Maria was suddenly grateful that Brád allowed her to get it all out. That was a simple thing that most took for granted, the ability to get what they were feeling out for someone else to hear. When she wasn’t with him, her thoughts had to take backburner to what was proper and what was deemed respectable of a woman in her position. So, when she started venting and getting out what she’d been thinking about the entire day, it was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders to make it through in its entirety. There were no interruptions, no scoffing…just Brádach, listening to what she had to say and get off her chest.<br/><br/>She couldn’t have expressed her thankfulness just then, so the hug she gave him had to suffice for her. His arms about her offered her a comfort she’d missed, a gesture that she found herself needing more and more as the days went by. There had been progress made, and the night she’d consummated her marriage with Ivor, though it still hurt to think about, didn’t have her constantly trying to scrub her skin free of her form. In fact, she was able to look Brád in the eye more often than not. She was able to express her feelings for him without stumbling over the words and instantly following it up with an apology about how broken she was.<br/><br/>With the announcement of her condition, she’d almost backpedaled completely.<br/><br/>But, his heart beat against her ear—a constant sound that lent another level of comfort—kept her calm as he spoke. It kept her from making interjections of her own. In fact, it was his heart’s steady beat that kept her calm enough to really think about what he was saying.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">He has a point…</span>came a thought.<span style="font-style: italic">I jumped to the worst possible scenario, but Brádach and I have been…far more intimate than he and I were…we were only together the once, whereas Brád and I were together in…near constant succession…It would make more sense that my child is…ours…</span>And, as her eyes connected with his, the outlook of what was to come didn’t look so bleak. She could feel the joy she should have felt flooding her veins, the smile that should have been on her lips the moment she found out making itself at home on her features. Her eyes lit up with an inner glow that would have been there before, had the thought it could be his even crossed her mind.<br/><br/>Without a second thought, she rose up on tiptoe and gave him a soft kiss. …And then confusion set in. “Simprina is more understanding?” Maria questioned, brow furrowing as she regarded him with her obvious concern. “Are you certain we’re speaking of the same woman? The woman who has constantly sought you out to make certain you’re not near me? The same woman who has a habit of watching us a little too intently whenever we<span style="font-style: italic">are</span>together? How do you think that she’s any more understanding, or that you’ll be able to see me more frequent than you do already?”