Page 38 of Forever After All

She’d like to get married and maybe have kids, but the opportunity definitely wasn’t presenting itself. She had one suitor lining up for a date, and they hadn’t even met face-to-face.

Ava chuckled and rubbed her bulging belly. “What choice did I have?”

“You’re gonna be a great mom,” Everly said. “And this baby is already so loved.”

Vera clasped her hands at her chest. “I can’t wait to hold him.” The sweet-as-pie kitchen manager at the ranch loved Abby and Ben. You could see it in her eyes that she had a heart for children, but she’d never had any of her own. Or a husband.

Ava’s eyes widened and she reached for Vera’s hand. “Want to feel him kick?”

Vera’s smile fell, and she didn’t move to take Ava’s hand.

“You don’t have to, but he’s being active right now.”

Vera snapped out of her frozen state and offered her hand.

Ava guided the hand to the right side of her belly and moved it around a little.

A low gasp escaped Vera’s lips. “That’s him?”

Ava nodded, and her teeth showed through her smile. “That’s him.”

Vera’s eyes turned glassy, and she raised her other hand to her chest. “I’ve never felt that before.”

Jess’s chest gripped. Vera didn’t have much family to speak of, and Jess got the feeling they were a lot alike in that they’d adopted the ranch family as their own.

“Feel mine!” Remi said as she walked up rubbing her smaller belly. “It doesn’t kick as much, but it’s still so cool to think there’s a baby in there.”

Jess pushed her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. Remi was right. It was cool to think about babies growing, but feeling a baby kicking in its mother’s womb was a little more than she could wrap her head around.

Motherhood hadn’t been romanticized for her until a few years ago. Her mother hated her kids, and nothing the woman had done even hinted at love.

Abby and Ben came to the ranch last year, and Jess got to see what it was like for kids to grow up with guardians–not even biological parents–who cared for them.

It was a game changer–night and day from what she’d always known.

Now, seeing Ava and Remi about to become mothers, the whole idea of one day having kids of her own wanted to take root.

Again, she stomped the stupid hopes down. She was going on her second first date ever soon, and she was far from baby talk.

Jess watched Vera whose mouth still hung open. What if she ended up like Vera in her fifties with no husband and no kids? Would she be okay with that? She might have to be, whether she liked it or not.

Jess took a deep breath. Twenty-two was young. She had plenty of time.

The door to the dining hall opened, and Abby jumped through the doorway. “I’m here!”

Everyone shouted “Happy birthday!” together and ran to hug the birthday girl.

Everyone except Jess. She was still stuck in the pit of woes wondering why all of her co-workers and everyone she spent her time with had happy families, but she didn’t.

She might not ever.

Jess shook off the gloomy mood and made her way to see Abby. The little girl twirled from one friend’s arms to the next, shouting thanks and giggles.

Jess crouched and held out her hand for Abby to slap. “Happy birthday, slugger.”

Abby slapped the hand as hard as she could before lunging herself toward Jess. The little arms latched tight around Jess’s neck, and she buried her nose in Abby’s soft hair.

Why did she want to cry?

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