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so shocked to see him that she didn’t notice he was
holding out a small present. Even when she did see it, she didn’t reach for it
or move at all. She stood stock-still, tears running down her face, her
trembling hands covering her nose and mouth. Joy surged through her. Aiden was
really here! She was so overjoyed to see him. To hear his voice. To look into
his eyes.
    And as she watched, his gaze dropped. Vivianne had come to
the door in her bathrobe, but she’d been sleepy enough that she hadn’t tied it
closed. He was at face level with her usually flat stomach, which was beginning
to round into a baby bump. She could hide it under her work clothes, but not
under a sheer nightgown…and this was Aiden.
    Aiden’s eyes went wide and shot up to her face, full of hope
and questions. She nodded and realized how badly she was shaking.
    But then doubt crept into his eyes, and he slowly stood up.
“Viv?”
    Seeing his broad shoulders, seeing him right there in front
of her, broke through her haze. Vivianne all but collapsed onto him, throwing
her arms around her neck, pulling her body up against his. “Aiden.”
    His familiar scent filled her nose. She felt at home.
    He responded with, “A baby?”
    She pulled him inside, not letting go. As he shut the door,
she explained. “I didn’t know for a long time, not until I started getting sick
every morning.”
    His smile was hesitant. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    She hated to see the hurt in his eyes. This should be happy
news. “I wanted to, but the few times we talked, we were mad at each other. You
all but said you were done with us.” Saying those words made her look away, at
their home.
    What if she’d lost him, now, after he’d
made it here for Christmas? She hesitantly looked to his face again. His gaze
was on her abdomen, and a genuine smile was spreading across his face. “A baby.
Our baby, Viv.”
    He reached for her and took her into his arms, offering the
solid protection of his strength and love. It’d torn her apart lately to think
she might have to live without this. “Our Christmas baby,” she whispered.
    “Remember our honeymoon?” he asked. “And all the time we
spent in our room because we couldn’t keep our hands off each other?”
    She nodded.
    “That’s how I feel now. I want to hold you forever.”
    She took him by the hand and wordlessly led him to their
bedroom, where she walked to the bed and turned around expectantly. “Aiden,”
she whispered.
    He let go of her hand but only to wrap his arms around her.
She’d always loved the feel of his powerful arms keeping her safe, maybe
because she knew he was so strong but so gentle with her. His lips found hers
again, reclaiming her. She reveled in his familiar touch that was new today,
new because she fully trusted him. It was a Christmas miracle that he was here
on this special day. In the back of her mind, she wondered how he did it, and
if there would be a price to pay. But none of that mattered in this moment.
    He pulled the robe from her shoulders. It easily slid over
her silk nightgown and fell to the floor. Aiden dropped to his knees, gliding
his hands up her legs and over the slick fabric, up her thighs to her rounded
stomach. There he paused, both his hands tenderly and softly pressed to her
womb.
    She caught her breath as he took the edges of her nightgown
and began to slowly lift. He paused again to lay a gentle kiss on her stomach,
and then rose, taking the nightgown with him. He pulled it up and over her
raised arms, then tossed it on the floor, his gaze roaming her body.
    “Pregnancy looks so good on you, Viv,” he murmured, taking
her in with his eyes and his hands.
    She had expected him rip her clothes off and make crazy,
fast, urgent love to her. His slow and sensual attention took her by pleasant
surprise. After enduring the miseries of morning sickness lately, this
tenderness was exactly what she needed. He easily awakened her passion , kissing
her lips and her