He leaned over her chair and pressed his lips to hers. Mint and pine filled her senses.

“You’re my reason, Jules.” He gave her another soft kiss. “Always, you.”

Julie sighed. His actions always spoke just as clearly as his words, and his words were the best. As it did whenever it heard Danny’s voice, the baby kicked, making its presence known.

“The bean feels neglected, sweetheart,” Julie teased, rubbing her baby bump before placing Danny’s hand directly over the spot where their future soccer player was practicing.

There was nothing better in the world than Danny’s face when he felt their baby move. The first time he’d felt it, with misty eyes and a thickened voice, he uttered, “Magic, honey. You’ve given me magic.” Each time since, he’d smile as if it was the greatest thing to ever happen and he was the only man to experience such a miracle. She grew more in love with her man as she watched him fall in love with their unborn child.

“Mr. and Mrs. Marcus, we’re ready for you.”

The nurse’s words pulled them out of their bubble and into the here and now. It was time to make certain their baby was developing properly with ten fingers and ten toes. They were also hoping to learn if they would be painting the nursery pink or blue.

***

THE TECHNICIAN HANDED Julie a towel and closed the door behind her, leaving a speechless, slack-jawed, glassy-eyed couple in the cramped room.

“We’re having a daughter,” Danny whispered, his hands trembling as he used the towel to wipe the gel from Julie’s belly.

She nodded, words still caught in her throat. Their baby—their daughter—looked perfect. She measured exactly where she should for twenty weeks and three days.

“A little girl,” Danny said, his eyes almost as round as Julie’s stomach. He pulled her into a tight embrace, and she felt the rapid beat of his heart.

It was one thing to hear the technician utter those words, but for them to come from her husband… “Oh my God.” Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. “A healthy baby girl. Danny! We saw our sweet baby.” Putting a few inches between them, she looked at his handsome face. The inner light she saw radiating from him mirrored her own feelings to a tee.

“Come here, honey, I need you in my arms.”

“And there’s no place I’d rather be, but”—she hesitated, a pronounced bounce in her stance—“if I don’t use the restroom first, you’re going need to change your pants before you head into work.” She smiled over her shoulder and saw Danny throw his head back as laughter erupted from his chest.

###

THE WEEKS FLEW by as she and Danny worked long hours and, in their free time, prepared their lives and their home for the arrival of their little girl. The walls in the third bedroom turned pale pink, and Danny spent hours flexing an artistic talent Julie barely knew he had. The day he unveiled his finished mural of a castle nestled in the clouds on the nursery wall, he told Julie, “The perfect fairytale for my princess.”

Beautiful furniture was ordered and set to be delivered four weeks before her January seventh due date. Each time Julie walked out of Macy’s department store, she found herself with another tiny, new onesie in the prettiest shade of pink.

“It called to me,” she’d say to Danny as he shook his head and smiled.

“There aren’t enough days in the year for all the clothes you’ve bought for her already.”

Yet she’d catch him gently fingering the soft cotton wares as she’d pass the nursery on her way to their bedroom.

And their lovemaking…holy hotness, she thought as she undressed and stepped into the shower one afternoon in mid-October. Sex was an area that they had always excelled in, but it had become indescribable. Between the pregnancy hormones amping up her desire, which she’d read was normal, and Danny’s insatiable appetite going from possessive to downright dominating, which she attributed to his primal need to protect his unborn child, their days began and ended with mind-blowing orgasms. She was not complaining.

The friends Julie had made through work over the four years she’d been at O’Brian’s, both coworkers and regular customers, weighed in daily with regards to Julie’s pregnancy. And as all pregnant women could attest to, the minute the baby belly popped, so did the advice from every well-intentioned person. She’d been warned about how husbands tended to stay away from their wives sexually during pregnancy and if Danny still “participated” in sex—yes, “participated” was the word that had been used—then Julie shouldn’t be upset if he treated her like a fragile doll and left her to “take matters into her own hands.”

“Pun completely intended, darling,” the women of the Sweet-Heart Club, who reserved the twelve-top table for the first Monday of each month, squawked before sharing their labor and delivery nightmares.

Julie wasn’t their waitress, but they often requested management to assist even the most capable servers, and Julie was management.

Little did the Sweet-Hearts know that Danny treated her in no such way. During the first prenatal visit, her husband had flat-out asked exactly what was and wasn’t okay sexually for her and the baby. While Julie had felt herself flush in embarrassment at the time, she thanked her lucky stars every time the man rocked her world.

“You’ve been in there a while, honey,” Danny called from outside the shower stall. “I wanna fuck you, so you coming out or am I coming in?”

Nope, no fragile dolls in the Marcus house.

She turned off the taps, her lip tucked between her teeth as moisture pooled between her thighs. “I’m coming.” She startled when the stall door slid open.

“Get out of the shower, babe”—his eyes raked over her body—“and you will be.”

###

AFTER FOUR GLORIOUS orgasms—three of them hers—the pair showered again, that time together, and dressed for work.

“You and Sheila started looking for your replacement?” Danny asked before sliding the toothbrush into his mouth.

Julie finished applying her lipstick, rubbed her lips together, then looked at Danny’s reflection in the vanity mirror. “We’ve discussed it.” She hesitated while rolling the lipstick tube between her clammy hands.

Danny rinsed off his brush, put it in the holder, and crossed his arms. “Spill it, Jules. What aren’t you saying?”

Sometimes she wondered if it was to her benefit or detriment that the man knew her as well as he did.

“I can’t wait to have this baby.” She rubbed her palm over the ever-expanding bump that chose that moment to move, as if she knew her mommy was talking about her. “And I know we decided that I would stop working and stay home with her, but a piece of me wants to continue to work.” Without waiting for Danny’s response, she quickly added, “Part time, of course. I just really enjoy being a part of O’Brian’s. I’ve worked since I was fifteen years old, and while I know that our daughter will fill my heart and my time, I can’t imagine leaving the work force completely.”

When her parents had died, everything they owned was left to Julie, including two very large life insurance policies. Before Danny and Julie got married, they decided to sell her childhood home and start over fresh in a new place. In doing so, they moved to Baltimore to be closer to the fire station and bought a smaller house, giving them more money to invest. So between the hefty nest egg from her family and the generous wedding gift from Danny’s father—only a small portion of which went to their honeymoon vacation—they were in good financial shape. With Danny being groomed for a management position, his salary and benefits would increase in the near future. There was no reason why Julie had to keep working, but she couldn’t imagine a life without the chaos and camaraderie the bar scene offered.