“You’re going to get everything you want.” He aligned our faces, his exhales hitting my skin. “Everything. Do you hear me?”
“You want it too?”
“With you, yes. And more.”
A shuddering breath left my lips. “You want more children?”
“Two. Three.” He smiled. “Even four would do.”
I laughed, and, oh God, it felt good. “Four might be over my limit.”
He kissed me. An embrace that was all lips and breath and unspoken vows. And when his head reared back, keeping his face near mine, he whispered, “What about a stepdaughter? How would you feel about that?”
My eyes closed. “I would love Ellie so hard.”
I already do.
He slid me against his chest, his mouth pressing against the top of my head. “Of course, there will be some logistics we have to work out.”
“Like?”
“You have your house. I have mine. How do we blend those?”
I laughed against the hardness of his pecs. “You’re already talking about moving in together—don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the idea. It’s just that we haven’t even told the girls yet.” I wiggled my way out of his hug so I could look at him.
“I think as parents, we had to make sure, even though we wanted more, that this could work between us. I realize I’m speaking for myself here, but in my mind, there’s no question.”
“Not in mine either.”
He combed the side of my hair. “We don’t have to live together right away. Once the girls know, we won’t have to sneak off to hotels. We can stay at each other’s place. Shit, we don’t want any unexpected surprises, but the girls will know that you’ll be in my bed, and I’ll be in yours.”
The horror of either child seeing anything in thosebedrooms made me want to shiver. Abbi never had boundaries when it came to my room—there was no need to have that conversation. That would be one of the many changes we would have to embrace. Ironically, it was a change I couldn’t wait for.
“When we get to the point where neither of us wants to go back to our own homes, we’ll have to figure out who is moving in with whom,” he said.
“Your house is much bigger than mine.”
“But your house is beautiful.”
“It is,” I agreed. I let the idea sit for a few seconds before I said, “What if I rent mine out for a year and we move in with you? If the rental doesn’t become a headache, we keep it going. Or we sell it, and we sell yours, and we buy something together?”
“I like that plan.” He kissed me. This time, it was slow, lingering, and I could smell the ocean on his skin, which made me want to go in even deeper. “How big is your place in Fort Lauderdale?” he asked after I pulled away.
I shook my head, laughing. “Certainly not big enough for all the kids we want to have.”
Colson was grilling steak, shrimp, and corn on the cob on the back of the boat. I was inside, in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for a salad and slicing the baguette we’d picked up from the bakery. Food had been our only stop before we boarded. I appreciated that he hadn’t brought a chef, that he’d decided to keep it just us. Regardless of having the captain’s quarters off the stern, the boat wasn’t soundproof. And I loved that I didn’t have to be quiet.
I carried both items to the table outside, where Colson wasslicing the steak. I scooped some salad onto his plate, along with a few pieces of baguette. He did the same to my plate with both proteins and the corn. My last trip inside was to grab a bottle of wine, and I filled each of our glasses.
Within a bite, I moaned, “This is excellent.”
The steak didn’t even have to be chewed; it just melted.
He smiled as he ate a shrimp. “Ovens aren’t my thing. Grills I can handle. But the extent of my cooking is meat, fish, and vegetables. Maybe some potatoes. I have no other talent when it comes to the kitchen, aside from eating and having a well-experienced palate, knowing the difference between quality food and rubbish.”
“I’m not much better. I can handle the basics. My nanny does the majority of the cooking for Abbi and me. She’s exceptional.” I picked off a corner of the bread. “The thing is, it sounds like the palate skills you do have are all you need for your business. Walker’s got the rest handled.”
“For now, yes. Until he quits.” He whistled out a breath.
