HER BABY'S SECRET FATHER Read online

  “What’s up? You look exhausted.” His face betrayed his worry.

  “I’m just a little tired. Do I look that bad?” Her hand went to her cheek, then ran self-consciously through some ringlets and hooked them behind her ear.

  He shook his head. “You never look bad to me. Maybe just a little pale?” He knelt down next to her and released the very curls she’d just pulled back.

  She rested her head on his sturdy shoulder and sighed. “This was great.”

  “The best,” he said, his hand cupping her neck.

  Now was as good a time as any, she decided.

  “We’ve been so busy, with work and school and planning everything, that I haven’t had a chance to talk to you.”

  He kissed her cheek. “I know. I’ve missed you. Are you sure you’re okay?”

  His warm hazel gaze studied her with both a look of love and of concern pinching at the corner of his eyes.

  “Well, actually, I think I may need to take a test.”

  He hoisted a brow. “What kind of test?”

  “Maybe a blood test. Maybe I’m just anemic. I don’t know. But I wanted to ask you something first.”

  “Shoot.” He looked eager to get to the heart of her story, and held her hand with a tight, encouraging grasp.

  “After you donated to the sperm bank, you said you made sure that you’d never have kids again?”

  He straightened his spine and she saw a lightbulb go off in his eyes. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I signed up for a vasectomy.” Now he was looking sheepish, and his eyes betrayed his change of heart. “But I never actually went through with it, though.”

  After wanting to crown him for never bothering to tell her that part of the story, Jaynie felt relief wash over her and brighten her mood from night to day.

  “So maybe there isn’t anything wrong with me that a simple home pregnancy test can’t answer?”

  His face flushed red. “You think you’re pregnant?”

  She socked his arm. “Why didn’t you ever tell me you never got your vasectomy? I haven’t been using birth control!”

  With elusive typical male logic, he shrugged like a kid who’d forgotten to bring his homework to class.

  Jaynie dashed across the room. “I’ll be right back.” She swept into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

  Fishing through the back of the sink cabinet, she searched for two of the three pregnancy tests she had purchased when she’d signed on at the cryobank. She’d become pregnant after the very first insemination and had never needed the other two. Finding the packages, she checked the expiration date. It was still good. Carefully following the instruction insert, she set to work.

  A minute later she heard tapping. “Hey, I want in on this, too,” Terrance said from the other side.

  She’d kept her eyes closed, waiting the required two minutes to read the response. Now, opening both her eyes, and the door, she welcomed her eager-beaver husband inside. A massive look of expectation covered his face.

  She studied the applicator strip lying flat on the counter. Pointing to the result window displaying a blue “plus” sign, Jaynie reeled with instant knowledge.

  Terrance raised his shoulders and eyebrows, waiting for the verdict. “Well?”

  “Well, considering you never got the vasectomy, the only question is, why did it take this long?” She showed him the pregnancy test wand. “I’m pregnant!”

  She leapt into his open arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her firmly and spun around with joy. “Woohoo!”

  “This is astounding—just astounding,” he kept saying.

  They stopped spinning long enough to kiss. His mouth clamped down on hers until they clanked teeth. Jaynie kissed him as if she hadn’t seen him in years, anchoring his head with both of her hands and planting her lips over his again and again. One large hand held her hips in place while the other roamed her back. He eased her to sit on the bathroom counter so he could be attentive with both of his hands, and delved in for another world-class kiss.

  After a few moments, they settled into softer kisses, warmed with love and laughter.

  “This time we did it the old-fashioned way,” Jaynie said, speaking and grinning over his moist lips.

  Terrance consumed her again with a deep, exploring lunge of his tongue, stealing the thoughts right out of her head. He growled and pulled back a smidgen. She felt his hot breath on her lips and cheeks when he spoke.

  “The old-fashioned way—yeah, definitely my way of choice.”

  ISBN: 978-1-4603-1775-4

  HER BABY’S SECRET FATHER

  Copyright © Janet Maarschalk 2006

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