Author's Note: Massive apologies for taking almost 6 months to update, but Season 4 really messed me up, and I really struggled to get back into the right mindset for writing this story. I finally managed to start writing it again a couple of weeks ago, and finally, here's chapter 32 for you...

Chapter Thirty-Two

May 21st 2021

Thirteen Months Old (and Sixteen Weeks Along)

Veronica pulls her car up outside Logan's squadron building and looks up at the brick structure in front of her. Logan doesn't know she's in San Diego; he thinks she's working a case back in Neptune, but he finds out if he got into the PFI program today—actually, he probably already knows by now—and she's here to surprise him. If it's good news, they can celebrate tonight, and if it's not… well, she knows all the best ways to take his mind off it. And of course, this impromptu surprise has nothing to do with the fact that pregnancy hormones have sent her libido into overdrive lately. Nothing at all.

She gets out of the car and smooths down the floaty summer dress she's wearing, before walking towards the building, pressing the buzzer and identifying herself to the officer in the operations room. The door clicks open, allowing her access, and she slips inside, heading down the corridor towards the crew room. Logan's nowhere to be seen, but the single occupant of the room is a familiar face.

"Veronica? Hey," greets Sam, the female pilot she met last spring when she was pregnant with Abi, and again at the squadron barbecue last summer. "Lt. Echolls didn't tell me you were stopping by this afternoon."

"Oh, he doesn't know. It's a surprise," Veronica says with a smile, before adding, "How are you doing, Sam?"

"I'm good, thank you." The other woman nods. "And you?"

Veronica shrugs. "Can't complain."

"Congratulations, by the way." Sam smiles, gesturing towards her stomach, where her small bump is just starting to show. "Logan told me you guys were expecting again."

"Thanks." Veronica's hand comes to her stomach. "Speaking of Logan, is he around?"

"Yeah, he's here somewhere. I think he's finishing up with some paperwork in flight planning," Sam tells her. "You want me to go find him?"

She nods. "If you don't mind."

"Sure, I'll be right back."

Sam heads for the door, but Veronica calls out to her before she can leave the room. "Hey, don't tell him I'm here, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't." Sam grins, then disappears down the corridor, leaving Veronica alone in the crew room.

She's busy perusing the messages on the notice board next to the kitchen area when Sam returns, Logan hot on her heels.

"Okay, what was so important that you needed me to—?" He stops short when he spots her, a look of confusion on his face. "Veronica? What are you doing here?"

Veronica lifts her hands and spins to face him, her dress flaring out around her knees as she does so. "Surprise."

Logan grins, crossing the room and slipping his arms around her, before lowering his head for a quick kiss.

"I'll uh, just leave you guys to it," says Sam, quickly ducking out of the room.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you," says Logan when they part, "but seriously, what are you doing here? Where's Abi?"

"Dad's taken her for the night." She smiles coyly, running a finger down over his chest. "I thought we could use an evening to ourselves. We haven't had a date night in ages."

He links his fingers against her lower back and straightens his arms, leaning back a little to smile down at her indulgently. "I like the sound of that."

"So, did you find out?" She can't keep the question in any longer.

He nods in confirmation. "I did."

"And?" she prompts impatiently.

His grin returns. "I got in."

"You did?" Her eyes light up and she kisses him again. "That's awesome! Congratulations."

"Yep," he confirms. "Starting in October, I'll be a PFI."

"And you get to stay here in San Diego?"

He hesitates slightly. "Well, it's not confirmed yet, but they said I have a good chance of being stationed here. I should know in the next few weeks."

"That sounds promising, though." She looks up at him hopefully.

"Yeah, it does," he agrees, kissing her once more. "So, anyway: tonight. What will this date night of ours entail?"

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Veronica smirks, stepping out of his arms and grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go."

It takes a few minutes for him to finish up for the day and grab his things, but it's not long before they're in the car and heading off the base. They drive over Coronado Bridge and over to the Gaslamp Quarter, where Veronica stops the car in front of a large hotel.

Logan stretches his neck forward so he can peer up at the tall building through the windshield and then turns to Veronica with a quirked eyebrow. "Our date night is in a hotel? I mean, I'd gladly spend my evening holed up in a hotel room with you, but-."

"Don't worry, this is just a quick first stop," says Veronica. "We have a room booked for the night, but right now we're just gonna check in so you can shower and change."

