The Loving Silence

Chapter 39

Rick turned over to his side and half sat up in bed so he would not have to prop himself up over her. 

He had always marvelled at how warm and smooth her skin was, and this time was no different. It was also more supple in places now, a bit more to hold on to, and he absolutely loved it. He loved her in every form, and whenever her body changed, it felt like whenever he would want the new limited edition of some kitchen appliance. He kept getting new amazing versions, for a limited period of time, of the person he loved. Of the woman he promised his eternal affection to. Any fool could see he was blessed.

His hands stroked her hips, her waist and the little raised bump settled between her hipbones even as she laid on her back. He circled the skin around her slightly protruding belly button and gently stroked the bump clockwise. When he felt her relax fully under his touch, but not so much she fell asleep, both of his hands dared to venture higher still. Grateful as always to find no contraption between his hand and her soft, rounded breasts. Every time his hands touched her skin, he felt her tremble beneath him and she made the sweetest drawn out little noises.
     As the baby grew and developed inside of her, her chest kept growing too, and the skin could not always adapt as quickly. He knew they were very tender. He took care to touch her much more gently than usual, placing his hand over one breast at a time, massaging them lightly. Her nipples rested in between his fingers and as he caressed her, the movement ever so slightly pinched and rubbed the nipples at the same time. Her eyes rolled back and her back arched as he did.
     With her permission, he removed the sweater and the rest of her clothes, and grabbed her special lotion. He covered her in it and took time to massage it in, with more attention to certain areas. He even tended to her fingers and feet, going as far as to massaging every part of every finger and toe.
     It was true that with her in his arms, parts of him were almost always raring to go, but that  was never his priority. He wanted to savour every moment of their time together. Make her moan, stretch out on the bed, toes curling and have her experience such mind blowing pleasure that her senses nearly shut down. Then and only then would it be time to explore each other in other ways.

This was for her as much as it wasfor him. If she fell asleep at this point, that was not a problem either. Her body knew what she needed. He was in no hurry. There would be other times. He would help himself along in the bathroom if he had to. But relaxing her, seeing her enjoy herself, it often ended up making him feel just as good.
     Pregnancy had her sex drive turned up to an all-time high most days, often randomly throughout the day, and her body seemed to have become more sensitive every time. It made it all the more gratifying to him. He hadn't been expecting it and neither had she. The first few weeks she was very emotional and kept apologising for it, but he had no complaints. Who would be bothered by their partner being sexually attracted to them and needing them in that capacity more frequently? Few would, and he was not one of them. 

The doula had assured them that it was safe. Rick had been worried he would overwhelm the doula with all of his questions. He couldn't have been more wrong. After all, he didn't know much about doulas until Penelope explained it to him, and showed him her website.
     Her name was Shire and she was absolutely indispensable to them both. She had answered each question with the patience of a saint and she had smiled at him with such kindness throughout the session. By the end of their first meeting, he had gone from being terrified out of his mind to actually feeling quite ready to become a father. The doula had ended up helping and supporting him as much as his wife.
He had called Shire on his lunch break more than once. Penelope didn't know about it. He didn't want to worry her. Shire had taken the time to explain to him in detail what his wife would be going through, what would happen in her body and when, and how it might make her act and feel.
She ended up giving him all sorts of suggestions, telling him how he could help make things easier for her. She had also given him a lot of suggestions for their alone time, and he was just as grateful for that. He'd been so worried he might unintentionally harm the baby, or cause his beloved pain and there was no way he could perform if he thought that might be the outcome. And in her current state, he wanted to be there for her in that way whenever she needed it.