“See? I’m already doing it. Totally useless idiot insulting our blueberry-sized baby.” I pushed my thumb at my chest.

She laughed and leaned into me. I wrapped my arms around her and lifted up her chin, very glad to see a light in her eyes. If I could make her laugh, I knew she was doing okay. Brynne wouldn’t be able to fake her feelings with me. If she was sad or really struggling with this, I’d definitely know. Hell, we were both f**king terrified, but I knew without a doubt that she would be very, very good at motherhood. There wasn’t a sliver of hesitation in my mind that it wouldn’t be the case. She’d be a perfect mum.

“I love you, mother of our blueberry-sized baby.” I kissed her, brushing my thumb up her cheek, thinking she looked very bright and glowing right now.

“Thank you for being the way you are with me. If you were any different . . . I just don’t think I could love you like I do. You know?” she whispered the last.

I whispered back and nodded, “I do know.”

She hopped down and pulled on her lacy knickers and then her tan trousers and shoes. “I’ll see what I can do to get you on better terms with the blueberry,” she gestured toward her belly, “I have connections.”

Now she made me laugh. “All right, you sassy thing, let’s go have our chat with Dr. Banana Probe so we can get out of here.”

“Funny. Did I ever mention how sexy you Brits sound when you say banana?”

“You just did.” I grabbed her bum and kissed her again. “I’ll give you my banana if you want.”

Her mouth opened in surprise but she trumped me good. My girl reached her hand right up and cupped my c**k and balls. She gave me a good tug and pushed her lovely tits into my chest. “Your banana needs a little work if you’re going to be doing anything nice with it.”

“Holy shit, my sister was right. The hormones make you pregnant females wild for cock. I might die from so much sex.”

She shrugged and turned to leave the exam room. “Yeah, but it’d be a fun way to go, wouldn’t it?”

I took her hand and followed her out, thanking the gods for pregnant hormones, and wearing what I am fairly sure was an idiotic grin on my face.

“Everything looks very good. I want you to start prenatal vitamins, and I approved of the anti-nausea Dr. Greymont prescribed, so continue with that as needed. You’ve stopped all of your other medications?” Dr. Burnsley questioned in his efficient manner.

“Yes,” Brynne answered. “Dr. Greymont said that my antidepressant probably interacted with my birth control pills and that’s how . . .”

“They can be interactive, yes. That is why the instructions recommend double precautions. I’m surprised the dispensary didn’t offer counseling for a new medication.”

“I don’t remember if they did, but it’s not safe for me to take them if I’m pregnant, right?”

“That’s correct. No alcohol, no smoking and no medications apart from the vitamins and the anti-nausea to get you through the next month. After that time you’ll find your appetite increasing and less trouble with the nausea, so you won’t need it. I really want you to get some calories in, though. You’re very slim. Try for a small gain if you can.”

“All right. What about exercise? I like to run a few miles in the morning.”

Good point. Already impressed with her intelligent and thoughtful questions as she went through everything with the doctor, I just sat there listening and tried not to look too stupid. I didn’t miss the part about the smoking either. I heard that message loud and clear. I had to quit. It was f**king imperative that I quit. I couldn’t smoke around Brynne or the baby for the sake of their health. So what does that say about what I’m doing? I knew what needed to happen, I just didn’t know how I would manage it.

“Right now you can continue with all of your normal activities, including intercourse.”

A long pause from the doctor at this point had me thinking nice thoughts about my hormone-ravaged sweetheart and all the ways I could help her out. She, on the other hand, was blushing beautifully, making me hard, and ensuring the rest of my workday at the office would pass achingly slowly as I tortured myself with plenty of erotic thoughts about what might be in store for me when I got home. Such a lucky bastard I am.

“And exercise in moderation is always healthy.”

Oh, I’ll give her plenty of exercise, doctor.

Dr. Burnsley glanced back in her chart again. “But I see here that you work at a gallery conserving paintings. Do you have exposure to solvents and chemicals, substances of that nature?”

“Yes.” Brynne nodded and then looked at me. “Constantly.”

“Ahh, well, that’s an issue. It’s harmful for fetus development if you to ingest fumes that contain lead, and since you work with very old pieces, that is precisely what you’d be in contact with. Modern household paints are no problem, it’s the older chemical compounds that are worrisome. You’ll have to stop that immediately. Can you request some other form of work during your pregnancy?”

“I don’t know.” She looked troubled now. “It’s my job. How do I just tell them I can’t touch solvents for the next eight months?”

Dr. Burnsley lifted his chin and offered a pleasant expression that didn’t fool us for a moment. “Do you want a healthy baby, Miss Bennett?”

“Of course I do. I just didn’t expect—” She gripped the arms of the chair and took a deep breath. “I’ll figure it out somehow. I mean, I can’t be the first conservationist to get pregnant.” She waved her hand and then pulled it through her hair. “I’ll talk to my advisor at the university and see what they can do.”

Brynne gave him a fake smile that told me she wasn’t happy with this little development, but she wasn’t going to argue with his medical advice. My girl was sensible about the stuff that mattered.

I knew how important her job was to her. She loved her work. She was brilliant at it. But if there were dangers with the chemicals, then the job would have to go for the time being. Money was never an issue with her and me. We’d never really talked about it at all. For all intents and purposes she was already moved into my flat, and there was no question of where we were headed down the road. She would be my wife, and what was mine would be hers. We were having a child. Our path was clear, but the nuts and bolts of organizing everything had yet to be sorted. I knew what I wanted, but the timing was so hellish right now there were literally no spare minutes to delve into plans. Not until the Olympics were behind me, at least.