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And then, suddenly, the waterworks begin. I don’t even feel the tears building until they’re pouring down my cheeks, and Nash looks alarmed.
“Whoa, did I say something wrong? Did you have a traumatic experience with Pat the Bunny as a kid or something?” He’s teasing me, but there’s also real concern in his tone and he pulls me into his arms. “Come here, baby, what’s the matter?”
I swipe furiously at the tears, but I let him hold me. “I don’t know—it’s probably just the hormones, the stress. I’ve been freaking out all week about this, first with my appointment and then waiting to see you again.”
“Are you unsure about going through with it?” he asks. “We can just hang out instead.”
I shake my head. “That’s not it. My whole life, all I ever wanted was to be a mom, have a family. I’m determined to make it happen, and I was ready to do it all on my own…”
I trail off. Even though Nash has got me wrapped up in his strong arms, stroking my hair and saying all the right things, I can’t bring myself to actually say what’s on my mind.
The truth is that this past week has been wonderful. I’ve never met anyone I could actually visualize sharing my life with—not even close—until I met Nash. And here we are, one date and one wild night later, and he’s offering to make a baby with me before he disappears again.
I still want a baby, a family, more than anything. But now that I’ve had a taste of more, I want it all. With him.
And I know that can’t happen.
“I guess I’m just still hung up on my life turning out a certain way,” I say. “I thought I was over it, but I’m not.”
Nash leads me over to the couch, uses his thumbs to dry my cheeks, and says, “I get that.”
“You do?”
He nods. “I didn’t always think I was gonna be in the Army. In high school, I was a running back and I was really good. The college scouts were paying more attention to me than the quarterback, and I had big plans to get a scholarship and play college ball, maybe even go pro.”
“What happened?”
“Blew out my knee junior year,” he says, a look of pain on his face that tells me it’s an old emotional wound he hasn’t quite gotten over. “I recovered, but it took a while and I missed the whole season. All the college recruits passed me by and my scholarship dreams evaporated, to say nothing of going pro.”
“So you joined the Army instead?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Nash nods. “I had a buddy who came from a military family, always knew he was going to be a soldier, and he talked me into enlisting with him. Said I’d get to see the world and make a real difference, and you know what? It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
I smile. “Even though it was kind of a fluke.”
“I like to think of it more like fate,” Nash says.
He tilts my chin up so that our eyes are locked, and I can see every golden glimmer in his gaze. The way he’s looking at me now—the way he always looks at me—banishes the butterflies in my stomach and replaces them with a much more pleasant sensation. My body is awakening, tingling with desire.
“Life doesn’t always go to plan,” he continues. “Hell, I’d say it’s rare when it does. But sometimes what happens instead is even more perfect.”
He kisses me, softly, gently, like he’s afraid I might break. But he’s right—I’m strong enough to weather any storm, prepared for any twists life throws my way… and I want him. I want this baby… our baby.
And I want us, even if only for one more night.
I untie the silk belt of my robe and pull it open to reveal the lacy black lingerie beneath. I even picked out something crotchless this time, just like Cassidy advised, because I’m going to make our last night together something to remember.
“Hot damn, woman,” Nash grins. “Are you trying to give me a heart attack before I can put a baby in you?”
I laugh. “I’m sure you’re fit enough to handle it, soldier.”
Then I straddle his lap, and Nash pulls my body against his, groaning with pleasure as I feel his cock hardening against me.
10
Nash
Our second night together is somehow even better than the first, despite the rough start.
What began as a spontaneous offer made on a whim has turned into an idea that I’m really starting to love, just as much as I find myself loving Nora.
It’s a wild thing to say, but you don’t have to read an entire book to know you love it, and I don’t have to know everything about Nora to know she’s amazing.
