Skin colour is determined by the expression of the protein melanin. Two types of melanin create the range of skin colours seen in the human population, with pheomelanin responsible for the red and eumelanin for the dark brown to nearly black. Both amount and type of melanin produced by an individual are determined by four to six genes inherited from the father and mother which when combined, determine the final skin colour of the children. Therefore, you and your husband may well have genes that give dark and light skin colour, but your child inherited only the light skin colour genes.
