Page 39 of Winning Bid

“And what if you don't like my post-baby body?”

“Not possible.”

I smirk at him. “Well, now you sound naive. There are plenty of guys who are not happy with their wives’ post-baby bodies.”

“They're assholes.”

It makes me giggle. “Well, that much is true.”

He takes my foot into his lap and starts massaging it. I could melt right there. “Sweetheart, if you grow me babies, I will love every inch of that body. Possibly even more than I do now.”

I can't figure out why this conversation is turning me on, but it is. “You really think a baby won't change things between us? Sexual things, I mean.”

“If anything, I think it would just make you sexier.”

“Do you have one of those MILF fetishes?”

He laughs, shaking his head. “The only MILF that I want is you, once you’ve had plenty of time to recover from carrying my child. It's not about a mother's body or anything like that. It's about this intrinsic, cosmic connection that we would have. June, it's not just a physical thing. It's never just been a physical thing between us. It's us. And creating new life together … I can't think of anything better.”

He has this look on his face that makes me swoon. I don't know if he's getting better at saying all the right things or if I'm just happier to hear them now that I’m relaxing. It might be the foot massage.

Just then, my phone rings. “Sorry. Thought I turned this off.” It's my dad. I have no urge to talk to him right now. The only person I want to give my attention to is Anderson. So I text him back and let him know that I'm sick with laryngitis—hence why I didn’t answer the phone—and that I'll need a few days to myself.

Thankfully, his response is quick. “OK, Junebug. Just checking in for our next lunch. Feel better soon.”

With that out of the way, I turn my phone off and my focus on the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with. His brows lift in question, and with the fire lighting his face, somehow, he’s even more gorgeous than usual. “Everything okay?”

“Just Dad. He wanted to know about our next lunch.” I shrug. “No big deal. How many kids do you want?”

He gets this faraway look as he stares into the fire. “As many as you want to have.”

“What does that mean?”

“When I’m CEO, I’ll have the means to support as large a family as we want to have, and I’ve always liked the idea of having a big family. Growing up, it was just me and Cole, and he’s … different from me, so it was a little like growing up with a stranger. I don’t want that for my kids.”

That sounds like he wants a lot. I gulp my wine down. “Throw a number on that for me.”

He grins. “Maybe … seven or eight?—"

“What?” Damn. I almost spilled my wine. How is there no air outside?

“We can negotiate a number. I don’t want to put your body through hell, and I love the idea of adopting if that puts your mind at ease.” He takes my other foot to work on. “Thoughts on adoption?”

“I kind of love the idea, truthfully. I mean, I would like some of my own, too, but I especially like the idea of adopting some older kids. The ones people usually ignore because most people want babies.” I sigh. “It just feels like the right thing to do, and I don’t mean a moral obligation, but it feels right in my heart. Like I’m supposed to do that.”

“I didn’t know I could love you more. But here we are.”

“You’re up for adopting older kids, too?”

He nods. “I think it’s a great idea.”

21

JUNE

As cozy as things are out here, I need to lie down. “Do you think we could go inside. I’d like to stretch out.”

“I think … ” He gets up and adjusts the loungers so they lay down flat. “Better?”

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