“Oh?”
She was wearing a jacket, although it wasn’t that cool outside, even for September, and she unzipped it slowly, opening it to reveal her secret. Puzzled, he stared for a moment, and then his eyes widened, coming up to meet hers.
“I thought…?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, just as bewildered, but never more happy.
And then he was on his knees again, his arms wrapped around her waist, kissing the rounded bump of her stomach over and over where their child was growing.
“You win,” he grinned, standing and pulling her into his arms, and swinging her around. She squealed, laughing. “You had the bigger surprise.”
“Stop!” she gasped, still giggling. “You’re making me dizzy!”
“It’s okay.” But he did, putting her down and kissing her, his mouth full of longing and tenderness and promise. His words were whispered, just for her, “I’ll always catch you, remember?”
How could I forget? She smiled and pressed her ear to his heart, relishing the strong, steady beat there, the solid feel of him against her. She didn’t speak her response out loud, not there in the middle of the airport, but she knew he felt it.
And more importantly, she knew he meant what he said. He was willing to wait, willing to be patient while she learned to walk instead of crawl. Maybe, she thought with a smile as he kissed her again, feeling herself floating with him somewhere else away from everyone and everything… maybe, even, to fly.
And it didn’t matter if she fell.
He really would be there to catch her.