Page 65 of Whispers of My Skin

I smile because I love seeing him like this. Joel was the boy I fell in love, now he’s the man I’ll love until the day I die. There will never be anyone else for me.

“Can’t you study from home? Do some sort of online degree instead?”

“In theory I could, but it would take much longer, and I already feel I’ve wasted too much time. Besides,” I murmur, running my fingers through his hair. “I’m only planning on studying part time, so I’ll still be around to keep an eye on you, make sure you don’t feel neglected.”

“I guess that’s not so bad, although I still don’t like it,” Joel reluctantly concedes.

“Once I’m qualified, then we can start thinking about other things,” I say.

“Oh? What other things?” Joel frowns.

“That depends on you, really. We’ve never discussed… I wasn’t in a position to even consider… you know, having a family one day.” I say hesitantly. Not all men are keen on starting a family, are they?

“You want us to make babies together?” Joel asks incredulously, as a smile slowly creeps across his face.

I nod my head shyly.

“Let me make sure I’ve definitely got this right. You’re saying you want me to plant a baby inside you?” Joel seems thrilled beyond measure at the thought of us starting a family, which is a huge relief. I want to have children more than anything, it was one of the worst things when I thought I wasn’t going to be around long enough to have a family of my own one day.

“Not right this second, but when the time’s right, yeah. Dr. Wang said I shouldn’t get pregnant for a while yet, though.”

“Tara, I would love nothing more than to have my child growing inside you just as soon as you get the all clear,” Joel beams happily.

“Which won’t be for a while yet, so you see now really is the ideal time for me to go to college,” I quickly point out.

“But your doctor has no objections to us just keep practicing baby making for now?”

“None whatsoever.”

I gasp as he pulls me down for a deep long kiss. But just as things are getting interesting, a phone starts ringing somewhere in the room. At first, we ignore it, but whoever is calling is very persistent, as they call back repeatedly.

Finally Joel moves away, cursing like a sailor. He looks in the pocket of his pants until he finds his phone, answering without even looking at who it is.

“What?” he barks.

I sit on the bed, dragging the sheet up to my chest, enjoying the sight of his naked body, his strong legs, his strong arms. His strong, naked everything really.

“Where are you?” He listens intently while whoever is on the other end of the line gives their explanation. “Of course you can come over, we’ll be waiting for you.”

Joel begins to dress quickly, and despite not knowing what’s going on, I do the same.

“It’s Cassandra,” he says, putting on a pair of gray sneakers. “She’s been having some problems with her husband. She was very distressed and upset, so I told her she should come here.”

I just nod, not knowing know what to say. I take Joel’s hand when he offers it to me and we go downstairs together. I keep my thoughts to myself for now, especially as I don’t really know all the circumstances, but what I do know is that I don’t feel comfortable about Cassandra coming over to our home at this late hour. I don’t like her, and I don’t trust her.

My instinct is that our little bubble has burst and our problems are just beginning.

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