Page 164 of Pucking Around

“Our relationship?” he replies.

“It doesn’t have to beourrelationship as in you and me or even about us,” she replies, gesturing at the four of us. “I just think there are questions we need to be asking. I’ve never done this before—”

“None of us have, Seattle,” Jake says, tossing the tennis ball again. Poseidon goes speeding after it, barking like an idiot.

“Right, so it won’t hurt us to just be open and honest about a few things,” she says.

I sigh, knowing it comes out more like a groan. “Like what, Hurricane?”

“Like…kids,” she says, and now all three of us are frozen solid. “Hey, protest all you want, but this conversation is happening.” She leans forward in her chair, which does amazing things for her breasts. “Jake, do you want kids?”

His mouth opens in surprise. “With you, Seattle? Fuck yeah, sign me up. I love kids.”

Mars and I both tense.

“I wasn’t necessarily implying with me,” she adds quickly, hiding behind the brim of her sunhat.

“Is this like a weird hypothetical then? Like, am I designing my super woman to have these fictional kids? Can our house be on top of a waterfall? That game isn’t as fun as me just picturing you under me, Seattle. Fucking you until you get pregnant with my—”

“Enough,” Mars growls, throwing a flipflop at his head.

“Hey—sheasked, asshole,” Jake huffs, throwing it back. Now Poseidon thinks it’s a game and chases after it.

“Ilmari, what about you?” Rachel turns to him. “Do you ever see yourself wanting kids?”

“No,” he replies, wrestling the flipflop from the dog and shoving it on his foot.

“Like it’s a hard line for you? Kids are totally out of the picture? You can’t be with someone who wants kids?”

Slowly, he turns to stare at her. “This will go faster if you just tell us your position, Rakas. Doyouwant children?”

“This isn’t about me,” she says again.

“Don’t even try it, Hurricane,” I say, tugging her hat off and tossing it to Jake. “We all know what this is about. You’re measuring us all up. Any guy who doesn’t check all the boxes on your list is getting cut loose, right?”

She huffs. “You’re so far off base, Cay.”

“Am I?”

“Yes.”

I lean over in my chair, matching her glare for glare. “AmI?”

“Yes!”

“Then answer the damn question. Do you want kids, Rachel?”

She huffs again, crossing her arms under her boobs. “Okay, fine.Yes. I think I’d like to have a kid. I’m not sold on the idea of kids plural. But twins run in my family, so there’s a pretty good chance I’ll get a two-for-one deal.”

“Oh, here’s where I take one for the team,” Jake says with a laugh, tossing her hat back to her. “Put me in, Coach, and we’ll double those odds.”

Mars leans over. “You’re a twin too, Compton?”

“Yep. My twin sister Amy lives in Japan. She’s a total brain. Big time robotics engineer. That’s actually how Seattle and I met. Does he know the story?” he adds, glancing at Rachel.

“The CliffsNotes version,” she replies.

“Does he know we did it six times that night?” Jake teases. “I feel like it’s the most important detail of the story. Hey Mars—did you know it wassixtimes? We did it that last time up against this window and, I swear to god, my soul left my body for a full minute.”

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