Page 63 of Mountain Protector

Lark brightens. “Oh, Knox. That sounds wonderful.” She takes my hands, holding them as she stretches up to kiss me. “And after… I was thinking maybe you could stay in my bedroom tonight? Instead of the couch?”

My heart jumps. I haven’t asked, and Lark hasn’t offered. She’s suggested sleeping in the guest room, but I’ve insisted that I prefer the couch. But what I really prefer is being closer to the front door in case someone tries to break in.

If I’m in Lark’s bed, though…

“I’d like that,” I reply slowly. “If you’re sure. It doesn’t have to be anything. I’m happy just sleeping next to you.”

“I’m sure.” She pauses. That tiny line forms between her eyes. “But… I want to do more than sleep next to you. If you want it, too.”

I should be thrilled to hear her words, but her expression tells me something different.

Leading her to the couch, I pull Lark down on my lap. “Is something wrong?”

She stares at me for a second before sighing heavily. “Not wrong, exactly. But. I want to be with you. Makelo—” Cheeks flushing, she amends, “I want to have sex with you. Very much. But there’s something I have to tell you first.”

A heavy weight drops into my belly. What could she have to tell me that would make her look so somber? “What is it?”

“Maybe I should have told you before. It’s just… I didn’t want to say something too soon and make things weird. And selfishly, I didn’t want to talk about it.”

“Sweetheart.” Worry pulses inside me. “You can tell me anything.”

Her gaze dips to her lap. After a few silent seconds, it rises to meet mine. “You might not want to be with me anymore. And… I understand. I?—”

“Lark. Nothing could make me not want to be with you.”

“This might.” Another pause, and then her words spill out in a rush. “I can’t have kids, Knox. The accident in high school? I had internal bleeding. There was too much damage. So I can’t get pregnant. A surrogate might work, but it’s not the same. I know we haven’t talked about children, but…” Sorrow pulls at her features. “I thought you deserved to know. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

Oh. My songbird.

My heart aches, but it’s not for me or some hypothetical children I may or may not have. It’s for Lark, who’s been carrying this burden alone.

“Songbird.” I stroke her cheek. “I’m sorry you’ve been worrying about this. And I’m so damn sorry you had to go through that. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it is. How hard it was. But I swear to you, it doesn’tmake a difference to me. I care aboutyou, Lark. As long as you’re with me, I’m happy.”

“But if you want kids?—”

“Then we’ll figure it out.”

Grimacing, she says, “I know this is a lot. Talking about kids when we haven’t even had sex yet. But?—”

“It’s not too early. We’re not just dating, Lark. This is serious. I want to be with you long term. So I’m glad you told me, because I want to know all about you. But I mean it. You make me happy. And if we get to the point where we both decide we want kids, we’ll work it out. Adopt. Foster. Get a surrogate. And if we don’t want kids, that’s okay, too.”

Lark stares at me, a sheen of moisture in her eyes. “I didn’t mean to ruin our date.”

“You didn’t.” I lower my lips to hers, kissing her softly. “Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“Are you upset I waited to tell you?”

“No. Not at all.” Holding her gaze, I add, “It means a lot that you’re trusting me with this.”

“I do trust you. It’s not that I didn’t. I was just… scared of losing you. Because this kid thing, it’s a deal breaker for?—”

“Not me.” My voice is firm. Adamant. “I want to be with you. I’m not leaving unless you tell me to.”

“I don’t want you to leave.” The sad look in Lark’s eyes fades as hope replaces it. “I want to be with you, too.”

“I’m sorry you were so worried about this.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s—” Lark stops. “You know. I think we’ve had enough serious talk for now.” With asmall smile, she asks, “Do you think we could move on to the rest of our date?”

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