He relaxed against the thick cushions and felt his body release a silent sigh of relief. He’d missed Marjorie over the past couple days. Missed her wit. Missed her warmth. Missed her smile. He’d wanted to see her again despite his reservations. For two days he’d been trying to find the time to call her, but there were never more than those odd five minutes here or ten minutes there. Besides, what he had to say would be better said in person. There was too much room for misunderstanding over the phone. But letting another day pass without seeing her would only add to his mounting frustration, so he’d headed over here tonight despite the late hour.

She joined him a minute later, stretched her legs on top of the coffee table and crossed them at the ankles. Judging exactly where she should sit had been a problem. If she sat too close, he might read something into that. On the other hand, if she positioned herself as far away as possible, he might think she didn’t want him around, and nothing could be further from the truth.

They sat quietly and watched the movie for a moment, then she ventured into conversation. “So. Tell me about your day.”

“It was nonstop busy, and then, just as I was getting ready to leave, a woman came in, ready to have her first baby. And then, as sometimes happens, I had a difficult delivery.”

Even as she tried not to, Marjorie started laughing. “You had a difficult delivery? How’s the poor mother doing?”

“Better than me, I think. She got her girl.”

“And what did you get?”

The same reward that came with every new life he brought into the world: pride and a deep sense of satisfaction.

“Plenty,” he answered, in a gentle way that assured her that no matter what problems he faced, he was content with his life.

The unexpected vision of Marjorie with a baby, their baby, in her arms produced such an intense longing that his breath jammed in his lungs. He shook his head to dispel the image, but it remained, clearer than before. For years Sam had brought children into the world. He’d spent countless hours encouraging new mothers and an almost equal amount of time soothing soon-to-be fathers, but only rarely had he thought about the woman who would give him children one day.

Their eyes met, and Sam’s smile embraced her. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but if she’d been holding her coffee cup, it would have slipped from her fingers. Sam had the most sensuous smile of any man she’d ever known.

“So how have you been?”

“Good.” She nodded once, then swallowed and headed for the deep end. “About that appointment…”

“Yes, I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“I got the insurance papers straightened out—no problem.”