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“No, Pepper,” I say, my hand soft on her cheek. Her face falls, but then I finish the sentence. “It’s not wrong at all to ask. But let’s talk about this more. You’re still in school and you have so much life ahead of you,” I say in a rough voice.
She sniffles again, and whispers against my lips.
“But I want a baby with you, Robbie. Only you,” and with that, my heart soars. I hold her close to me and our hearts race together. A baby with this beautiful woman? It might just be what I’m looking for.
10
Rob
* * *
The next day I have a shift with Sam that goes later than usual. Fortunately, it wasn’t a super-eventful few hours, but by the end of it, neither of us wanted to go home immediately. We decide to head to the Salty Lagoon for a few beers. The inside of the bar is dark and warm and reeks a bit of alcohol, but it’s fine. This is just what dives smell like.
We approach the bar and already, Sam’s gotten a few looks from the female patrons inside. I can’t really blame them because he looks like the actor from Captain America with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and rock hard jaw. Hell, even our pretty redheaded bartender eyes him up and down as she licks her lips.
A lesser man might be jealous of the attention Sam gets, but it’s never bothered me. Besides, what’s there to be jealous of when I’ve got Pepper? The curvy girl is worth a thousand of any of these women.
“What can I get you two?” the bartender asks, her eyes are glued to Sam. The glitter in her blue eyeshadow glimmers in the low light and her curly red hair spills over her shoulder.
Sam rests his elbows on the bar and leans in, loving the attention. I really want to talk to him, but I won’t deny him this little indulgence. He holds up two fingers. “A couple of pints if you don’t mind, doll.”
“Coming right up.” She winks at him before quickly filling a couple of mugs. As expected of a bartender, there’s only an inch of head at the top of them. She slides them toward us, gives Sam another lingering look, and then moves to take another order.
Meanwhile, I grab the frosties and steer us away to a quiet table near the back of the bar. We get settled, and I take a sip of my beer that turns into three huge gulps.
“Wow,” my buddy says as I wipe the foam from my lips. “What’s eatin’ you?”
“You know what, to be honest, I’m feeling really giddy.”
“Giddy? You?” My blonde friend raises his eyebrows as he takes a gulp of his beer. “Do tell.”
“I’ve started dating again.”
“Shit, that’s great.” Sam nods with the wisdom of someone twice his age. “What’s she like, how long have you been dating, and why haven’t you told me about her before?”
I smirk. Sam can be such a busybody when he’s interested in the subject, but I’ll answer him honestly. “She’s amazing, smart and beautiful. We’ve only been dating a couple of weeks. And as for why I haven’t brought her up… well, she’s quite a bit younger than me.”
Sam looks impressed.
“How young?”
“Young enough to still be in college.”
He whistles low. “Nice going, buddy. All I can attract are women over the age of seventy, but here you are bagging a teenager.”
I laugh again. “No, that’s not it. She’s not in her teens anymore. She’s twenty.”
He leers a bit.
“So what’s the problem then? She’s legal. It’s not like you’re hitting up the local high school.”
I roll my eyes and take another sip of my beer. “It’s not really a problem, it’s just that…” I review the intricacies of Pepper’s issue before deciding it’s better to be as vague about it as possible. “She’s thinking of having her eggs frozen. Is that strange?”
Sam shrugs. “I don’t think so. If you want my honest opinion, I think egg freezing is God’s gift to women. It takes a lot of pressure off them, not to mention us. It’s fucking awesome.”
“Huh,” I nod and lift my beer to my lips. “Very interesting.”
Sam nods.
“Yeah, women don’t have to find someone to have a baby with while they’re practically babies themselves. They have a longer runway and more time, if that makes sense. Hell, if your girl is as young as you say, then now is probably the best time to do it. But I’m sure you already know that.”
“Yeah. I’ve told her as much.” I run a hand through my hair and watch the remaining foam pool at the bottom of my mug. “I’m going to get a refill. You want one?”
He downs the rest of his beer in a couple of large gulps and slides his glass to me. I go to get a refill for our drinks and then return, my brain still churning.
