Page 41 of Older Cowboy

“Still, I’m the one who asked you over.”

Yes. Yes, she was.

“Doesn’t matter. Stacey hated cooking. Our marriage was full of sandwiches and lots of cheap takeout.”

“Is that why you broke up?” There was mischief in Erika’s eyes, but Cody used the opportunity to fess up more tidbits about his doomed first marriage.

“What actually broke us up was a lack of communication. Gabe was a surprise, and we invested all our time in taking care of him. We didn’t save any of that time or attention for each other, and marriages are like plants, without sunshine they wither and die. Six years after we wed, we divorced.”

He expected her to say she was sorry like most other people did, but she didn’t.

“Callie and Zeke are polar opposites, yet they make it work. Do you think it’s because they prioritize talking to one another?”

“Probably.” He was sure where she was going with this. “Although Stacey and I weren’t as young as some, I don’t think we had maturity on our side. That didn’t help.”

“Ever considered having more children beyond Gabe?” Erika averted her gaze.

“When she was pregnant with him, we mentioned maybe having more. But the realities of a newborn were overwhelming. Then, it didn’t calm down as our baby grew into a toddler and preschooler. We never reconnected enough to discuss it again, and after that, our marriage dissolved. Since then, I’ve been single.”

She still wouldn’t meet his eyes, and she wore the most peculiar expression. Trailing his thumb along her wrist, he waited for her to glance up at him. “That’s not to say that I’m totally opposed to the idea of more. I might be persuaded should the right person come along.”

“That would be a pretty massive age difference between a second child and Gabriel,” she pointed out, but she hadn’t looked away again.

“True.”

“You don’t think that would pose a problem?”

“For who? Gabe? Or me and this imaginary mother of my child?” He kept his tone light and teasing even though the topic didn’t strike him as anything close to humorous.

“For whoever.”

“Well,” he traced the delicate bones along the knuckles of her right hand. “That would depend on the situation. If this were to ever take place for real, I’d be unlikely to consider it with just anyone. The person I’d have more kids with would have to be special. Like you, maybe.”

Erika’s eyes shown as she looked at him. “Time is running out for me. Any pregnancy I might have would be considered geriatric at the outset.”

“Geriatric? We’re not in our twenties any more, but we’re certainly not old fogies yet. What would that mean, anyway?”

She smiled and shook her head slightly. “It doesn’t mean that, silly. I’d just get some extra monitoring and my doctor would be watching for complications. After a certain age they still consider pregnancy to be high risk.”

“I’m willing to bet I could help take care of you. Make sure you didn’t overdo it.” His hand ached to encircle her stomach, but that would mean crossing a boundary she hadn’t offered him access to yet. So, he tried another tack. “You know what I’ve always believed?”

“What?”

“That if you want something badly enough, you can make it happen. Is us getting together and having a baby something you’d like to happen, Erika?”

“I’d have to take a leave of absence from my career.”

“Would you be okay with that?”

“It would be a sacrifice. But I’d be willing to make it.”

“I’d be willing to sacrifice, too, you know.” He brought his fingertips up to her jawline, then up to her dark hair which he pushed behind her ear.

“You do have experience as a father,” she tapped him on the bridge of his nose.

“I do. And you know more about kids than even the most experienced parents do.” Humbly, she tilted her chin to the side. “I suppose I’d be game if you are, Erika Cantrell.”

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