Daphne felt like her entire world stopped as the words left her lips. She wasn't even sure if she was breathing, honestly. Everything seemed to hinge on the next few moments, everything paused as the words hung in the air like phantoms. She could feel a tenseness, heavy and cloying, as her heart hammered inside her chest. Was Ernie quiet because he was upset? Her hands clung together, wringing off and on, as she tried to send her thoughts into his head. Say something she begged silently, eyes pleading. Ernie had been behind her as he massaged her shoulders so she couldn't see his face and Daphne was afraid to turn and look. She sensed him moving from behind her, making her heart skip a few beats as she anticipated whatever was coming next. He moved to stand in front of her but still wasn't turned to look at her, causing her to clench her hands around the chair she sat in in an attempt to calm herself. If Ernie was about to reject her, about to reject their baby, she was not going to cry. Daphne refused.
She watched as he ran his hand through his hair and then over his face, heart in her throat, lungs unable to draw in air. It seemed like years before he suddenly spun around, causing her to flinch back instinctively. She wasn't proud of the reaction but given how their last encounter with her (hopefully) soon-to-be-ex husband had gone she couldn't help it. Ernie was at her feet before she could truly process what was happening and her hands were in his shortly after. She felt her throat constrict as he kissed her belly, tears pricking at the back of her eyes even before he spoke. Daphne took one hand out of his, running it through his hair tenderly as he crouched in front of her and looked up with his shining eyes. "Our child," she corrected with a soft smile, voice choked with emotion. "Unless she turns out to be devastatingly beautiful, in which case yes she will be exclusively mine." Her smile turned teasing at that though Daphne quickly lost the expression as worry started to creep back into her mind. She didn't remove her hand from Ernie's hair, however, nor did she make a move to pull back and away. It felt good to have him close, like everything would be alright if he was with her.
"Are you really happy about this?" she asked after several long moments had passed. Her voice was quiet, almost like she were afraid to ask the question which she very much was. "I mean, I know it's not something we talked about or planned and I just am....afraid." Daphne knew she was rambling but she just had to make sure.