Joanna laughed when Dylan took her into his arms and kissed her. ‘You can be very convincing, especially when you do that!’
‘Good. It’s nice to know that I achieve positive results.’ He kissed her again then sighed with pleasure. ‘I didn’t believe life could ever be this good.’
‘I know what you mean,’ she agreed, nestling into his arms and thinking about what had happened in the past few weeks.
Once Dylan had been discharged from hospital he had moved into her flat. It had been pointless him going back home when they wanted to be together so much. Joanna had taken a long-overdue holiday and had spent the time making sure that he didn’t do too much while his injuries had healed. There was still some residual stiffness in the joint but physiotherapy should cure that eventually. He was hoping to return to work soon but in the meantime they were making the most of their time together.
Despite all her fears, everyone had been wonderfully supportive. They’d received lots of cards and messages of congratulation when it had become known they were expecting a baby. Joanna had been deeply touched when Brian Maxwell had informed her that the hospital trust was willing to to let her work part time after she’d had the baby. It was an option she was considering although she wouldn’t make her final decision until after she finished her maternity leave. Now, however, they were going to visit Dylan’s parents and tell them about the baby, hence her desire to look her best.
She stepped out of his arms and went to stand in front of the mirror, turning sideways so she could study the swell of her stomach. Her figure had changed in other ways as well and the new fullness of her breasts was clearly visible. The baby was growing fast and they’d both been thrilled when they’d been told after a recent scan that it was a little boy. She was carrying Dylan’s son and the pleasure that thought gave her was hard to describe.
‘It’s just so fantastic, isn’t it?’ He came and put his arms around her, letting his hands rest on the bump. ‘Just think, you’ve got our son in there and he’s getting bigger every day.’
‘I know. It’s such an amazing feeling. I can’t really describe how it makes me feel,’ she admitted.
‘So you’re not sorry that you decided to keep him?’ he asked softly, nuzzling her neck with his lips and making her shiver.
‘No. I never wanted to have a termination and only considered it because it seemed the best thing to do in the circumstances.’ There was a catch in her voice when she realised what a mistake it would have been and how much she would have regretted it.
Dylan obviously understood because he turned her to face him. ‘But everything turned out all right in the end, didn’t it? Maybe I should be grateful to that chap for shooting me because otherwise we might not have reached this point.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ she said with a shudder, then sighed. ‘I was so mixed up at the time that I can’t swear I wouldn’t have told you how much I loved you eventually, but I feel it in here.’ She placed her hand on her heart as she looked at him. ‘Does that make sense?’
‘Perfect sense. And I know how hard it was for you to reach a decision because you’d always kept your emotions buried until we met.’
‘That’s true. I suppose I was afraid of letting myself fall in love in case I got hurt,’ she admitted, wondering why it had taken her so long to understand that. She smiled as she reached up and kissed him lightly on the mouth. ‘I just needed to find the right person, the one I could trust, before I could let myself go.’
‘Thank heavens that person was me!’ he replied, grinning at her. He suddenly sobered. ‘Now, there’s one more question I want to ask you before we set off.’
‘That sounds very serious,’ she teased.
‘It is. It’s the most important question I have ever asked in the whole of my life.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Will you marry me, Joanna? I know it’s not the fashionable thing to do in this day and age but there is nothing I want more than to know that you are my wife. I also want this child we’re having to enjoy the stability that comes from having parents who have committed themselves to one another in the eyes of God and the law. Does that sound ridiculously antiquated to you?’
‘No, it doesn’t. It sounds right because it’s what I want as well.’ She slid her arms around his waist and hugged him. ‘I want to make that kind of a commitment to you, Dylan, and not just for the baby’s sake but because I want the security of knowing that we shall always belong together.’
‘Then let’s not wait. Let’s set a date just as soon as we can.’ He bent and kissed her, and she was touched when she saw that his eyes were filled with tears.
‘I love you, Joanna Martin.’
‘And I love you, Dylan Archer.’ She stopped and frowned then nodded happily. ‘Joanna Archer. Mmm, I like it. It has a certain ring to it, wouldn’t you agree?’
‘Yes,’ he growled, then kissed her again—at which point the conversation ended. Joanna kissed him back, thinking that they were going to be very, very late by the time they made it to his parents’ house!
Five months later…
Little Michael James Archer arrived in the world at ten minutes before midnight and was immediately placed into his father’s arms. Dylan brushed a kiss against his son’s sticky little head, wondering if life could get any better than this. He carried the baby to the bed and bent to kiss Joanna. ‘Thank you, darling. Thank you so much.’
‘He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?’
The wonderment in her voice as he placed the baby in her arms brought a lump to his throat. It had been a hard labour and she must be exhausted, but there was no doubting her joy at the safe delivery of their son.
‘He is.’ Dylan smiled when she glanced at him. ‘I’m a bit overcome by it all, I’m afraid.’
‘Me, too,’ she whispered, pulling him down onto the bed beside her. She kissed him on the cheek then took his hand and gently placed it on the baby’s head. ‘Feel him, Dylan. He’s the living, breathing proof of our love and that makes him the most special child in the whole wide world, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes. He’s very special. And you’re very special, too, Joanna.’
He bent and kissed her, kissed her a second time and then a third because this was the most magical moment of his life. He had his wife and his child right here and there was nothing more he could ever want out of life. And the best thing of all was knowing that Joanna felt the same way he did!
ISBN: 978-1-4603-5770-5
THE PREGNANT SURGEON
First North American Publication 2004
Copyright © 2003 by Jennifer Taylor
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and TM are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
Visit us at www.eHarlequin.com
scale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
The Pregnant Surgeon Page 16