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His sister pointed in the direction of the bedroom

"Carol," he called He’d repeated her name fouron the edge of thein slow, even breaths

Steve fell to his knees in front of her "Are you all right?"

She gave him a weak smile "I’m fine How about you?"

He placed his hands over hers, closed his eyes and expelled his breath "I think I’ht now"

Carol brushed a hand over his face, gently caressing his jawline "I’ly and I didn’t want you to see me until I’d had a chance to clean up"

The frenzy and panic left him and he reached up a hand and hooked it around her neck Gently he lowered her mouth to his and kissed her in a leisurely exploration "I love you, Carol Kyle" He released her and lifted her h to kiss her swollen stomach "And I love you, Baby Kyle"

Carol’s eyes filled with tears

"Coht position "We’ve got a new life to bring into the world and we’re going to do it together"

So day, Carol woke in the hospital to discover Steve sleeping across the rooinable His head was tossed back, hiswas hooked over the side of the chair and his arled like cooked noodles at his side, the knuckles of his left hand brushing the floor

"Steve," she whispered, hating to wake hier, he wouldn’t be able to move his neck for a week

Steve jerked hi dropped to the floor with a loud thud He looked around hih he couldn’t remember where he was or even who he was

"Hi," Carol said, feeling marvelous

"Hi" He wiped a hand over his face, then apparently re in her hospital room A slow, satisfied sht?"

"I feel fantastic"

He moved to her side and claihter," he said, and his voice was raith reirl in my life"

"Stephanie Anne Kyle," she told him "Stephanie for her father and Anne for my mother"

"Stephanie," Steve repeated slowly, then nodded "She’s incredible You’re incredible"

"You cried," Carol whispered, re the tears that had run down the side of Steve’s face when Dr Stewart handed hihter

"I never felt any emotion in to explain it" He raised her hand to his lips and briefly closed his eyes "You’d worked so hard and so long and then Stephanie was born and squalling like crazy I’d been so concerned about you that I’d hardly noticed her and then Dr Sterapped her in a blanket and gave her tohappened in my heart I felt so humble, so awed, that I’d been entrusted with this tiny life" He placed his hand over his heart as if it were hter’s birth and she would notice the change in him "Stephanie is such a beautiful baby We’d been up ht and you were exhausted But I felt like I could fly, I was so excited Poor Rush and Lindy, I think I talked their heads off"

"I was surprised you slept here"

He ran the tips of his fingers over her cheek "I had I to be with you I kept thinking about everything I’d put you through I was so wrong, so very wrong about everything, and yet you loved h it all I should have known fro bad I’ve ever believed I was such a fool…such an idiot 1 nearly ruined both our lives"

"It’s in the past and forgotten"

"We’re getting u that we have a daughter"

"I never felt unmarried," Steve admitted "There’s only one woman in my life, and that’s the way it’ll always be"

"Weyour wife"

The nurse walked into the roo a soft pink bundle "Are you ready for your daughter, Mrs Kyle?"

"Oh, yes" Carol reached for the button that would raise the hospital bed to an upright position As soon as she was settled, the nurse placed Stephanie Anne Kyle in herthe nurse’s instructions, Carol bared her breast and gasped softly as Stephanie accepted her reedily

"She’s more beautiful every time I see her," Steve said, his voice filled onder The rugged lines of his face softened as he gazed down on his daughter Gently he drew one finger over her velvet-smooth cheek "But she’ll never be as beautiful as her ht this ently kissed the top of her daughter’s head

"We’re going to be all right," Steve whispered "Yes, we are," Carol agreed "We’re going to be just fine – all three of us"