“Of course,” he said, pressing his palm to her side, just where the baby’s foot was performing a little tap dance. “Wow, she’s really getting her exercise, isn’t she?”
“Getting stronger every day.”
He slowly moved his hand away, as though he would have liked to leave it there longer. “I haven’t even thought to ask if you have a name for her yet.”
“Not really. After all, we just found out yesterday that she’s a girl.” It made her head spin a bit to realize how much had happened in the past few days. It was no wonder she hadn’t found time to make lists of potential names. “Um, do you have any favorite girls’ names?”
Looking a little dazed, he shook his head. “I haven’t thought about it yet, either. I mean, choosing a name for our kid makes it all pretty real, doesn’t it?”
It had been real for Hannah for several months now, but Andrew still had a way to go to catch up. “Yes.”
“She’ll probably have dark hair, because you and I both inherited our mothers’ dark coloring. My dad’s hair is lighter, and his eyes are light blue. So our daughter’s eyes could be any color, but I hope she gets your jade-gree
n. You have beautiful eyes.”
From Andrew, that was almost a poetic speech. It made her cheeks warm in instinctive pleasure. “She may well have your brown eyes, because I believe brown is dominant, but we’ll see.”
“Whichever, she’ll still be beautiful.”
“Yes.” Hannah had no doubt that their daughter would be beautiful to them. She already loved this baby so much her heart ached with it. She suspected Andrew was quickly feeling the same way. Family was as important to him as to her, and he made no secret of his affection for them.
As for their feelings for each other...
She loved him, she thought with a hard swallow. She had loved him almost from the beginning. He’d come into her life at a time of turmoil, bringing with him sanity, certainty and reassurance. He’d listened to her, respected her, comforted her and deferred to her—all things she and her battered ego had needed at that time. She’d fallen for his compassion, his competence, his quiet humor, his undeniable physical appeal. The whole package. She’d loved him when she’d invited him into her bed in Dallas, even though she’d been convinced then it wouldn’t last. Now she knew she would love him the rest of her life.
Maybe he was trying to convince himself he loved her, too. But despite her own certainty, how could she trust his feelings to last, considering the current circumstances? He wouldn’t even be here with her now if it were not for her unexpected pregnancy. Yes, she had been the one to ask him not to contact her after that night in December, but she’d had good reasons then, and still thought her decision had been valid. Maybe just as valid now.
“Hannah—”
“Claire,” she blurted in a sudden panic at what he might say. “I’ve always liked the name Claire. Do you like it?”
He blinked, then nodded. “I like it.”
“My mother’s middle name is Elizabeth. I think Claire Elizabeth is a pretty name, don’t you?”
“Very nice.”
Claire Elizabeth...Bell? Walker? Bell-Walker? She suspected that question nagged at Andrew just as it did at her. He didn’t have to tell her which he preferred. She knew he wanted his child to carry his name. But he would probably agree to whatever she ultimately decided, as long as he had an active role in the child’s life.
“Have you given any more thought to going with me to Dallas tomorrow?”
She tucked her hair behind her left ear. “I’m still thinking about it.”
“You haven’t entirely ruled it out?”
“No,” she admitted. She wasn’t afraid to stay here, but maybe she should be with him when he told his parents about the baby. It would only be fair, because she planned to tell hers with him there tonight.
It would be natural for his parents to worry about what he’d gotten himself into, maybe even to question the character of the woman who was carrying his baby. As far as she knew, Andrew wasn’t one of the superwealthy, but from what she’d gleaned about them, his family lived quite comfortably. They owned businesses and had a reputation to consider. Putting herself in their shoes, she could see how they would be concerned if he simply told them out of the blue that he was having a child with a woman they’d never met. She supposed she owed it to him as a simple courtesy to meet and reassure them, especially because Andrew was going out of his way to accommodate her on so many counts.
“I’ll talk to the family, see if there would be any problem with my taking another week off,” she conceded. “I still haven’t decided, but maybe.”
The flare of satisfaction in his eyes suggested he was confident she would be leaving with him tomorrow. “Good.”
She started to warn him again not to be so certain, but decided to let it go. It was true that she hadn’t ruled it out, so maybe she would go. Actually, maybe she’d be glad to get away for a few days after tonight.
“I’ve decided we should tell my family at dinner,” she said, knowing there was no need to be more specific. “You’re right, the longer I wait, the more likely it is they’ll find out anyway. They deserve to hear the truth from me.”
Andrew cleared his throat. “I think you should know that Aaron already knows. I didn’t tell him,” he added quickly. “Shelby figured it out and when Aaron asked me outright if it was true, I couldn’t lie to him.”