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Now that the seed has been planted, it’s rooting and growing in my head.
The fact is I would like to have more babies, and the more I think about the future, the more I see TD in it. After all, he’s been right by my side the entire time. Since I was seventeen, alone, pregnant, and terrified, he’s been my rock, my constant.
My best friend.
And now, all these years later, my lover.
I hope we’re on the same page about the future, because I’m not sure I could go back to mere friends at this point. Somewhere, over the last many weeks, it grew into more. My feelings for him are so deep, they’re embedded in my soul and written on my heart. I’ve fallen in love with him without even knowing it.
Now I just have to figure out how to tell him.
Will he reciprocate, or will my confession leave him running for the hills?
God, that’s a terrifying thought.
It didn’t end so well for me the last time I told someone life-changing news. I was painted as a whore, the proverbial letter A stitched on my sweater for the world to see. I lost my family but gained a bigger support system in the friends I was surrounded with.
I take a deep breath.
Now isn’t the time to worry about all that. We’re dating and having a lot of fun. I don’t need to think about the future and whether or not TD might want to have kids someday.
What I need to do now is push those thoughts aside and worry about them when the need arises.
Ha! Do I not know anything about myself?
I’ll be dwelling on this forever.
Chapter Twenty-Two
TD
“Honey, we’re home,” Brody announces as we enter the apartment. The scent of meat permeates the air, causing my stomach to growl.
“Hi, guys,” Ellie greets once we’re inside the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready,” she adds, as she keeps her eyes focused on the food in front of her.
“Smells amazing, El,” I say, dropping my bag onto the floor by the wall and approaching where she stands at the stove. My hands wrap around her hips as my mouth grazes across her neck. “You smell amazing too,” I whisper, my lips gently tickling her skin and causing goosebumps to erupt.
A throat clears behind us, reminding me we’re not alone.
Yet.
“How was practice?” she asks, a little flustered as I reach around her and take the pot of pulled pork and placing it on the table. Brody finishes setting the table and retrieving drinks, and we sit down together to eat.
“It was good,” Brody replies, and I sit quietly as he tells his mom about his day. I can’t get over how right the entire exchange feels. Sitting at the dinner table, discussing the day, practice, work, and everything in between. It’s comfortable, as if we’ve been doing this sort of thing all along. And in a way, we have, but more frequently now. In fact, I’m here for dinner more nights than I’m not, and now that we’re dating, I don’t have to leave after the meal.
In fact, tonight will be the first evening I don’t go home. I’m spending the night, holding her in my arms while she sleeps. Brody knows. She told me all about her conversation with him Monday evening, and while I wanted nothing more than to stay last night, we decided Wednesday would be best. She’s not on the schedule tomorrow, which means she doesn’t have to get up at four to open the diner.
As we progress through dinner, I can tell there’s something on her mind. She’s smiling and listening to the conversation around her, but there’s a hint of concern in her eyes. A touch of worry mixed with contemplation. Something is bothering her, and I intend to find out what. I just have to go about it very carefully so I don’t freak her out. Ellie has always worn her heart on her sleeve. In fact, it’s one of the things I love most about her. She’s passionate and emotional, and when she feels things, she feels them deeply.
Brody hops up and immediately starts clearing off the dinner table. I reach for Ellie’s hand and slide my fingers around hers while we watch him work. Usually, Ellie will tell him to shower and start his homework, but the teenager wasn’t having it tonight. He insisted on cleaning up the dinner mess, and when he started to fill the sink to wash, I got up to help him dry and put away.
Turns out, we make a great team—on and off the field.
“All right, I’m going to shower and get to work on my homework,” he says, grabbing his sports bag from the spot near the door and throwing it over his shoulder. He pauses and stares down at my own bag. I know he saw me bring it up, but he has yet to say anything about it. When we arrived and were walking toward the steps, I wondered if I should say something, but opted to just let it ride. Now, his eye is on it, so we’ll see what transpires.
Brody doesn’t say a word, just heads for the walkway separating the kitchen from the living room. Before he rounds the corner and heads for his bedroom, he pauses and looks back. “Morgan and I are planning a video chat to work on Civics together. I’ll have my noise-cancelling headphones on all night. You know, in case you’re worried about that.” Then, he winks, and just like that, he’s gone, the sound of his laughter echoing down the hall as he retreats.
“Did he just say what I think he said?” she asks, her mouth hanging open in shock.
