He trailed off when she j
ust continued to stare at him. He tightened his hands on his thighs.
“Never mind,” he said gruffly. “I’m sorry I mentioned it.”
“No,” Faith said quickly, regret filtering through her entrancement. His request was incredibly intimate, but not in the sexual sense. It was as if her brain didn’t quite know how to interpret his question. “I’m sorry. You just took me by surprise,” she said, coming up on her knees and facing him. She smiled nervously. “I understand about finding it hard to accept. I didn’t really start to soak it in until I saw the ultrasound.”
“What was it like?”
“Incredible. You could see the heart beating,” she said in a hushed voice.
“Wow.” A strained silence followed as they just looked at each other. “Do you think I could come? For the next ultrasound?”
She nodded.
“Thanks.”
“I have a picture of the baby, Ryan. I’ll show it to you.”
“That’d be great.”
She told herself to stand and get the ultrasound photo, but instead she remained kneeling there. Her heart went out to him. How difficult it must be for him. She had the baby with her every second of every day—a warm, wonderful secret growing within her very flesh. It seemed so unfair, to keep him separate from that awesome experience.
Slowly she began to unbutton the flannel shirt. He went utterly still, the only exception being his dark-eyed gaze flickering downward, following the path of her fingers.
Faith hesitated when she saw that the thin T-shirt had again wormed its way up over the nearly insubstantial bump in her belly, while her low-riding jeans had gone in the opposite direction. She willfully ignored the heat that rushed into her cheeks, however. Hadn’t Ryan just asked if he could come to the next ultrasound? She might as well get used to allowing him to see her naked stomach.
She opened the flaps of the flannel shirt and glanced up with effort. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the fabric when she saw that his dark eyes weren’t trained on her belly, but on her breasts pressing tightly against the white cotton. The silence seemed to take on weight. His gaze lingered, and then lowered over her.
Had she just thought that his request was intimate, but not sexual? She’d been wrong, Faith realized as her heartbeat began to throb in her ears and he stared at her belly. It was both.
In spades.
Her mouth went dry when he reached with one hand, and gently pulled up the T-shirt to her waist. She held her breath until it burned in her lungs when he placed his hand over her abdomen. She knew from experience that her belly felt taut and smooth. His hand looked dark next to her pale skin, his fingers long and strong. He nearly encompassed her width. A warm pressure spread at her core, making her ache.
She glanced up at him, her curiosity overcoming her embarrassment. His face looked rapt. When his gaze flickered upward, she gave him a shaky smile.
“Pretty awesome, huh?” she said softly.
“Amazing,” he agreed, looking like he meant it in the literal, not everyday usage of the word. He moved his hand. His palm was warm against her bare skin.
“Can you feel the baby moving yet?” he asked.
She shook her head. In his leaned-over position, his face was very close to hers. She could smell his spicy, clean scent. They’d taken to talking in hushed tones, as if they were conversing at a sacred event. Which they were, Faith supposed.
“The doctor says I should at around sixteen to twenty-two weeks. Maybe later, since it’s my first pregnancy.”
“So this is your first pregnancy.”
She blinked in surprise, but then caught what he’d meant. It was possible that she’d gotten pregnant before, and lost the baby. “Yes. I’ve never been pregnant until now. Jesse wasn’t interested in having children,” she said gently.
He didn’t say anything, just glanced back down to his hand on her stomach. He moved it slightly, spiking tendrils of pleasure through her flesh.
“Ryan?” she asked quietly. He looked up at her, his expression solemn.
“Did you? Want a child? Someday, I mean?” she clarified.
“Yes.”