She let out a soft laugh. “You aren’t the only one. The first two weeks of pregnancy are actually before conception. The number of weeks are counted from the first date of the last menstrual cycle—which is because women don’t always know when they conceived but we’re trained by medical professionals to always remember when we last had a period. I’ve gone to the doctor for a very obvious sprained ankle, and the first thing they ask is when I last bled.”

He stroked her belly, enjoying the normalness of this conversation. This was how it would have been last December if he hadn’t fucked everything up.

“Anyway, given that I know exactly what day I conceived—you’re the only man I’ve had sex with in the last sixteen months—there isn’t a lot of guesswork as to due date, but the weeks are still counted like everyone else.”

“Do you have a good doctor in Port Angeles? Do you plan to deliver there?”

“Yes. I like the doctor and hospital, and it’s not like I can relocate to the Seattle area for the last trimester just because I want to be near a bigger hospital.”

Without thinking, he said, “I’ll move to Port Angeles, then. If I haven’t been released from the Navy yet, it might mean commuting to the shipyard in Bremerton while we get things sorted, but I’ll make it work.”

“It’s too soon to be making those kinds of decis—”

“No way. Not too soon. You don’t want to leave your job or the peninsula, so I’ll come to you. I’m not going to miss a minute of this, Audrey.” He felt his eyes burn, but he pushed through, speaking with his whole chest. “If you don’t want me in the delivery room, fine. I’ll respect your wishes in all things, but I will hold my child on the first day of their life. I’ll be there for you and the baby in every way you’ll let me.”

She made a sound, and he raised his gaze from her exposed belly that he’d been caressing to see her face.

He’d been afraid to look into her eyes as he spoke, terrified of the rejection they might hold, but instead, he saw something else entirely. A warmth he’d had no right to hope for, accompanied by tears that might just be the good kind.

“You can be in the delivery room. I think I’d like to hold your hand.”

He scooped her up—ignoring the pain in his shoulder—and pulled her onto his lap. He held her against his chest. “Thank you.”

He thought about Chris’s advice. Did he love Audrey? It was hard to know. They barely knew each other. But damn, what he did know had him in awe.