"Change? Into what, exactly?" Logan looks down as his green flight suit. "This is all I have."

"Don't worry, I came prepared." Veronica shoots him a grin. "Your overnight bag's in the trunk."

Logan steps out of the shower in the large suite Veronica has booked for them and reaches for a towel. When they checked in earlier, he was surprised to see she'd splurged on a luxurious room for them. She's usually so adamant about paying her own way and not spending his money on things they don't need, but…well, if she felt like dipping into their joint savings account to pay for it, he's not going to complain. After all, that's what it's there for.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he looks up and stops in surprise when he sees Veronica leaning against the sink, her hands resting on the counter behind her. She's biting her lip as she watches him with a hungry, predatory look in her eyes.

He knows that look: it means he's in trouble. The good kind of trouble.

Feigning nonchalance, he comes to a stop in front of her, murmuring a soft "Veronica," as he reaches around her for his wash bag. Taking his time, he extracts his toothbrush, squeezes a blob of toothpaste onto it and starts brushing. He looks down, however, when he feels Veronica's warm fingers skating across his still-damp chest. His lips twitching around the toothbrush, he leans over to spit and rinse, then drops the toothbrush into one of the glasses beside the sink, as her hands slide down to his abdomen.

"What are you doing?" he asks with amusement when she unhooks the towel and lets it drop to the floor.

She looks up at him through her lashes with a heated gaze that goes straight to his cock. "We still have a few minutes before we need to leave."

He chuckles. "And you want to fill that time with a quickie?"

"I need to take the edge off," she admits with a sigh, a soft exhale of air that skims over his bare skin. "I'm so horny. I've been barely hanging on all day."

A combination of love and lust fills his chest at her words combined with the pleading expression on her face.

God, Veronica…

With a smile, he cups her cheek in his hand and tilts her face up to hers so he can kiss her.

"Well, if you insist."

Without warning, he hoists her up onto the counter, steps between her legs, and slides his hands up over her thighs, bringing the thin material of her dress with them. His fingers brush against her hot, wet centre and he raises an eyebrow when he realises she isn't wearing any underwear.

"Please tell me you haven't been walking around like this all day."

She grins wickedly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

He groans, thoughts flashing to when she surprised him at the base this afternoon… and God, now he's thinking about fucking her in the crew room, where anyone could walk in. Geez.

"You're such a tease, you know that?" he murmurs, his voice low and throaty.

His fingers slip between her folds, gently stroking her clit, and he grins when she shivers with pleasure.

"Now who's being a tease?" She sighs biting her lip. "This is supposed to be a quickie, remember?"

That throws him into action. He grabs her bottom with both hands, squeezing her bare flesh as he pulls her to the edge of the counter and deftly slides inside her warm, welcoming body.

"That's better," she mutters, her eyes sliding closed, her head falling back as he moves quickly inside her. "God, yes…"

He smiles down at her flushed face. "Just what you needed?"

"Fuck, yeah." She agrees, eyes still closed. "Well, almost. Now I need it faster."

Her breathless demand only increases his own desire and he eagerly complies, pressing a hand to her lower back and tugging her closer so he can increase the pace. Her arms come around his neck, holding on tight as he thrusts into her. He's getting close, but she's not quite there yet, so he slips his other hand between their bodies to help her along. She comes hard, with a loud, guttural moan, and grabs his head in her hands, kissing him desperately as she rides the waves of orgasm. The action sends him over the edge too, and he tips over as well, moaning her name into her mouth.

Veronica's head drops to his shoulder, her breathing loud and ragged as she comes down from the high, and he cups the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.

"You good now?" he asks softly.

"Uh huh…" is all clearly all she can manage, which makes him chuckle.

"Did we successfully take that edge off?"

"I'd say so." She gives a soft laugh against his bare shoulder, before slowly lifting her head. Her eyes are sparkling and her cheeks are flushed with a pink glow. "For now, at least."

"Good." He grins. "So now that I have you all pliable and satiated in my arms, will you tell me what we're doing tonight?"

She returns the grin, leaning in conspiratorially, capturing his ear lobe in her mouth and sucking for a moment, before whispering, "Nope."

He chuckles, kissing the tip of her nose when she pulls back. "Yep, you're definitely the tease in this relationship."

She just smiles as she urges him to step back so she can slide off the counter. "I know."

