

Apparently too hard.

“Richard,” she whispered. “Talk to me.”

I waited for the panic. The anger. Except, when I gazed into the eyes of my wife, there was only one emotion I felt . . .

Elation.

I spread my hand over her still-flat stomach and grinned.

“I knocked you up.”

“You did.”

“Just the one time, eh? My boys are determined.”

She arched her eyebrow.

“I’m going to be a father.”

“You’re going to be a dad. You’re going to be a great dad.”

I mulled over those words in my head. Not a father—a dad. I wouldn’t be an absent figure from my child’s life. I refused to allow that to happen.

“With you helping me, I will be.”

“I won’t let you fail.”

“I know.” Wrapping my hand around her neck, I drew her face to mine, kissing her reverently. “Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I’m fine. I see the doctor again in a few weeks.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Okay.”

“Maybe no more yoga. You may be even more off balance than usual.”

She rolled her eyes, pushing on my shoulder. “Go fuck yourself, VanRyan.”

I burst out laughing, pulling her close. That was my wife.

“I love you, my Katy,” I murmured.

“I love you, too.”

She curled up, and I held her close, returning my hand to her stomach. Looking down, I realized I now held my entire family within my embrace.

Everything, every moment of my life, had brought me to this point. The past was behind me, the darkness banished because of the woman I was holding, and the gift she had bestowed upon me.

The future was bright, and because of her and this one moment in time, it was filled with promise and light.

It was, as Penny once said, one of the great moments in time.

In fact, it was the greatest moment of them all.