Page 42 of Baby for the Professor
Oh my God. Did he say children? Plural? “Yes,” I said with a nod. “I want to marry you, Jackson. And I want more babies from you.”
His eyes were red as he put on the ring for me. “Thank you, sweetheart,” he said and kissed me.
I heard my mom’s sniffles and Aiden’s giggles.
“Shall we have more pies?” my dad asked with a chuckle.
That night, my parents let Aiden sleep in their bedroom, giving Jackson and me some alone time.
Jackson did what he had promised, being my personal tutor and helping me study. With his help, we soon crossed out half of the questions on the study list. I yawned and checked the clock. It was midnight. “Enough,” I said to him. “I need to sleep. I won’t be able to sleep in because Aiden will look for us as soon as he wakes in the morning.”
Jackson chuckled. “Okay. We’ll do the rest tomorrow after hiking.”
As we got ready for bed, he said, “You don’t have to get an MBA, you know?”
I was taken aback by the suggestion. “What do you mean?”
“If I understood you correctly, you don’t really care about the subjects in the program. You decided to get the degree because you wanted a better job and life for you and Aiden. Now, I’m part of your life, so you don’t have to do it anymore. You could go back to studying literature if you wish.”
He was right. I had given up my dream for Aiden. I pondered at the suggestion for a minute. “I don’t want to change back and forth,” I said to him. My perspectives have changed over the years and I realized how naive I had been when I applied for a graduate program in English. “Besides, you’re wrong. I’ve actually gotten pretty interested in subjects in business, thanks to my brilliant econ professor.”
Jackson grinned. “Good to know. Just in case you change your mind, let me know.” He leaned in to kiss me and then swept me up and carried me to bed, making me squeal and giggle.
We lay face to face on my bed minutes later, Jackson’s thick arm pillowing my neck and his rough hands stroking my back. My sleepiness was completely gone, and my body hummed with desire. It was the first time we had spent the night together, and I loved it—the prospect of having more nights like this for years to come filled me with excitement.
Epilogue
Sabrina
We were having a party at our house to celebrate Aiden’s sixth birthday, and my recently acquired MBA.
“I love the valley view,” Emily said as we sat on the balcony, leaving the children to our husbands’ care.
“I know.” I nodded with a grin. “I fell in love with the house because of it.”
After more than a year’s house-hunting, Jackson and I finally got our dream house on the Westside. It was not quite in the Bel Air region, but just as good with the surrounding forests and canyon view, not to mention the swimming pool and the large backyard. Jackson impressed me by paying it in cash using his savings and investment earnings. I had no idea the hot professor was also a multi-millionaire when I agreed to marry him.
The property was so large that I had worried about the gardening expenses before purchasing it. But now, seeing the children running around on the lawn, I appreciated my husband’s foresight.
We watched the men play with the children. “I’m so happy for you. Jackson is as good with kids as Bob.”
I rolled my eyes. It was meant to be a compliment but sounded a bit snobbish. But I didn’t comment because I knew how much my friend worshipped her husband.
“So, have you applied for new jobs?” Emily asked.
“Not yet,” I said. It had been three months since I had gotten my degree. “There’s a chance I’ll get a promotion at my current job.”
“That’s great!”
“Yeah. I’m already familiar with the work over there, so I might as well stick around for a while longer. Besides, I’m pregnant again.”
Her mouth opened, and then she grinned. “Congrats! Does Jackson know?”
“Not yet. I’ll tell him later.”
Jackson and I were soaking in the hot tub under the night sky. We could see the freeway weaving through the mountains below us. The party had been over hours ago, and Aiden had fallen asleep.
“This is fantastic,” Jackson rested his head on the edge of the deck and let out a sigh of satisfaction.