With one more kiss to his lips, she slips out of the room, leaving Logan standing naked in the bathroom, staring longingly after her.

"This is nice, huh?" says Veronica three hours later as they walk arm-in-arm through the streets of San Diego's historical Gaslamp Quarter after having eaten a delicious three-course dinner at Osteria Panevino.

"It is," agrees Logan. "Thank you."

She smiles up at him, admiring his profile, illuminated by the ornate streetlights. "For what?"

"Tonight. All of this." He gestures around them with his free hand.

"I thought we should celebrate you getting into the PFI program," she explains. "And we haven't had a night to ourselves in a while."

He gives a soft chuckle. "And what were you going do if I hadn't gotten in?"

"Oh, I knew you would," she says breezily, before shrugging. "But, well, if you hadn't, I was going to use my feminine wiles to distract you from the bad news. All night long."

He slips his arm from hers, sliding it around her back and pulling her close to his side. "You were, huh?"

"Yup." She nods firmly.

He frowns then, looking disappointed. "Wait, are you saying that because it was good news, you won't be doing that?"

"Don't be stupid," she says. "I was always gonna screw your brains out tonight."

His eyebrow rises as a smirk tugs at his lips. "Really?"

"Uh huh." She winks up at him.

He stops, turning to her with a grin. "And that decision has nothing to do with the fact that your sex drive is off the charts right now? Not that I'm complaining about that, of course."

"Of course not!" is her immediate response, before she tilts her head in thought. "Well, maybe… kinda…"

Logan laughs, then kisses her nose. "I love you."

She smiles up at him, her expression soft. "Love you, too."

They share a kiss, before resuming their walk down the street, arms sliding around each other's waists from behind.

After a few seconds of silence, Veronica speaks up again. "Tonight is also me saying that I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" he asks, looking puzzled.

"I know I haven't really been myself the last few months. This pregnancy has really thrown me off." She moves her hand to rest over her belly. Other than a few flutterings, which she's not convinced weren't just indigestion, she hasn't felt any movement from the baby yet. "It hasn't been the easiest time for me and I'm sorry for taking some of that out on you."

"Hey," he says, "it's okay. I get it. You don't have to apologise."

"I do," she insists, still feeling a little guilty for how she acted around him a few weeks ago "But, thank you…for understanding."

"Of course I understand," he tells her gently. "Neither of us were expecting this and it threw me off too. I know it's not the same for me, but we are both in this together, Veronica. I'm here for whatever you need."

The soft sincerity and affection in his voice hits a chord and she swallows down the lump she can feel forming in her throat. Fucking pregnancy hormones, making her cry at the drop of a hat. So much for always trying to maintain a cool, unruffled exterior, huh?

Not trusting her voice right now, she simply nods, tightening her arm around his waist and resting her head against his shoulder. He seems to notice the change in her however, and squeezes back affectionately.

"Hey, we're almost at the hotel," he says, gesturing towards, the tall building a few hundred yards away, before shooting her a wicked grin and releasing his hold on her. "Whatd'ya say: first one back to our room gets a full-body massage?"

She can't help but return the grin, his mischievousness infectious. She glances at the hotel, then back at the challenge in his expression, her eyes narrowing. "You're on."

Early June 2021

Thirteen-and-a-half Months Old (and Eighteen Weeks Along)

Veronica's standing in front of the dining table, staring thoughtfully down at the case files spread out in front of her, when a pair of arms come around her from behind, large hands coming to rest over her slightly-rounded belly. She smiles, her hands covering his, and she tilts her head to the side as Logan's warm lips press against her neck.

"Hey," she murmurs softly. "You're home."

"Hmm, have I told you lately how gorgeous you are when you're pregnant?" he responds softly, the words vibrating against her skin and making her shiver.

For a second, she basks in the compliment, but then she frowns, pulling away slightly so she can look back at him.

"Okay, what do you want?"

"What?" He frowns, looking affronted. "I can't tell my wife that she's beautiful?"

Her lips twitch. "You can, but you only say stuff like that when you want something… or you have bad news. So which is it?"

Logan sighs, dropping a gentle kiss to her mouth before he releases her. She turns to face him, leaning her hand on the top of one of the dining chairs.

"Well, I don't want anything."

"So, it's bad news, then." She raises an eyebrow expectantly.

"Not, bad, exactly, more… inconvenient," he admits, looking sheepish.

"Out with it, then." She waves her hand to urge him on.

