Page 34 of Need Me
“Yes, I do.” She sent Emily a toothy smile. “So, when is the next little Jeffries going to comealong?”
Emily burst out laughing and TJ squealed. “We’re not going to try for at least another year. We want to get TJ potty trained first. I love that little guy more than life, but having two babies in diapers would drive me crazy. I don’t know how Anna and Chase are going to doit.”
“They’ll be just fine. Besides, Anna’s mom is going to stay with them for a while after the babies come,” Brooke said. “She’ll be a big help and she adoresChase.”
Emily sobered. “I wish that Maggie had lived to seeTJ.”
Tyler’s mother, Maggie, had passed away almost two years ago and her loving presence was missed every day. Emily’s smile died away. “My mother passed away when I was only ten. TJ doesn’t have a grandmother or grandfather. I find that sosad.”
Brooke hugged TJ. She missed Maggie to. She’d been a second mother to Brooke. “Both of them are here with you and they know all about this little man. I’m glad you guys are going to name your first daughter afterMaggie.”
“I think it’s only fitting.” Emily sat up. “And maybe someday you’ll have a little Robert Jr. runningaround.”
“Slow down, Emily. We haven’t even had a real full date yet,” Brookecautioned.
Emily shot her a cheeky grin. “True, but you haven’t been this gaga over a guy in a longtime.”
Brooke said, “Look, I’m not ruling that out, but I’m not rushing into anything serious, either. I just want to have some fun and see where thingsgo.”
“Good idea.” Emily looked at the bag of clothes. “Don’t let me forget to give these to Chase when the boys getback.”
“I won’t, MissForgetful.”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “Just wait until you have a baby. It’s like he sucked all the brain cells out of my mind.” She came over and took TJ from Brooke. “But I wouldn’t trade him foranything.”
Brooke watched TJ reach for Emily’s nose and felt her maternal clock whispering to her.Shut up.A part of her longed for a child, but she wanted the whole package. The right father for her child, and a loving husband. She wanted what Emily and Tyler had so badly she could taste it. She sighed and pushed her fear that it would never happen for her away. Just because everyone around her was having babies didn’t mean she had to get baby fever. She’d thought that she and Jamal had been on the same page with that issue, but he’d proven herwrong.
So, even though Brooke really liked Robert, she was going to take things slow. He seemed like such a great guy, but so had Jamal at first. Appearances could be deceiving and even though Kate had said that the two women who’d walked out on Robert hadn’t deserved him, maybe there was something Kate didn’t know about her best friend. Her mom always said if it was too good to be true, it likelywas.
As she went outside to play with Emily and Tyler’s daughter, Hayley, and their Poodle, Cocoa, Brooke shrugged off the niggling doubt and let her previous positivityreturn.
