His hand move from her back to her cheek, cradling it, thumb brushing over her skin gently.

"I won't leave you, Lydia," he told her softly. She was sure she could gather that much on her own, but he also figured that it couldn't help to say the words aloud and make them real. "You're stuck with me. Our daughter, our son -- whichever it happens to be -- is stuck with us."