Page 130 of Playing For Keeps
He huffs in frustration and treks inside. I stand with my mouth hanging open.
Why can’t he talk to me about this?
I follow him into the entertainment area. He rounds the bar and takes a glass off the shelf along with a bottle of scotch.
He hasn’t shut down like this on me since we first started to explore our relationship, and I’m not about to let us backslide. We’ve worked too hard to get here.
His defenses are up, so I decide to change my approach. One way or another, I will get him to open up to me and admit his truth.
“While you’re getting yourself a drink, would you please pour me a glass of wine?” I slide onto a stool on the other sideof the bar. “We’re going to talk about this over a cocktail. Any questions?”
He stills himself and stares at me across the counter. “What do you want me to say? You already know I want a baby. That’s nothing new.”
“There. That wasn’t too hard now, was it?” I toss him a teasing grin. “I’m not going to fight with you, but we are going to have a long talk about this.”
He shakes his head and smirks. “You always get what you want. I don’t know why I thought I stood a chance.”
“Come on, stud. You always stand a chance. I’m here, aren’t I?”
He rolls his eyes as he tries to hide a smile. “We really need to talk about that nickname. I never agreed to it.”
“We can discuss it after you tell me how you feel about kids.”
“Why now?”
“Because it’s important.”
“Then say what you need to say. I’m listening”
“Melanie pointed out to me today that when you hold me, you rest your hands on my stomach. And I saw the way you were looking at Avery today. There’s something there, but I need you to communicate with me about it so I understand.”
“Fine. Let me fix our drinks first.”
“Perfect.”
He takes a moment of silence as he pours me some wine and himself a scotch. He slides my drink to me, then raises his glass to me.
“Here’s to transparency.”
I lift my glass and tap it with his. “To transparency and to making our relationship work.”
“I’ll definitely drink to that.”
We take a sip and settle in for a long overdue conversation.
He rests against the bar, circling the liquid around in hisglass. “Ever since I got shot, I’ve had these fleeting thoughts about getting you pregnant.”
My eyes widen. “That’s a long time to keep that from me.”
“We’ve had a few other issues that took precedence. I didn’t think it was right to bring it up while you were dealing with moving and getting abducted. Hell, there’s a list of reasons why I didn’t think it was appropriate.”
“Those are valid reasons, but we’re getting married, and this is a huge topic.”
“I know, but there never seems to be a good time.”
“That’s why we're doing this now.” I motion to him. “So what are these thoughts you’re having?”
He shrugs. “They’re not just thoughts. Sometimes I dream about getting you pregnant, but they usually come to me while we’re having sex. It’s a strange feeling that takes over. It’s like a primal need to get you pregnant. It turns me on like crazy.”
