Forever Mine: Callaghan Brothers, Book 9(44)

“How far along are you?”

“Nearly three months. You probably knocked me up on our wedding night,” she told him, amusement evident in her voice.

Or the night of the break-in, he thought. That night, things had changed. A new connection had snapped into place. At the time, he’d thought that the danger had made them appreciate each other more, but what if it had been the spark of new life?

“Why bad luck?” he asked.

“Because most miscarriages occur in the first trimester. Announcing anything before three months is tempting fate.”

Jack’s head snapped up. “Miscarriage?” The word sent shards of icy fear into his chest. His mother had had several. After each one, she would be inconsolable for weeks, and his father would grow quiet and distant. Was that kind of thing hereditary, he wondered? Did he carry something in his genes that put Kathleen at risk?

He got to his feet and folded her in his arms, as if to shield her from the possibility of anything bad. He’d experienced enough bad for the both of them.

“I’m sure everything is fine,” Kathleen told him, sensing his thoughts. “I feel wonderful, except for maybe being a bit more tired than usual.”

“And vomiting.”

“And vomiting,” she conceded. “But only first thing in the morning. I feel fine once I get something on my stomach.”

Jack made a mental note to have crackers and a glass of water on the nightstand for her from here on out.

“You should see a doctor,” he said firmly. “Today.”

She laughed softly and stroked his hair. “No, Jack. There’s not much a doctor can do at this point except confirm what I already know.”

Was that true? Shite, he didn’t know. But going to the doctor seemed like something they should do. Her sister just had a baby not too long ago. She would know.

“What does Erin say?”

“Nothing, because I haven’t told her yet.”

“Why not?” Surely the twelve-week rule didn’t apply to close family.

Hurt flashed in her eyes. “Because I wasn’t going to tell anyone before I told you, Jack.”

His heart did that stutter thing again, the same as it did every time he felt the awe and wonder of the fact that this amazing woman loved him.

“And why didn’t you tell me?” She said she thought she was about three months ago, which meant she must have known for a while. He should have realized it sooner as well. Not a day had gone by that they hadn’t made love at least once.

She averted her eyes. “I was waiting for the right moment. I was going to tell you so many times, but things kept getting in the way.”

Things. What could possibly get in the way of something as important as that? His mind flew back to the previous week, when Kathleen had prepared a surprise candlelight dinner for him. That was the night the pipe under the sink burst, and ruined her plans.

And the week before that, when she’d asked him to hurry along the nightly close-up because she wanted to talk to him about something important. Danny had been deep in his cups (an old-fashioned way of saying he was falling down drunk), and Jack had ended up driving him home. By the time he got back to the Pub, Kathleen was asleep and he’d forgotten all about it.

A few more instances of similar circumstances came to mind when something had unexpectedly arisen, ruining what might have been ‘the right moment’. Hell. How many times had she tried to tell him?

Jack ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Kathleen.”

“It’s okay.”

No, it wasn’t. Kathleen was the most important thing in his life, any time, any place, and he needed to do a better job of showing her. Starting now.

“Let’s go back to bed,” he suggested. “Call Erin. I’m pampering you today.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I’m fine.”

He grinned, wrapping his hands around her belly as he leaned down and kissed her neck. “And pregnant with our baby. I think that deserves a day of private celebration, don’t you?”

She laughed. “Definitely, but it will have to wait till the weekend.”

“I don’t want to wait.”

“I know, but second quarter estimated taxes are due on the fifteenth, and I’ve got a slew of receipts to wade through.”

“The second quarter doesn’t end till the thirtieth.”

“I know, but for the second and third quarters, estimated taxes are due before the end of the period.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Taxes don’t have to make sense. They just have to be paid.”

“Okay, what about after that? I’ll get Brian to watch the bar. We can do something fun, just the two of us.”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I’m working the lunch to dinner shift at the diner.” Kathleen kissed his chest and slipped beneath his arm.

Something wasn’t right; he could feel it in his bones. Jack followed her to the bathroom, where she began to dot some kind of light stuff under her eyes, making the dark circle all but disappear. The fact that she wouldn’t meet his gaze in the mirror only reinforced his suspicion.

“Kathleen, what else are you not telling me?”

She rummaged through her little make-up bag. “Telling you I’m pregnant isn’t enough?”