Their Miracle Baby

“I see that now. But it’s taken months in the Amazon for me to really understand what went wrong. It wasn’t just the heat we produced that burned us, it was me constantly struggling to get to that next goal. Always looking forward, instead of just enjoying the moment.”

Venetia looked at him surprised. “You’re talking about balance. It sounds to me like something Ronnie said to me right after you showed up here.”

“The chief got to me one night at the fire, that’s why I started going hunting. It’s a perfect exercise in living in the moment. It was difficult at first, but now that I’ve learned to live in the moment life looks very different. I’m sorry I pushed you so hard. I took all my desires and imposed them on you when you weren’t ready, we weren’t ready.”

Venetia was silent for so long that he began to worry, but finally she squeezed his hand and said, “Someday I’ll be ready, but right now I just want to enjoy this experience. Can you live with that?”

“I’ll be ready whenever you are. Like you, I only want to enjoy today, tomorrow will come soon enough. Tell me when you’re ready or just surprise me someday, either way is fine with me. I’ll wait as long as it takes as long as we’re together. I can’t imagine my life without you,” he said, pulling her into his arms.

Venetia rested her head against his chest feeling his heart beating beneath her ear. It was a reassuring sound and her love for him welled up inside her, causing tears to stream down her face. Lewis felt the wet spots forming on his chest and tipped her head up, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

 “I hope those are happy tears,” he said, kissing her gently.

She could only nod her head, speaking beyond her, as the emotion poured though her. Lewis took her hand again and they wandered back to their hut in no hurry, each more secure in their relationship as they’d ever been. They hadn’t spoken the words love yet, but at the moment it didn’t have to be said, it was deeply understood by them both.

When they stepped into the hut, they found that someone had lit a small lantern in one corner and added a soft blanket to their bed. The lantern cast a soft light on the hut, making it more romantic than it really was. There was just enough light for Venetia to see the desire in Lewis’ eyes as he took her face in his hands and kissed her.

This kiss was different than any other one they’d ever shared, it was soft but demanding, but instead of feeling that sense of desperation she often felt in his kisses, this time all she felt was a smoldering desire.

They were happy.