"There's an out-of-state training exercise coming up that I have to take part in," he tells her. "Well, I'm kind of helping to organise it."

"All right." Veronica nods in acceptance. She knew this might happen sometime. "When and for how long?"

"It's for two weeks, out in Nevada. Some of the guys can fly out of North Island for it, but I actually have to be at Nellis to lead the daily briefings."

"When?" she repeats. He still hasn't answered that part, which worries her.

He seems to realise what she's thinking then, because his eyes widen and he quickly starts to reassure her. "Oh, it's not until the end of the month. I won't miss the scan. I promise."

"Good." She lets out a breath. "You almost didn't make it back from deployment for the last twenty-week scan. I'm not having you miss this one."

He smiles, relaxing as he slips his arms around her again. He kisses the tip of her nose. "Don't worry. I'll be here. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Veronica smiles again, then rises up to kiss him properly. She's just starting to get into it when something bumps against her leg, followed by a "Dadda. Up," demand, and she groans against Logan's mouth before reluctantly pulling away.

Logan, on the other hand, is now grinning, his eyes lighting up as he swoops down to gather their daughter into his arms. Swinging her up, he blows a raspberry against Abi's neck and grins when she starts giggling away.

Against her will, Veronica feels tears begin to well up in her eyes at the sight of them together, her heart clenching with emotion. Logan glances up at her and frowns when he sees her face.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she shakes her head, the movement causing a tear to slip down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away. "Just hormones. Don't mind me."

He gives her a lopsided smile, before shifting Abi to one arm, balancing her on his hip, and reaching out to her, pulling him against his other side. "Come here."

Veronica presses herself against him, letting her head rest against his shoulder and smiling through her tears when he presses a kiss to the top of her head.

Mid-June 2021

Fourteen Months Old (and Twenty Weeks Along)

"Logan, Veronica, it's good to see you," greets Dr. Williams when they arrive at their appointment for Veronica's twenty-week scan two weeks later. "Veronica, how are you feeling?"

Veronica exchanges a glance with Logan and he nods encouragingly.

"Not too bad, actually," she tells her. "Physically, everything's good. I'm feeling good, you know?"

The doctor picks up on what she isn't saying though. "And mentally?"

She reaches for Logan's hand, shooting him a grateful smile when he squeezes it in support.

"I'm still getting there," she admits. "I mean, I've come to terms with the fact that I'm pregnant, I'm just not… I don't know… feeling maternal yet, I guess."

"And that's okay, Veronica," Dr. Williams tells her. "Every pregnancy is different, and not all expectant mothers feel a maternal bond with their unborn child right away."

"Yeah, I know." She lets out a sigh. "It's just hard, feeling so different with this pregnancy compared to last time."

"I know, but don't be too hard on yourself, okay?" says Dr. Williams sympathetically. "There's nothing wrong with how you're feeling. But, if do you feel you'd like to talk to someone about it, there's plenty of help available."

"Thank you."

The doctor turns her attention to Logan then. "And how about you, Logan?"

Logan sits up straighter, as if surprised that he's being asked. "Oh, I'm fine. I mean, Veronica's the one doing all the hard work. I'm just trying to help out however I can."

Veronica gives him a soft smile, linking their fingers together. "And you're doing a great job."

"That's good to hear." Dr. Williams smiles. "But Logan, having a baby is a joint venture, and expectant fathers can struggle too. So, don't feel like your feelings are less important than Veronica's or that they don't matter, because they aren't, and they do."

Logan nods, looking down at their joined hands for a moment, before glancing up at Veronica again. He gives her a small smile, then turns his attention back to the doctor.

"Thanks, but I'm good."

"Okay, then." The doctor looks a little hesitant to just leave the conversation there, but she moves on anyway. "Let's get to this scan, shall we?"

A few minutes later, Veronica is lying back on the exam table, her shirt pulled up to expose her growing belly, and Logan is sitting next to her, his hand tightly clasped around hers. Veronica flinches when Dr. Williams applies the cold gel, but then she places the ultrasound wand on her stomach, the fast whoosh-whoosh of a heartbeat sounding through the speakers and a baby-shaped blob appearing on the screen, and Veronica quickly forgets the initial discomfort.

"Okay, we have nice, strong heartbeat," says the doctor. "And here's your baby."

"Wow," murmurs Logan. "Look at that."

