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“So” Jessica dropped her gaze “That does mean kids are important to you”
He felt so an awful lot like fear at her refusal to ile place With her refusing to share whatever was haunting her, and hi sex as a way to keep the itself, but he was hoping this tih he’d wear Jess down But if she didn’t want kids, that was a whole issue he ht “Like I said, I want the to iving her his honesty and dreading her anshen he followed it with, “You want kids, right?”
After a few seconds she lifted her head and stared into his eyes He saw the truth in them when she said, “I really do,” but for the life of hiled with her honesty
“And you can have kids, Doc?”
“As far as I know But if I couldn’t, I would do whatever it takes Adoption, IVF, surrogacy”
Relief h hiaze again and he kissed her
He kissed her hard
Then harder, longer, deeper
He did it to shove out the voice niggling at his conscience to question her more
Because he was gone for her
And he needed to believe that everything was going to work out for them
Jessica
Standing on the balcony of the ocean-view room that had been mine for my first three weeks in Hartwell, I searched for that peace that had come over me when I stood there the first time
But it wouldn’t come to me
My phone buzzed inat the caller ID I did it anyway
Cooper calling
I hit the red button and shoved my phone back in my pocket
For the past few days I’d been avoiding hi a liar as Dana I hadn’t lied when I told Cooper I wanted children I did want kids I did
But how could I even start talking about a future with our kids in it when Cooper didn’t even know the whole truth about me? There was no way I could tie hi
I guess I just hadn’t really thought about that until the subject of kids came up
My phone vibrated again and when I pulled it out I had another text from Cooper
What the hell is going on?
I blanched, squeezingto show up
Busy, I texted I’ll call you later x
“Jess Earth to Jess”
I spun around, surprised to find Bailey standing by the bed with her hands on her hips “Hey”
“Hey I’ve been calling your name from the doorway for the past thirty seconds”
“Oh” I was so out of it “Sorry”
Bailey frowned “What are you doing in here?”
I shrugged “I just like it in here”
“Well, the new guests will be checking in soon, so we better skedaddle”
I nodded and followed her out
“Are you sure you’re okay?” she said as alked downstairs
“I’m a little preoccupied,” I admitted
“You don’t say”
“Do you and To kids?” I blurted out
Bailey almost stumbled on the last step She shottoward reception “What nant?”
“God, no,” I assured her “I just heard about Dana and Cooper’s situation before the divorce So we had a talk About kids”
“You want theht? Cooper wants kids”
“I’h-pitched
Bailey cocked an eyebrow “You okay?”
“I want kids, too It’s justI’ve never had to discuss the idea with someone It’s a littleintense”
“Yup” She made a face and then looked at the computer screen A little too intently
“So you and Tom?”
“Hmm?”
I was the mistress of avoidance and I knew anothermy head so she had no choice but to look at me
“What?” She sighed dra up the subject he gets cagey He’s cagey about eneral For Christ’s sake, he still has his own apartment”
“How long have you been together?”
“Co up ten years But that’s his point” Noas her voice that was getting all high-pitched “He says that we don’t need a piece of paper to tell us that we’re together While I say that if we’re going to have children then we need to protect thehappens to either one of us, the other and the kids will be okay financially”
“Good point”
“I know!” She threw her hands up in exasperation “But then he gets all mumbly and immature because the subject of children has been ht away And he’s been saying it for eight years! Come on, Jess, I’ about it being too late to have kids Can you iaze “That does mean kids are important to you”