Page 73 of More Than Words

It was weird, thinking of her with someone else. There wasn’t any question now that she was mine. And the thought that she could still be married and have kids with another man gutted me in a way that confirmed what I wanted to do to make this happen for her. For us.

“So, what are the next steps then? Time for a turkey baster?” I joked, trying to get a smile out of her.

“Not exactly.” She rolled her eyes, but she looked more relaxed as she talked to me. “I’d need to investigate donor options and IVF and probably taking hormones… I don’t know if I… I don’t know if you...”

“Stop trying to talk yourself out of it. And you don’t need any of that. You’ve got me.” I was volunteering as tribute. There wasn’t any way I would let her do this without me. If Isobel had a child, it was going to be mine. And if it didn’t happen the conventional way, I’d still want to be there for her—for them.

“Be serious for once. You don’t want to have a baby with me.”

“You don’t know what I want,” I replied, grasping her waist and pulling her toward me. She was tense at first, but then melted into my touch as my thumbs traced the sides of her stomach. “You forget I’ve been there. I’ve been that kid without a dad and a single mom who worked her ass off to give me a good future.”

“That doesn’t mean we should have a baby together, Adrian.”

“Then maybe the way I feel about you might need to be factored in.” We hadn’t talked about feelings or where this was going yet, but I tried to show her constantly that this wasn’t some fleeting interest in her.

“And how do you feel about me?”

That answer was easy. “I feel like you’re one of the strongest women I know, and you don’t put up with my shit. And even though you hate half the things that come out of my mouth, I’m enchanted by most of the things that come out of yours.”

“We barely know each other. You don’t want to have a baby with a woman you barely know.” She was trying to use this to push me away, likely protecting herself, but she didn’t need to. Barely knowing her wasn’t an excuse I was willing to take. We both knew that was a lie, anyway.

“Men with faulty condoms all over the country do the same damn thing every day.” As her jaw set, her usual annoyance with me flaring, I smiled, knowing she was about to lay into me.

“That is… I don’t… do you even try to filter the comments that come out of your mouth?”

With how guarded she was being, I knew making her angry would finally get her to talk to me, even if it was to yell at me for being a dick again. “All I heard of that sentence was come and mouth.”

“See. This is exactly what I’m talking about. You’re a man child. You take nothing seriously. Why would I want to procreate with you?”

“Because despite my lack of filter, you somehow still like me.”

“Do I?” she taunted, but I could see she was onto me.

“Well, you at least like my mouth for more than its talking ability. But that’s not the part of me you need to knock you up.”

“Whatever.” Isobel blushed. “I’d still need to get my IUD removed. That would be the first step.”

“Then make an appointment and find out what we need to do to make this happen.” I’d even go with her if she wanted me to, hold her hand while they did whatever they needed to do. “If having a baby is what you want, then it’s what I want too.”

“It’s that simple?” She still looked a little skeptical, but there was relief there, too. While she didn’t outright ask, I knew she wasn’t bringing this up because she wanted to kick me to the curb. She wanted to include me in this. And I wasn’t hesitating, which I knew freaked her out a little, but too fuckin’ bad.

“Yes, it’s that simple. You know you don’t want to do this with anyone else. You wouldn’t have brought it up if you did. But you’re more than welcome to kick the tires before you buy the car.”

“All that comment needed was a smarmy wink and an elbow nudge,” she laughed.

Obnoxiously, I turned and lightly pressed my elbow into her stomach, making an exaggerated wink. She tried to hold in the laughter, wanting to be annoyed with me, but she knew I was a charming fucker.

“That better?” I asked, leaning in to kiss her forehead, peppering tiny kisses down her cheek, loudly smacking one on her lips before I wrapped her in a hug.

“You’re incorrigible,” she mumbled into my shoulder, but I wasn’t letting her go.

“I’ve been told it’s one of my more endearing qualities.”

“Whoever told you that is a bigger idiot than you are,” she whispered.

Leaning back, I kept my arms around her waist, looking into her eyes as I teased her again. “I’ll let my Ma know that the next time she calls.”

Her eyes flashed with panic, but I soothed her with another quick kiss, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. “Don’t you dare—”

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