The conversation flowed easier this time, and Lucah and I started talking about hiding our relationship, the early days, and the job interviews. The girls were quiet because they were stuffing their faces with cookies when their mother wasn’t looking. Or maybe she just pretended not to see.
“I’m shocked you didn’t file a restraining order against him,” Tate said as I recounted some of the things he’d said in the interview. I left out the part that Lucah had pretty much set my panties on fire when he’d walked in the room. They really didn’t need to know that.
“I thought about it. He was just so sure of himself. I didn’t find out until later it was because he already had the job and the interview was just a formality. I couldn’t understand why all these people were telling me I should hire him. I thought he’d either paid them off or slept with all of them.” I could say that in front of kids, right?
“Who’s to say I didn’t?” Lucah said, grabbing another cookie, breaking it in half and giving me part of it.
“Even Hal Marksman?”
“Never underestimate the power of older men,” Lucah said, winking. I could feel myself blushing as Tate and April watched.
“Well, I hope he called you the next day and didn’t just ditch you.”
“I’ll never tell. Ours is a special love that you can’t understand.” I shook my head and contemplated shoving a cookie in his mouth so he’d stop talking.
“And this is a topic that isn’t for little ears,” I said, poking him. “Sorry. I can’t control him now that I’m no longer his boss. Not that I could control him then.”
“You tried.” He patted my arm as if he was consoling me.
“I did.” He crossed his eyes at me. I did the same. Sometimes that was all you could do.
Then the girls saw us doing it and they wanted to try, so we spent the next ten minutes trying to explain it to them with hilarious results. There were more tantrums when the cookies were taken away, but then April got out her iPad and started a show for them to watch in a corner.
“That should amuse them for a few minutes until they fight about who gets to hold it. Two is a lot, but I have no idea what I’m going to do when it’s three.” Wait, what? April’s eyes went wide and she clamped her hand over her mouth.
“Oops. That wasn’t supposed to be public knowledge yet. I just took the test two days ago. We always wait until the second trimester, just in case. But I guess I already have baby brain.” Lucah got up and gave her a huge hug and I did the same.
“That’s so exciting,” I said, and I meant it, even though I couldn’t imagine having three under the age of five at once. God bless her.
“It wasn’t exactly planned, but it wasn’t exactly avoided, so I guess that’s what I get,” April said in my ear. “Just gotta roll with the punches life doles out, right?” No wonder she looked frazzled. She and Tate went to get more drinks and I went and sat on Lucah’s lap.
“Congrats again. Unkie Lu.”
“Thanks, Sunshine.” He gave me a soft kiss and then motioned for me to let him up when the girls started fighting with the iPad and Gracie tried to whack Fiona with it. He broke up the fight and got them resituated and propped the iPad up on a pillow so they could both see it.
Watching him with them made me wonder all kinds of things. About us, about our future. About our potential ginger babies.
I kept wondering the rest of the visit, even when the girls covered me with glitter again, and yanked out half my hair with a brush, and stole my shoes and tried to walk around in them again.
“You should come out to the city. We could take the girls to the museum. Or we could watch them and you could have some time alone.”
“Alone time? What is this alone time you speak of?” April said. Tate laughed and kissed the top of her head.
“It was what we had before children, baby. Remember? Sleeping late? Staying out late? Sex without being interrupted?” He whispered the last part so the kids didn’t hear.
“I vaguely remember something about that, but it’s been so long I think I might have imagined it. But I think I’d like to try and see if we could have it again. Sure. How about next weekend?” So we made plans to take the girls to the museum while April and Tate went to lunch and did some shopping and maybe snuck into a hotel for the afternoon. I heard Lucah suggesting that to Tate, and recommending the hotel we’d been at.
I just pretended I didn’t hear as we hugged everyone goodbye. I almost forgot my shoes because Gracie was still wearing them.
11
“So do you want kids?” I said on the way back. We’d never really discussed this part of our relationship. I didn’t know if it was because I was afraid of it, or he was. Either way, neither of us had ever brought it up.
“I do. Why?”
“Just asking. We’ve never talked about it, and I see how you are with the girls so I was just wondering.”
“Do you?”
“Of course. Eventually.”
“What do you mean?” He downshifted as we drove through another neighborhood.
“Oh, I always planned on having them later. You know, when my career was established.” Then I could have more time with them and I wouldn’t resent them for taking time away from me building my career. I’d also have more money to afford them.
“How much later?”
“Like, at least thirty or later.”
“Huh. That surprises me. I would have thought you’d say in the next couple of years.” He glanced over at me.
“Well, when I decided I didn’t want to have kids until I was thirty, I was also single and there was no Lucah Blythe in my life. So.”
“Soooo. That number could change?” Why did he want to know?
“Are you saying you want kids right now? Jesus Christ, we just moved in together.” That was WAY too fast for me. And I think my parents would like it if I was married before I had kids anyway. They hadn’t said boo about me moving in with Lucah before marrying him, but I knew my mother wasn’t thrilled about it. But I had a man and she was happy about that, so it was a trade-off. Plus, she adored Lucah now. He’d replaced Fin in her affections, at least for the time being.
“No, no. Not tomorrow. But I think you’d make an amazing mother.” He took my hand and kissed the back of it.
“You know my parents would probably want me to be married so I don’t have a child out of wedlock.”