He sighed this time, though only for effect. “If you insist. And your point?”

“I didn’t want to horrify you again.”

“Again?” And then he blinked. “Good God, George, are we having another baby?”

At which point she burst into tears. James, on the other hand, burst into laughter. He simply couldn’t help it. But that just had her crying louder.

So he lifted her up, sat down on the bed and placed her on his lap, wrapped his arms around her carefully, and said, “You know, George, we’re really going to have to work on your way of announcing these things. Recall how you told me about Jack’s impending arrival?”

She did indeed. They’d been in the middle of a heated exchange on his ship, where she’d just got done calling James an English lord, a Caribbean pirate!

He’d replied, “I hate to point this out, you little witch, but those aren’t epithets.”

She’d shouted back, “They are as far as I’m concerned. My God, and to think I’m going to have your baby.”

To which he had countered heatedly, “The devil you are! I’m not touching you again!”

She had stomped away with the parting shot, “You won’t have to, you stupid man!” which had finally got the point across to him that she was already pregnant.

“And the second time, d’you recall that you actually denied you were pregnant? Told me you were just putting on a little weight, as if I couldn’t bloody well tell the difference.” He snorted.

She stiffened at that point. “You blame me for not mentioning it, after what you said when Amy had her twins? ‘We are not having any, d’you hear!’ Those were your exact words, you odious man. Well, we did have some, didn’t we, and we may have some more, and some more, and—”

“How you do go on,” he cut in with a chuckle. “My dearest girl, you shouldn’t hold a man accountable for one unguarded moment of surprise.”

“Shock,” she corrected.

“Surprise,” he repeated adamantly. “That’s all it was, you know. And I did adjust to it remarkably well, if I do say so myself. In fact, you can give me twins every year if you’re up to it, and I’ll adore them all equally. You know why, don’t you?”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Because I love you, and at the risk of sounding exceedingly conceited,” he added with a smug grin, “I know you love me, too. Stands to reason, then, don’t it, that anything that we produce from that love will be cherished, whether it comes in a single package or in pairs. I’ll love them all, silly girl. Don’t ever doubt that again.”

She put her head against his chest with a sigh. “I have been rather silly, haven’t I?”