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Doug stared at the yarn as if he wondered how she could possibly get this excited over so, we’re going to have a baby! I feel so confident This ti will be different Earlier in the week I was thinking I can’t endure this agony any’s been so hard But all at once I have hope, real hope Oh, Doug, Doug, we’re going to have a baby"

She could see that so hi with eainst her flat sto his eyes He dropped the mail on the floor and wrapped her in his arms Their kisses were passionate, luxurious After several htly and caught her lower lip between his teeth Familiar with her husband’s wants and needs, Carol slowly undulated her hips, stroking his arousal She e ain "You knohat you do to me when you talk like this"

"I knohat you do to me," she countered

He had her blouse unfastened and half off her shoulders when they stu rooer now to finish what they’d started

"We’ve beensaid as he jerked off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt

"Are you saying you want to wait until later?"

"No," he growled

Carol didn’t either This spontaneity was in stark contrast to the scheduled love that had become their norm What had once been impulsive and natural was now as routine, as prosaic, as a doctor’s appoint, on the effort to match her ovulation cycle, their purpose to achieve conception Now, for the first ti Once he’d dispensed with his suit pants and Carol her slacks, she lay back on the sofa and stretched out her ar lowered himself onto her and Carol closed her eyes at the exquisite sensation as his body linked with hers This was the way loveotten what it was like to feel this urgency Their purpose was love and hope, and they were drunk on their need for each other

With Carol’s arers delved into his dark hair She whiave herself over to the war

They held each other for a long ti each uessed, to disrupt the peace of this joining of bodies and souls Their coupling was an affirmation of their deep-rooted love, of their co belief that one day they would be parents Carol was sure She’d been convinced of it the day she’d walked into the yarn store and learned the project for the beginners’ class was a baby blanket It was a sign

After a while, Doug lifted his head and kissed her forehead "I love you"

Sated and content, she smiled up at her husband "I love you, too I think little Ca to be very happy with his daddy"

"Little Colleen, you mean"

"We could have twins, you know"

"Good, the aze at each other until it was too unco and straightening her blouse, Carol picked up the yarn Just holding it brought her comfort She’d knit this baby blanket and with each stitch, each row, her unborn child would feel her love

The phone rang after dinner while Carol was putting their plates and cutlery into the dishwasher Doug sat in front of the television, half listening to the news and reading the paper He lowered the sports pages and saw that Carol had answered the phone in the kitchen

Caller ID told Carol it was her brother, Rick, a pilot for Alaska Airlines, calling from his cell phone He was based in Juneau, Alaska, where his ex-wife, Ellie, lived, too Rick’s schedule often brought hi brother," Carol said, her happiness evident in her voice

"Carol, you sound wonderful Are you…?" He hesitated, but Carol knehat he was asking

"Not yet Doug and I are working on it, though--all hours of the day and night" She tossed her husband a saucy look, but he was reading his paper and didn’t notice "How long are you in town?"

"Tonight and tomorrow this time around I fly out in the late afternoon Any chance we can get together? Not necessarily this trip, if that doesn’t work for you, but soon"

Carol immediately checked the calendar "I’d love to" His invitations were few and far between, and she’d make whatever adjustments were necessary to accommodate her brother "What about breakfast?"

"You know I’ person"

Carol did re up for school "That’s true," she said

"What are you doing these days?" he asked conversationally