“Fair enough. There’s been an uptick in waiting to have children as more women focus on their careers. Is this affecting pregnancies?”
He leans back and rubs the back of his neck. “Tough. Before I moved back home, I did work within obstetrics, and from my experience the answer is more gray than black or white. Socially—”
“I’m not asking socially. I want to know the scientific side. Socially a woman can do whatever she wants with her body.”
“Agreed. Statistically speaking, as a woman ages, the risk of chromosomal defects occurring with the baby goes up and getting pregnant becomes harder.”
I sigh. “How does it affect say a thirty-four-year-old woman?”
Jason leans forward and grabs hold of my hand. “Obviously anything can happen when cells split. But Ava, you’re still young. You have a few years—”
Our food arrives, and Jason sits back, taking his warm hand and the comfort he offered with him. My fajitas smell divine. The steam hits my face, distracting me from the heavy topic I led us to. Jason’s chimichanga is huge, and he licks his lips in reaction.
“I don’t think I could finish that,” I say, pointing my fork toward the large lump on his plate.
“I think I could eat this with my eyes at this point. I’m starved!”
The rest of dinner goes smoothly. The conversation slows, our focus moving to the food, but the silence is comfortable. We tease each other and share stories of our childhood. I learn he played basketball in high school, and he’s an only child after his mother struggled with pregnancy—another reason he was drawn to his field.
Jason is open-minded and compassionate. We share many similar beliefs, and the few we don’t he doesn’t belittle me on.
After dinner is paid for, he walks me back toward the shop where we left our cars. He links our fingers together and kisses the top of my hand. It’s sweet, easy, and it feels right. I’m still unsure how being stood up led to a one-night stand with this man. I guess at this point I need to stop thinking of Jason this way. After all, you don’t go to dinner with one-night stands.
“This is me,” I whisper and point toward my Grand Cherokee.
“Nice,” he says, both of us slowing—or more like dragging our feet.
I don’t want tonight to end, which is a surprising truth. We both work in the morning, and I’ve already removed sex from the table. This is the next stop in our night, but I don’t like it. Not even a little bit.
“Thanks,” I mutter when we’re a few feet from my door.
Jason turns me to him, and I shudder at the look on his face. His hands come to my neck, and his thumbs press on my jaw so my head gently tilts back. He moves closer, and I feel the heat of his body against mine.
“I’m so glad you reached out,” he mutters and presses his lips to my mouth.
“The morning after, I freaked out and worried I’d gotten something from you,” I ramble against his lips. The words flow, and my cheeks warm.
Jason pulls back an inch, his eyes darting back and forth between mine. “Smart woman. For the record, the tests Greta ran should come back clean. We used a condom, and I haven’t had unprotected sex in years. My last test results were clean.”
“Greta?”
“Dr. Froberg.”
I run my hands up his chest to his neck, rolling onto the balls of my feet, and I kiss him. Passion swirls in my belly, and the kiss builds until I’m left breathless and moaning. Jason’s tongue slows against mine, and the fog of desire begins to disappear.
My eyelids flutter open, and I peer into his. Jason lowers his hands and wraps his arms around my waist in a tight hug. He presses his lips to my temple and steps back. The cool night air chills my skin now that he’s pulled away.
“My next few days are busy with work and Mom, but I’d like to see you again, sweetheart.”
I smile up at him. A flash of vulnerability crosses his eyes, and I’m glad it’s not just me. “I’d love to see you again.”
He releases a breath. “Oh, good! I was prepared to grovel if I needed to.”
I giggle and glare at him. “Oh, stop it! So dramatic.”
“See… I told you the drama doesn’t go away with age.”
“Apparently not,” I mutter and remove my keys from my pocket. The lights flash when I press the fob, and Jason pulls open my door.
