“I can live with that too.”
“We go the distance, Ethan’s gonna be it, Cher. Don’t want kids. Never did. I see your brown eyes in his face. He’s a great kid. That works for me.”
This was shocking.
It was also a bummer.
Because if we went the distance, I wanted to see his beautiful blue eyes in our kid’s face.
But if he felt he needed to protect our child from the loss he suffered by not having one, I could get that.
Still…
“Is that a bottom line deal breaker, or is that open to discussion at a later date?” I asked.
He started to close down. “Baby—”
I held on tight.
“Merry, I get you need to know I’m where you need me to be. And I promise to do my best to be where you need me to be. But I also gotta know you’re gonna do what you can to be where I need you to be. And there’s a lotta things I like about you, gorgeous. And high on that list is your eyes. You got mine times two. Don’t close the door on me gettin’ the same thing.”
“Even if we made a kid, you couldn’t be sure he’d get my eyes,” he pointed out.
“Your eyes are so beautiful, Merry, it’d be worth the shot.”
Those eyes flashed as his lips grunted, “Jesus.”
“Just sayin’, he or she doesn’t get yours, they’ll get mine, so you’d get that times three.”
Something else flashed in his eyes, surprise and unease.
I’d know why when he asked, “She?”
“I know you’re a badass, babe. But so is Tanner and he made three, one of ’em a girl. And Cal’s one too. He’s made three…so far…and repeat on the girl. It happens. Even a badass’s swimmers can make girl babies.”
“We need to stop talkin’ about this.”
I didn’t let go as I asked, “Why?”
“’Cause I’m bent over my dining room table with my dick inside you, your kid’s at home bein’ watched over by an old lady, and you’re talkin’ about girl babies. I watched Cal endure the torture of helpin’ to raise Keira before she caught Jasper, and Jas didn’t manage to calm her ass down. He just managed to give her a man at her back while she was goin’ wild so she didn’t court too much trouble. And Vi’s sweet as pie. You gave your mom shit. You get a girl, karma’s gonna bite you in the ass and I’d be that girl’s daddy. It’s been a rough night. You took care a’ that. Now you’re practically guaranteeing nightmares.”
I grinned at him. “I’ll take it from this that the door is open to discuss babies at a later date.”
He looked over my head, muttering, “Fuck me.”
“Merry?” I called.
He looked back at me and lifted his brows.
“You mean the world to me,” I whispered.
His eyes flashed again, the emotion rolling over his face, and his hand, still at my ankle holding it around him, tightened.
“I’m not gonna let go,” I promised. “I’m not gonna let you push me away. I’m keepin’ you with me.”
He didn’t answer.
Verbally.
He pulled out, lifted me from the table, and carried me to his couch.
He set me in it and threw an afghan over my naked body before he strolled from the room.
I tucked it around me and watched him disappear down the hall.
I held it around me as I stared at the mouth of that hall until he came back.
My head and body moved to keep my eyes on him as he went to the dining room table, gathered my clothes, and brought them to me.
He dumped them in the couch before he grabbed me again and sat in it, hauling me and his afghan into his lap.
He lifted his hands to my head, using both at either side to slide my hair back before he used both to press my face into the side of his neck.
Only when he got me there did he take one hand away to wrap his arm around me.
“I said some dick shit to you tonight, Cher.”
I pushed closer. “That’s okay.”
“It isn’t,” he returned. “It isn’t, baby. You can give me a lot, but do not let me be a dick to you no matter what we both get is happening.”
This was good advice, so I nodded.
“Gonna apologize to your mom.”
“I think she gets it, Merry.”
“Gonna do it anyway.”
I drew in breath.
Then I nodded again.
“You wanna take a shower here?” he offered. “Or are you good and you wanna get back to Ethan?”
I pushed against his hand on me so I could catch his eyes.
“As long as I know one of my guys is good, I gotta get back to my other one.”
He didn’t break contact. “I’m good, Cherie.”
I studied him.
He looked like Merry. That was it. Maybe a little sexier since he’d come. Maybe a little tired because it was late (and he’d come). And definitely a little bit of cute-Merry was leaking in because he was tired.
Other than that, he was just Merry.
So he was good.
“Then I better get home.”
He nodded, then dipped in to give me a light, sweet kiss.
After that, he lifted me up as he got out of the couch and put me on my feet.
He stood close as I dressed, and when I was done, he took me into his arms to give me a harder, longer, just as sweet kiss.
He also held my jacket for me to put it on.