During the last months of her pregnancy and the first couple of months thereafter, Michelle had unintentionally conditioned herself to be a bit standoffish with Luke. It had been Healer's orders, to be sure, but she knew there were plenty of ways she could have been intimate with Luke if she'd been a little creative, or even just tried a little harder. Getting up the energy for that was another roadblock, though. She hadn't felt well for much of the time, and hadn't been getting near enough sleep. Even when the Healer gave her the green light, there was still Benjamin in the cradle nearby or even in the bed with them to ruin the mood, not to mention the nervous nightmares she'd been plagued with since the attack on St. Mungo's. Her mind felt light, this afternoon, though, unburdened by the breeze and the quiet, and her skin warmed to Luke's touch, and she shivered. Michelle had been telling herself that she wanted to try a little harder for him. She knew that he needed it, and she suspected that she needed it, too. Her imagination had certainly been suggesting that she did, at any rate.

A giggle tried to spring up, but Michelle caught it with a hard bite on her tongue and she held her breath, holding Luke. It had once seemed impossible that they could ever go a single day without devouring each other like this, and Michelle stroked Luke's beard as he kissed her, flashing memories of their past lovemaking filling her heart, curling her toes.

And then there was the baby. Michelle buried her face in Luke's neck, waiting for the continued cry, but only found her husband's tender words at her ear.

I love you, me Belle. Have I said that enough? Do you know how much I do?

Michelle nodded. She drew circles in his hair with her fingertips and concentrated on the heavy rise and fall of her breath. "I'm sorry I haven't been very . . . I mean . . ." She frowned, looking for the words she wanted and hoping she could convey them without embarrassing herself. "I think I'm getting better," she told him. "I've been feeling better today." Craning her neck to look over at the swaying basket, she added, "Do you still remember that Silencing Spell you used to use?"


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