"Yeah…" Veronica nods in response.

She's not entirely sure what she's feeling right now. It's not the rush of love she felt when she saw Abigail at twenty weeks, but it's also not the cold detachment she experienced at the last scan. Instead, it's kind of a calm acceptance now. That this is happening. That she's having another baby and it's right there on that screen.

Dr. Williams tilts the screen away from them for a few minutes while she does her routine checks, before turning it back towards them and giving a smile.

"From what I can see, everything looks good," she says. "I count ten fingers and ten toes, and I'm not seeing any signs of abnormalities."

"That's good," says Veronica.

"Now for the all-important question: would you like to know the sex?"

"No," is Veronica's immediate reply.

Beside her, Logan frowns. "Are you sure?"

"You said you didn't want to know," she counters.

Unlike with Abi, when Logan had thought it would be easier for them to prepare for the baby's arrival if they found out the sex, this time around, he's decided he'd rather wait to find out.

"I know I did," he says, "but I'm just thinking, maybe it would help if we knew this time."

"In what way?"

He shrugs. "Well, I mean, with Abi, you said didn't want to know because you didn't want it to affect how you felt about the baby, but maybe this time around, knowing the sex might help to make it more real for you, you know?"

"I hadn't thought about it like that," she murmurs softly.

"It's just an idea."

Veronica frowns, weighing up the options. Logan does have a point: knowing if she's carrying a boy or girl might help her connect with the baby. It would go from being an 'it', to a he or a she—an actual person. But on the other hand, what if it doesn't help? What if she starts feeling the opposite and starts resenting it or something?

"Veronica?" Logan's voice infiltrates her internal debate. "You okay?"

"Uh huh." She nods absently, before steeling her resolve and making a quick decision. "Okay. Let's do it. I want to know."

"Yeah?" A smile spreads across Logan's face.

She squeezes his hand. "Yeah."

He grins, leaning forward to kiss her, before turning back to Dr. Williams again. "Okay, Doc. We're ready to find out the sex."

"All right then." The doctor smiles. "Veronica, Logan, you're having a little boy."

A boy. Veronica stares at the ultrasound screen, where Dr. Williams is pointing out the baby's genitals. I'm having a baby boy.

Wow.

Okay, so the news isn't producing the rush of affection for the baby she was hoping it would, but Logan was right, knowing the sex is making it seem more real. She's not just pregnant and having 'a baby' anymore, that's her son growing inside her belly. A little brother for Abigail.

She catches her bottom lip between her teeth as a smile spreads across her face.

A boy.

"Hey, are you all right?" Veronica asks in concern, when they arrive back home after the appointment.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Logan pastes on a smile, though he can see why she's worried. He's been quiet since they left the doctor's office. A lot quieter than normal. "Just getting my head around it. We're gonna have a boy. A son."

"We are." Veronica slips her arms around him, her belly pressing against his stomach. "It seems surreal, huh?"

"Yeah," he mutters faintly. "Surreal."

It's weird; when he suggested finding out the sex, he thought it might help Veronica connect with the baby, that it might help her view it as a real, living person rather than just a foetus growing inside her. What he didn't expect was to be affected by the announcement himself… and not in the way he thought he would be.

Suddenly, it's all too real, and he's feeling overwhelmed. He needs some space.

"Hey," he says, lowering his head to kiss her gently when she lifts her chin to look up at him, "I think this calls for a celebration. Why don't you go relieve Heather of her nannying duties for the day and I'll head to the store and pick up a couple boxes of those cupcakes and cookies you love so much?"

"Really?" Her face lights up. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." He kisses her again. "I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay."

She releases him and he heads for the door.

"Wait!"

He stops, turning back to her with a questioning look.

"While you're there, can you pick me up some pickles and marshmallow fluff? Oh, and mustard, too."

He makes a face, his stomach protesting at the thought of that combination, though he nods in agreement. "Sure. Whatever you want."

And I thought chips with marshmallow fluff was bad last time.

"Thank you," she says brightly, before turning and heading in the direction of the childish laughter coming from the kitchen.

Logan watches her go, before opening the door and heading for the car. He reverses out of the driveway and heads a few miles down the road before pulling off in a quiet spot. His fingers tighten on the steering wheel as he lets his head drop down to it, taking long, deep breaths in an attempt to loosen the tightness in his chest.

