Page 56 of Quietly Falling
It was the biggest difference between Mason and me—the fact that he’d been adamant he’d never have biological children of his own and I yearned for the chance. And maybe we’d both ended up where we were supposed to be. Mason had fallen in love with a single mom and fallen harder for Holland and Beck and I…
I look at Ella and swallow hard. “You ever think about havin’ kids?”
Unfazed by my question, she nods and grins. “A whole lot of them.”
“Really?”
“It’s only me and my brother, but I have three cousins here in Trappers Ridge and then my other cousins live in Ransom. The four brothers. They showed up at the bar after you left last night.”
“I’m sure it was good to see them.”
“It was.” She glances at me before looking back at the road. “You’ll have to meet them eventually.”
“Think I should be afraid?”
“No, just preparing you for the inevitable inquisition.”
“Sounds formal.”
“It’s not. They’re just animals sometimes.”
“I’m not worried,” I tell her because theyshouldbe protective of her, and they should also realize I am too.
“And what about you? Do you want a family?”
“I’d like a family of my own, biological if I can but I’d want to foster too—so many damn kids just never get the chance to have a home with stability and love. And if I can give that to even one kid, I know it’ll make a difference.”
“You’re gonna change the world.”
“Maybe not the world.”
“You changed mine, and that’s a start.”
“Pull over.” My voice is gruff as I force out the words.
“What? Why?”
“Because I have to kiss you, and I don’t want to wait.”
SORREN: Is it fixed?
I snortas I stare at the message—no greeting, no fluff, just straight to the point.
BODHI: Yes
BODHI: How did you know?
SORREN: Because I was you, kid
Shaking my head,I put my phone face down on the bar, a bar that looks different tonight or maybe it’s just me. My skin doesn’t feel quite as tight as it did last night and I’d be remiss to think there’s any other reason than the stunning blonde standing between my legs right now.
We survived dinner at her parents’ with her brother, her aunt and uncle, and Roman, Eden, and their sister, Bailey. The group in Ransom couldn’t make it, thankfully, because it’d been like being thrown into one of the Thayers’smallgatherings—where half the town shows up—without a life vest. And adding any more to the chaos wasn’t something I was keen on doing.
Not yet.
Because when Ella introduced me as herboyfriend,all hell had broken loose. Roman and Eden had only smirked as the rest of them peppered us with questions. Her mother had hugged me—twice—telling me she was so happy that her daughter had found such a nice young man.
Ella saw it as embarrassing, but you couldn’t be in that room without feeling the unconditional love bursting at the seams. It’d been overwhelming in the best way, and I’d been completely unable to articulate it.
