Page 15 of Darla's Christmas Knight
Because you know you’ve messed up, you big wanker. And you have no fucking clue how to fix it.
“Apologies, brother.Darlaagreed to yourpropositionto ‘give her a baby’ but onherterms.”
Bobby morosely picked at the label on the bottle. “Yes,” he bit out, the cool ocean breeze drifting around them, ruffling his hair, reminding him of times when Darla had run her fingers through it. He shook his head. He was such a sap.
“And those terms are …”
“I’ve already told you.”
“Just want to make sure I heard you right the first time.”
“Fuck off.”
“Might I remind you that youaskedme for advice.”
He shot Stuart a stink-eye. His brother merely shrugged and lifted his own beer to his lips.
“Fine,” Bobby exploded. “She first rejected my offer outright and told me to get lost.”
“And you left?”
“Iretreated,” he corrected, “needing time to regroup and formulate a plan.”
Stuart harrumphed.
“What was I supposed to do, Stuart? She doesn’t trust me. I get that. I wouldn’t trust me either. I hurt her. Badly.”
“Still can’t believe you let the woman you love go all those years back.”
“I couldn’t live a lie.” Bobby lifted the bottle to his lips, trying to derive some pleasure from the alcohol, but the enjoyment was ruined by his bitter regrets. “But regurgitating my past mistakes won’t fix the pickle I’m in now.”
“True story. So, she called you a few days later?”
“She did.”
“And you met with her, and she laid out her terms.”
Her very business-like terms. “Yes.”
“And they were …” Stuart waved his hand about.
“We’ll meet during the time when she is the most fertile until she falls pregnant. Once she’s pregnant, I will be allowed to join her for two ultrasound appointments. And attend the birth of the baby if I so wish, but a friend will be her formal birth partner. While she’s breastfeeding, the baby will live with her permanently, but I will be allowed three one-hour visits during the week, and one four-hour visit on the weekend. When the baby is weaned, I can have an overnight stay on the weekend.” And fool that he was, he’d agreed!
“You left out splitting all expenses fifty-fifty,” Stuart added.
Bobby sighed. “I offered to cover all expenses, but she insisted.”
“And so far, you’ve had two, er, mating periods.”
Trust Stuart to get to the heart of his misery.
Mating periods.
Cold, clinical sex.
Seven consecutive days during which he showed up, theymated, and he left.
Below them, the turbulent waves of the Atlantic Ocean pounded against the rocks, over and over, relentless in its power.Fool, fool, fool, mother nature accused. Discordant sounds from the anniversary celebration drifted down the terraces, swirling around them, reminding him of the reason that brought him back to the islands. Watching the deep love between his parents, even after fifty years of marriage, made the arrangement he’d agreed to seem so … shallow and cold.