This is stupid, he thinks. What are you worried about, huh? You already have one child and you love her more than anything. And you've known about this baby for months. Plenty of time to get your head around having another one.

But that's not the problem though, is it? There wasn't a problem at all until this afternoon. Because it's not another baby that's the problem, it's…

"Fuck," he mutters, lifting his head. "I thought I was over this."

It's just… a son. In less than five months, he's going to have a son. A little boy.

And he's fucking scared.

He's not Aaron. He knows that. He would do anything to prevent becoming his father, but he can't help but wonder if there's something genetic there, something that would cause him to dote on his daughter while lashing out at his son.

Logan knows what Veronica would say: "You're not him, Logan. There's no way you would ever lay a hand on your son. You wouldn't ever hurt any of us. That's not who you are."

And it's not that he doesn't believe her. Of course he can't imagine ever treating either Veronica or Abi with anything but love, it's just that years of abuse and self-loathing are hard to overcome, even with lots of therapy, and those fears are still there inside him. They're buried deep and mostly forgotten, but they are still there.

Veronica is in the middle of reading Abi a story when Logan arrives home, carrying two grocery store bags.

"Your cookies, cupcakes, pickles, fluff and mustard, ma'am," he states, placing the bags down on the coffee table.

"Thank you," she says, as he slumps down on the sofa beside her. "But did you get lost? You've been gone for ages."

"Sorry. Bad traffic," he mutters, avoiding her gaze.

She frowns; something in his demeanour seems off, but she can't quite put her finger on what.

He leans over to look at the wooden book in her hands and changes the subject. "So, what are we reading?"

Later, Veronica is curled around her pregnancy pillow, her eyes on Logan, who's lying on his back beside her in the bed.

"You're staring at me," he says, breaking the silence.

"I am," she agrees.

"Why?"

"Because something's wrong and I'm trying to figure out what."

"I'm fine, Veronica."

"No, that's what you're telling yourself right now," she corrects, "but you've been exceptionally quiet since the appointment this afternoon. What gives?"

"It's nothing," he dismisses quickly.

She lets out a soft snort. "You really expect me to believe that?"

"It's not a big deal."

"Logan, come on," she says gently. "If it's bothering you, it's not nothing. Talk to me."

"I don't know." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "This afternoon, finding out we're having a boy, I just… it brought back some fears I used to have. I thought I'd put them behind me, but…"

"Fears?" she questions, her chest tightening as she realises what he's referring to. "About raising a son?"

"Yeah." He nods. "It's stupid, I know."

"It's not stupid, Logan." She shifts, moving as close as she can with the large pillow in the way, and reaches out to lay her hand on his bare shoulder. "It's normal to have fears about stuff like this. Even when you know they're irrational, that doesn't mean you stop feeling them."

He nods. "Yeah. I know."

She slides her hand up to his cheek, and he turns first his head towards her, then his whole body, so he's lying on his side facing her. She strokes her thumb over the slight stubble on his cheek.

"And I can tell you that you're nothing like Aaron until I'm blue in the face, but I know that fear will still be there, beneath the surface," she tells him softly. "So, all I can say is that I love you and I trust you completely. I trust you with my life, with Abi's life and with our son's life."

Logan smiles, his eyes a little glassy. Curling his fingers around her wrist, he brings her palm to his lips, gently kissing the centre of it. The touch sends a tingle down her arm.

"Thank you," he whispers. "And I didn't mean to bring the mood down."

"You didn't," she says. "Besides, talking about your issues means I don't have to think about mine."

He gives a soft chuckle at that. "Ah, good tactic: get me to talk so you don't have to."

She grins. "That's the idea."

He returns the grin, but then sobers, looking at her with concern. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she says, dropping her hand to her stomach. "I mean, I'm not sure how I feel yet, but I think you were right; knowing this baby is a boy has helped a little."

"That's good." This time it's his turn to reach out and stroke her cheek.

Her smile returns. "Yeah…"

He shifts in the bed, moving closer so he can kiss her. It's a bit awkward because the big pregnancy pillow gets in the way, but Veronica doesn't care. Logan's large hand cups the back of her head as he deepens the kiss. She sighs into his mouth and he grins against her lips.

"How about it, Mars?" he murmurs throatily. "You wanna escape from that pillow prison of yours and make hot, sweaty love to your adoring husband?"

"Hmm." She pretends to consider it. "Oh, all right, then."