Page 100 of Diamond Angel

“Uncle Illy?” Adam says, suddenly breaking the silence out of the blue. “Why don’t you have any kids?”

Taylor’s eyes fly to mine. “Adam, you wanna help me with this part?” she asks, trying to poke her half-made tower in his face to distract him.

He gives me a confused frown. “No, Mama, that’s your job.” Then he looks pointedly at me as though to let me know he’s still waiting for an answer.

“I…” I don’t want to lie. Not more than I already am.I had you, son,is right there on the tip of my tongue.But I can’t say the words, and I’m struggling to find others. “I don’t know.”

His nose wrinkles up a little. “They don’t have storks in this part of the country?”

“Storks?”

He nods and glances at Taylor, who is full-on blushing now. “Mama says that storks come bringing babies. That’s how she got me.”

I force myself to suppress my smile. “A stork, huh?”

She licks her lips self-consciously. “It’s, um, complicated, sweetheart. Some places have a shortage of storks.”

“That’s sad. Maybe you should go to the place Mama lived when she got me,” Adam suggests. “Then you and Auntie Cee can get a baby, too.”

“Actually, I might be allergic to storks.”

He looks severely disappointed by that. “But don’t you want a baby?”

“Honey,” Taylor interrupts before I can speak, “we really need to concentrate on building this tower. Where’s Rapunzel gonna live if we don’t finish?”

“But I wanna know, Mama. Then I will have a friend to play with.”

“You’ll be in school soon, and then you’ll make lots of friends.”

His bottom lip juts out. “But then I come home and I don’t have anyone to play with here. I wanted to call the stork again, but you said no.”

“You want a baby brother or sister, huh?” I glance at Taylor again, wondering if she can see the heat flare in my gaze. Just the thought of making another baby with this infuriating hellcat…

Focus, Ilarion. Your son is watching.

“Yeah. For a long time. Mama keeps saying no. She says that she has me and that’s enough. But I want a baby brother or sister.”

I chuckle. “Maybe one day, huh?”Maybe even one day soon.

I’d have no issue with making a baby brother or sister for him. None at all.

He shrugs and goes back to his tower. When I look at Taylor, her eyes are on me. “There are great fertility experts in this state,” she says softly. “Just saying.”

I arch a playful brow. “I think you know damn well I don’t need a fertility expert.”

She goes bright red. “It’s none of my business.”

“It could be your business.”

If she turns any redder, she’ll catch on fire. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’ll let you take a guess.”

She rolls her eyes and walks over to the window seat that overlooks the garden. Adam doesn’t seem to notice her absence, so I follow her. I lean against the supporting wall, giving her the space she clearly needs from me. But apparently, it’s still too close, because she stiffens the moment I get there.

“You don’t think she’ll get suspicious?” Taylor murmurs. “If you keep showing interest in Adam?”

“She isn’t here to see anything.”

---