Alec Hardy gazed down fondly at his sleeping wife and thought to himself with a smile, "I'm the luckiest man in the world."
The fire he had lit for them hours ago was nothing more than a few dying embers in the fireplace, and the credits to the movie they'd been watching were rolling down the TV screen. Rose was curled up next to him on the sofa, snoring softly, her head pillowed on his shoulder. She'd been like that for over an hour and he had just let her sleep, knowing that she desperately needed the rest. Her nights lately had mostly been spent tossing and turning in a futile effort to find the most comfortable position to support her burgeoning belly while also battling persistent heartburn and the almost constant urge to empty her bladder. They were in the home stretch now, just a few more weeks to go until her due date, and Alec was struck by the sight of her lying there, lashes resting sootily on her flushed cheeks, full lips curved into a Cupid's bow and one hand spread protectively over the curve of her abdomen. She had never looked more lovely than she did right then, suffused with light and her body swollen with his child.
Their child.
Just thinking about it made his breath hitch in his throat. Shortly after Daisy had been born, Tess had gotten a tubal litigation, claiming that one child was more than enough for her. He had been unhappy with the decision, but hadn't protested, letting her make the choices when it came to her own body. He'd never dared to dream he'd become a father again after that, let alone twice over. John might not be his biological son, but he loved him as fiercely as though he were his own, as fiercely as he loved the boy's mother and the precious unborn baby cradled in her womb.
Next to him, Rose shifted and began to stir. She sat up with a yawn and raised her arms over her head, arching her back and making the hem of her tshirt ride up over the swell of her stomach. "Why'd you let me sleep through Hocus Pocus? I've been waiting to watch it all week."
"You feel asleep on my shoulder and I didn't have the heart to wake you," he said, resting his open palm on the exposed swath of her belly. "You looked so peaceful, I didn't want to disturb you. You've barely slept in weeks, I figured you needed the rest more."
She smiled and covered his hand with her own. "She's kicking up a storm now, soon as you put your hand there. Already a daddy's girl."
He chuckled lightly. "What makes you so sure it's a girl?"
"Well I hope it's a girl," she declared. "We've already got a son, it'd be nice to have one of each."
"Mmmm. Well, if we don't get it right this time, we could always keep on trying until we do," he said with a cheeky grin.
"Down boy," she laughed. "I've been pregnant more than half of the almost two years we've known each other. You're not going to remember what I look like without a belly full of baby if we keep it up."
"Aye, but it looks good on you, you know. Motherhood. Belly full of baby or not, you're beautiful, Rose," he said earnestly. "You only get more beautiful with each passing day. You're the dawn and the sunrise on the first day of spring."
"If you say so," she said, her already pink cheeks deepening in coloring.
"Oh, I do," he affirmed, cupping her cheek with his hand and turning her face towards him so he could kiss her softly on the lips.
"When did you become such a romantic?" she teased.
"Oh, I don't know, but I suspect it was sometime around when Hurricane Tyler hit my life," he answered.
"Hurricane Tyler, eh? Are you saying I stormed in and threw your life into chaos?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah, and I love every minute of it," he replied, beaming. "I wouldn't trade this for the entire world."