Page 99 of The Deadly Shallows

“But it also fills me with agony.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

“My fiancée, Sherrie, walked away because she wanted kids. She told me I wasn’t enough. She needed it all—kids, dog, white-picket fence. And, while it was crushing, I understood.” He clasped her hands in his again. “I want all of that for you. I love you too much to keep going, no matter how much I want to. You need a full life, and I can’t give that to you.”

She looked him deadpan in the eye. “I’m not walking away.”

His eyes widened. “What? Why would you—”

“I want you.”

He straightened. “But you want kids. I see you with Fiona and Owen. You need to be a mom. You’ll be a fantastic one.”

“Truth be told . . .” She hesitated, never having said this aloud. “For a long time, I didn’t want kids. I’m a flight medic, and my job was my life. But that changed . . .”

His eyes narrowed, waiting for her to continue.

“That changed when I met you. When I started to envision a life with you. When I played with your niece and nephew.” She looked down, feeling silly. “I started picturing our kids.”

He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I love hearing that beyond measure, but I can’t give you that. That’s why you have to walk away.”

“There’s more than one way to have kids,” she said, feeling God’s Spirit leading her.

A hope she hadn’t seen since the conversation started shone in Noah’s eyes. “What are you saying?”

“Maybe we adopt.” They’d still have a family. Be a family. And that’s all she wanted—a life built with Noah.

“Not that adopting isn’t wonderful, but are you sure you’d be happy adopting? Not having kids—” he cleared his throat—“the traditional way?”

“If we get married . . .” Despite the seriousness of the conversation and the near certainty of marriage, given the way he talked, she couldn’t presume he was ready to get on one knee. “If we adopt, then they’d be our kids.” She loved the sound of our.

“Are you sure?” he asked, deep longing pooling in his brown eyes.

She’d never been surer. She wanted a life with Noah, however that life looked. “Positive.”

He leaned in, passion swelling in his gaze. He grazed his lips over hers. “I love you,” he murmured against her mouth.

“I love you too,” she whispered before his soft lips pressed fully to hers and he enveloped her in his embrace.

“Come on,” Austin said as Caleb pulled to a stop in front of her house, unbuckling her seat belt and popping open the door. “There’s something I want to show you.”

His curiosity sparked at the tone of her voice. There was a sadness there but also something else. Was it joy?

Climbing out of his vehicle, Caleb stepped around the front of his car, his headlights still on until the automatic shutoff kicked in.

She stood there in the shaft of light, fog dancing around her, and he’d never seen her look more beautiful.

She held out her hand, and he took it, letting her lead him to her house. Pulling out her keys, she unlocked the door, and her alarm bleeped. She let go of his hand, her warmth slipping from his cold fingers. Dirk slid around the corner, his tail and tongue wagging.

“Hey, buddy,” she said, pressing numbers on the security pad. The bleeping ceased, and she bent to pick up Dirk. He cuddled against her, licking her face.

“He looks like he’s feeling much better.”

“Yeah.” She smiled at Caleb. “He is.” She ruffled Dirk’s wrinkled head, then set him down. He raced around the kitchen, his nails clinking along the tile floor.

“What’s he in such a hurry for?” Caleb asked.

“He gets a bully stick when I get home.”