Bella turned off the shower and pulled her wet hair behind her. She was reaching for a towel when her husband, naked other than a pair of red plaid boxers turned from the sink to look at her.

They had been together for three years, and he had seen her naked countless times, but the sight of her nude curves still took his breath away.

But there was a reason now, now that her stomach was slightly rounded, for a reason that no one but them knew. It was the first time that he had seen proof of the life inside her.

His brain automatically did the calculation for him: 9 weeks, two days since conception, or 6 weeks, 5 days since he found out that he was going to be a father.

He pulled his boxers down his legs and threw them to the side. He revelled in how natural, how instinctive it felt to be standing there with her; both of them naked, the secret they shared showing its first presence.

Edward moved over to his Bella, unable to tear his eyes from her belly. No one else would have noticed the slightest difference, but he had looked at her carefully every day for 6 weeks, 5 days, and he knew he was not seeing things.

His hand reached out of its own accord and placed itself gently on her abdomen. He could feel it; there was a bump.

Then the blinding smile graced his face and he finally looked up, straight into Bella's intense gaze, so full of love and joviality that it made tears rim his eyes to match hers.

She placed her hand on top of his, cherishing the contrast of his big, manly hand and the smooth warmth of the gold band around his finger.

She knew. She felt it too.

"Bella" he said, his deep voice cracking with the emotion of the moment, causing the tears to spill down her face, and his to copy hers. She reached up to wipe them of his face, and he leaned down to kiss them off hers.

His lips were wet, but his hand never moved from its place.

She leant against him, into his warm embrace, her hand coming to rest on his chest, evenly rising and falling, his right arm wrapping around her back and pulling her into him. He moved his hand slowly up and down her back, memorising her bare skin.

Still his hand did not move from her stomach, still the gentle smiles did not leave their faces, and still their eyes watered with quiet emotion.

His chest was wet, but whether it was from her wet hair or from her tears he didn't know.

Edward leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Bella's forehead.

"Bella." He said again, his voice strong now, clear as his hand began to rub the tiny bump that would protect his child for the next 30 weeks, 5 days.