Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford Expecting First Child

"It started getting difficult to hide what was happening," the actress, 33, tells PEOPLE. "Flu and food poisoning excuses only work for so long, and by the last episode I could no longer button my pants!"

There’s a baby on the way for Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford!

The couple, who married in November 2007, will welcome their first child this summer, they tell PEOPLE exclusively.

“It’s been so hard keeping the news to ourselves,” says Routh, 32, who’s currently filming the CBS pilot Partners.

“Everyone on set keeps asking, ‘Do you have kids?’ and I’ve had to say, ‘Well … not yet!’ It’s the truth. The baby hasn’t been born yet!”

Staying silent was tough on Ford — who just wrapped a six-episode arc on Parenthood as Lily — as well.

“It started getting difficult to hide what was happening,” the actress, 33, tells PEOPLE. “Flu and food poisoning excuses only work for so long, and by the last episode I could no longer button my pants! I just tried to joke that I had a big lunch!”

The pair met in 2003, when Routh was working at Lucky Strike in Los Angeles as a bartender and Ford was there for her brother’s rehearsal dinner. “He met my whole family the day he met me,” the actress jokes.

In addition to Parenthood, Ford is known for her roles as Portia on True Blood and Christine on Dexter. Routh starred in Superman Returns, as well as Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and had a recurring role on Chuck as Daniel.

— Sarah Michaud with reporting by Alexis Chiu