When Honey-Milk arrived on shift after giving her husband his fully restored first edition of War of the Worlds for their anniversary, the last person she expected to see was Andrea in her street clothes.

'There's the anniversary girl!'

'What are you doing here?'

'Just finished up an on-call. I'm on home to my husband,' Andrea replied, rubbing the popped mound of her belly. It was somehow even more exciting to be pregnant a second time, because not only was Daniel right there to enjoy it with her but there was also their first baby to join in the fun. Of course, Nessa would be asleep when she got home, but Andrea loved that Nessa's first question when she woke up in the mornings these days was 'how bumpy Mama?'

Honey-Milk shook her head. 'Girl, you better not be giving that bumpy insomnia.'

'Nah, we're going home to sugar Daddy and then sleep it off with a great big nap.'

'That's my girl.'

Andrea was giggling about it the entire way home, and she knew she'd gotten some seriously odd looks from the other people on the subway but she didn't care. The only thing on her mind was getting home to her man and her daughter.

When she unlocked the apartment door, she wasn't at all surprised to see Daniel still on the couch, snoring away. He'd fallen asleep watching an old Mae West movie on TCM, and there was a half-eaten bowl of barbecue potato chips and half a glass of apple juice on the table beside him. Moving quietly, Andrea rounded the end of the couch and picked up his arm by the wrist so she could snuggle up against that solid body, let his limp hand drape over the round ball of her belly.

'It's okay, big guy, it's just me,' she murmured though she knew that her husband couldn't hear her. 'We're home, safe and sound.'

Andrea giggled when she felt the baby nudge-nudge against Daniel's hand, then heard him sigh deeply and draw her in tightly for a hug.

'Hey sexy lady, when did you get home?' he asked in a sleep-blurred voice.

'Just now. You were watching TCM?'

'Mae West Fest. She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel. No one tossed a look that could level a man like Amazing Mae. Except maybe you.' Daniel gave her cheek a kiss, then saw that she didn't hum and purr the way she usually did when he gave her such compliments. 'Andrea? What's wrong?'

'Why don't you want to fuck me anymore, Daniel? Are my hormones making me that intolerable?'

Daniel looked at her like she'd sprouted a third eye. 'What the hell are you talking about?'

'The last three times I've wanted to make love with you this week alone, you've brushed me off and that's not like us, we almost never turn each other down in bed, not with the 'I'm too tired' excuse and certainly not three times in a row. So I want to know why.'

'Andrea.' He said her name once, moved so they were sitting up together and he was holding her hand. 'Detail for me these three times in a row when I've turned you down.'

'Last Saturday after we got in from family fiesta night at Castle's loft, you were too tired. Two days later, when I got home from work, you were too tired and then yesterday when I woke up with you before you were on your way to work, you were too tired.'

'We've done it in between then, haven't we?'

It was the wrong thing to say, Daniel knew this the instant it was out of his mouth, as he saw Andrea's eyes well up and spill over like he'd flipped a switch.

'No, we haven't, Daniel. The last time you and I had sex was last Friday, after we had the night to ourselves when Nessa was having a sleepover at her grandmother's house. Am I that unmemorable in bed these days, or do you just

'Andrea, I'm sorry my darling, truly.' Daniel took her face in his hands, brushed his thumbs over her tears as they flowed out of her eyes. 'I didn't realize a week had gone so quickly. Not that I'm trying to make excuses, but I'd eaten a tonne of beans at Castle's and felt disgustingly gassy I was not feeling in the mood for it at all. The morning you were up with me, I'd slept through my alarm and I had a major surgery I could not be late for. And the time in between, I wasn't sure when you'd be home so I took care of it myself. You were home ten minutes after I finished and I was ready to just go to bed.'

'So you still want me?'

'Of course you crazy girl,' he laughed, and pulled her close and Daniel realized something that the doctor and Andrea had been telling him for weeks but hadn't really processed until now - while Andrea's weight gain wasn't the same as it was with Nessa, her hormones were worse and she'd been working even harder than with Nessa to keep herself on an even keel. Seeing her worry about whether or not he . 'I'm sorry I made you worry.'

'It's fine-'

'No, it's not fine, I have been treating you the same as I did with Nessa, but what you need this time around is different. So I need to adapt for the next four months. What can I do to make it up to you?'

'Food, a foot-rub and sex. Maybe toss in a nice hot bath too.'

'What kind of food? I was snacking and waiting for you to have dinner.'

'I don't care, but something that won't leave the kitchen a disaster zone like last night.'

'Done.' Daniel kissed her lips, then her brow, patted her knee. 'You wait right here.'

Since mobility was becoming an effort of late, Andrea stayed where she was and rubbed her hand over her tummy where the baby was awake and kicking. 'I know, baby,' she murmured, 'Mama's body is making her think and feel all sorts of silly things, but Daddy loves us so much. Thinking anything else is just silly.'

'Okay, we are going to have a verifiable feast from Gennaro's here in about an hour and a half. Friday night and all, they are hopping with people wanting sandwiches.' Daniel came back to the living room to inform her of this, then tugge on her hands. 'Now come with me.'

He pulled her down the hallway to the bathroom, where he ran the tub nice and warm for her. Daniel pulled off his shirt, unfastened the button and zip of his pants. 'Time to get naked, mama.'

'Daniel, it's okay, you don't have to do this,' Andrea protested, guilt over her outburst welling up. 'Appeasing your wife when your heart's not in it just makes your wife feel worse.'

'Hey, hey, look at me.' He took her hands, gave her arms a light shake before putting his finger under her chin and lifting her face to his. 'I love you Andrea, so much, you are my everything and there is no need to feel guilty over being hormonal while pregnant. Especially since Harvey said your hormones are swinging so rapidly.'

'I love you so much too, Daniel.'

'Here.'

Naked in front of her, Daniel kissed her once more; he took the edge of her top in his hands and slowly inched it up, gradually revealing bit by bit her soft, translucent skin, goldenly pale from their summer trips to the Hamptons with their extended family. He rubbed his hands over her shoulders, sliding the straps of her pregnancy bra down and reaching behind her to unsnap the clasp of it so her curves were bare and unadorned. Daniel stroked his hand over the swell of her breasts and belly, down to the waist of her drawstring skirt; he tugged the little strings so the fabric floated to the floor in an organic cotton halo at her feet, then drew down the silky panties that matched her bra so she was as naked as he was.

'There we are,' he murmured, looking at her with such wonder in his eyes that Andrea was surprised her heart simply didn't give out from the love she felt for her man, her one and only.

'What did I do to deserve you?'

'I ask myself that every day of you and our Nessa and this one too.' He put his hands on her burgeoning tummy, laughed when he felt the baby kicking. 'Yeah, I could never forget about you, tiny.'

'Is this your way of letting the water cool so we don't hard-boil the baby?' Andrea teased him, knowing full well what he was up to.

'Sit on the side, ease your way in.'Daniel stepped into the tub, sat down in the water, then held out his hand. 'And no, this is my way of getting my beautiful pregnant wife all hot.'

Andrea did so, fighting the urge to snap at him; he was only trying to be nice, thinking of her. She smiled at him, nestled herself against him. 'Well, so far, it's working.'