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Poppy was examining her profile in the long mirror of the bathing chamber, the silken fabric of her nightgown gathered in her hands and held up beneath her breasts.
As the healer had warned her, seemingly overnight her belly had indeed “popped.” The small lump that had once sat between her hips, now curved upward just below her bust. It gave her torso a defined roundness that would ensure no one mistook her for anything but pregnant.
That meant it was time to announce the news to their subjects. They could expect a prince or princess to be arriving not long from now.
Poppy ran a hand down the curve of her belly, feeling the sloping sweep and firmness beneath her palm.
If Casteel had marveled at the small bulge beneath her belly button she had no idea what reaction to brace herself for with this.
Her eyes flitted to the fitted dress hanging by the window. She wouldn’t be wearing it any time soon after all. No, Poppy would have to wear one of those new flowing gowns she’d had made.
“What is this?”
Poppy looked in the corner of the mirror to see her husband’s reflection. He was in the entrance to the bathing chamber clad only in his trousers, a broad grin on his face, eyes dancing with delight. He’d been waiting for her to start “showing” for months. When the healer had informed them she would “pop” soon he’d not even bothered to restrain himself from remarking how excited he was for that development. The healer had only chuckled and said that most men were.
“Come see for yourself,” Poppy taunted. “ Father. ”
His smile widened at the title and then he was sauntering across the room to stand behind Poppy. He wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands slide down her belly then cradling it with her, his chin on her shoulder.
“Incredible,” he said, kissing her jaw. His breath was hot on her neck, “And I suddenly find myself ravenous for you. In fact…” Casteel gently turned her so that she faced him, his hands sliding down to her hips, “I’m not sure how I’m meant to be productive with you in this state.”
Poppy looped her arms around his neck. “I suppose I should take advantage of your insatiable urges while I can.”
Her husband arched a brow, pulling her as close as her newly defined bump would allow. “And what’s that supposed to mean, hm?”
Poppy sighed, already resigned to what she’d come to accept when she’d approved that new wardrobe of dresses that would no doubt make her look hideous. “That I’m certain your hunger will die out when I’m as big as a house.”
Devastation and concern flickered across Casteel’s face, then his lips pressed together, a muscle feathering in his jaw as he contemplated his next words carefully.
At first, the idea of his attraction to her waning had sent Poppy to the brink of tears, but after a few days of private mourning, she’d accepted that fate reminding herself it was only for a while. That his affection for her would remain the same in spite of whatever happened to their sex life.
After all, for years she’d been The Maiden with no one remarking on her appearance. Then when she had bared her face for the world to see, she’d endured a fair share of stares and sneers at her scars.
It wasn’t the end of the world.
“Don’t worry about me,” she shrugged. “I completely get that-”
“Poppy, stop ,” Casteel said, blinking. “Are you saying that you’ve come to terms with me turning my nose up at your body during pregnancy?” He shook his head, bewildered. “Do you truly think me so shallow?”
“Well,” Poppy said, finding her throat unexpectedly thick, “it’s understandable. I don’t know that this ,” she said glancing pointedly at her belly, “is necessarily an alluring attr-”
His lips crushed against her’s, fingers threading in her hair, stealing her breath. When he pulled away, her chest was heaving, the fabric of her nightgown slipped through her fingers, falling over her body.
Something hot slid down her cheek.
A tear?
She was crying?
These hormones had made her a mess as of late.
“Poppy,” Casteel said softly, his brows knitting together as he rested his forehead against her’s. “Never, never, never , could I find you anything but radiant.”
More tears began streaming down her cheeks and he inclined his head, kissing them away.
“Do you remember what Hawke said to you? What I said to you the day that I swore to protect you?”
Unable to speak the words, her throat painfully tight, Poppy nodded.
“Both halves as beautiful as the whole,” he replied with such conviction she felt lightheaded. “Poppy, my wife ,” one of Casteel’s hands drifted to cup her bump, “and Poppy, the mother of my child . Both beautiful in their right.”
The way his golden eyes burned her, the way she could see they too were shining, made her swallow the thickness lodged in her throat. She released a deep, shaky breath. That notion that he would finally find her ugly, was suddenly very silly.
Eyes not leaving her’s, Casteel knelt before her. He lifted the silk of her nightgown, exposing that sloping bump once more. She looked down at him and slowly, a gentle smile fell over his lips. He turned his attention to her abdomen, studying it with benediction. His palm swept over it once before placing a light kiss below her navel.
It did nothing for her tears.
He muttered something to her stomach that she didn’t catch, then stood. His hands rested on her waist and he pulled her toward him again, mindful of her bump.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Beautiful. Alright?”
“Alright,” she replied, sniffing.
“With every passing day,” Casteel added, “beautiful.”
Poppy nodded and they stood there for a few moments (perhaps an hour), just like that. When the tears finally stopped and Poppy’s breathing evened out, Casteel cleared his throat. She steadied herself.
“Why don’t I prove to you just how wild your body is driving me?” He moved to her side, nudging her with his hips so she could feel the firmness of him beneath his trousers. “Believe me now?”
She laughed, turning her head. “Yes, I believe you.”
“Good.” He took her hand in his, leading her out of the bathing chamber. “Now let’s get you dressed so we can have breakfast and announce to Atlantia that they will soon have a prince or princess.” His eyes flashed and a wicked grin lit up his face. “And wear one of your new gowns.”
Poppy’s brows raised in surprise at the mention of those gowns. It only made his rakish smile brighten.
“I’ve been waiting for you to try on one of those beautiful gowns for a long time, Poppy Da’Neer.”