Page 51 of Inevitable

Yeah, he’d gone there and he wasn’t even embarrassed for himself. In fact, he felt a little proud that it had taken him only a little less than two months to get her on the same page as him. When she’d said earlier that she was ready to start their family, he took that as a sign that they were well on their way to their happily-ever-after.

So what if she was thinking about dogs and he was thinking about babies? The idea of having a little girl who looked like Claire running around made his chest explode with happiness…and fear. Maybe they could manage a boy first. That way she’d have a built-in bodyguard. Letting out a slow breath, he relaxed. Definitely needed a boy first and, God willing, a big one.

Maybe they could get started on that tonight in the cabin they were staying at on the water at Fontainebleau State Park. It seemed like the perfect place to let romance and fire wash over their lives. Not that they couldn’t have it anywhere they were. Hell, they’d managed something satisfying in Claire’s office on Thursday. Even with computers whirring and beeping, he’d given her everything she needed to have a good afternoon. Real good.

“Brady, come on over and help me choose,” Claire called out as two puppies started to fall asleep in her lap.

One was black and white with small ears and the other looked like an Australian shepherd mix with light blue eyes. “Darlin’, I think Spike and Rocky have already chosen you.”

He walked over, sat next to her, and ran his hands over the two puppies’ heads as the others played in a pile next to the tree. “All you had to do was sit here and let the dogs pick you. And they have.”

Claire looked down at her lap and grinned. “Seems you’re right.”

Leaning over, he kissed her and reveled in the open way she responded to him. She was all in, just like him, and as he released her mouth, he smiled against her lips. “We’re starting our family with a couple of rough-and-tumble boys. Which I think will be good training for when we have a couple of our own.”

“Not so fast, Brady,” she replied as she pulled away. “We have a long way to go before we’ll be ready for any of that. We’ve only gotten started and have a lot of work to do to make sure we have a solid foundation.”

“I think we’re pretty solid right now.”

“People don’t start a family after only being together for a couple of months. It’s best to take time and let things happen slowly.”

He kept his mouth shut because he didn’t want to go slowly. He wanted to run at her, lock her down, and get them bonded irrevocably. Their happiness and success as a couple were inevitable, and he wanted to get started as soon as they could. Claire’s expression told him she wouldn’t agree with his timeline, so he didn’t say anything more. “Okay, Claire. Whatever you want.”

“Thank you, Brady. I don’t want to be rushed, so let’s just enjoy what we have and take our time.”

Might be time to change the subject because he didn’t know how well he was going to be able to fake going along with her plan. Truth was, he was going to do everything to change her mind, but he didn’t need her to know that. Best to keep his mouth shut and go along to get along. “Do you like the names I came up with?”

“I do. They’re very masculine and fierce. Who knows? These two might grow up to become real guard dogs.”

“We could teach them to do that. I have a buddy who trains dogs for law enforcement agencies, so we could have him make these two great guard dogs.” He looked down and saw they were curled up together and wondered if either of them had the temperament for it. Guess it didn’t much matter. They were keeping them either way. “Let me go and find the woman who runs this place and see what we do about taking these two home.”

“Thank you, Brady, for finding this place. I’ve wanted a dog since I was a kid and it’s hard to believe it’s finally happening.”

He cupped the back of her head and kissed her good and hard. “Just the beginning, darlin’. I got a lot more I can give you.” Untangling himself, he stood and headed in the direction of the house. Little did she know the dogs were just the tip of the iceberg. He had a lot more in store for his woman. A lot more.

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