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“I didn’t know that.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I fully knew I really wasn’t going back until I said it out loud. I always kept the window open though I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to.”
“How come?”
I swallowed hard, staring at the headlights coming at us on the other side of the street as we traveled the dark, winding rural roads that connected Turnbull to Crescent Cove. On the other side of the Cove was Kensington Square and continuing along that route led to Syracuse, the biggest city around here.
“I thought I wanted to be a teacher because I liked kids. I love reading and books and I thought getting to read to kids would be the best thing ever. Kinda a childhood dream of mine. But I realized I just wanted to have my own. Kids, I mean. Probably Presley started me off there. And now Mav is having a baby too.”
“Yeah. Baby fever. It’s common in this town.”
“It never really was with me until recently. Now it’s getting stronger.” I smoothed the hand not linked with Christian over my dress, rubbing out the wrinkles over my thigh. “I don’t have big career ambitions like my mom. I just want to stay home with my kid. Or kids. Whatever happens.” I swallowed again, chancing a look his way. “Do you think that’s weird? I know no one wants to be a housewife anymore. Or can afford to be. I’m not saying I don’t want to work, just I want to have a home and family and really be there for my kids. And my husband.” I let out a laugh. “Says the girl who’s never even had someone serious in her life for more than a minute.”
He didn’t speak right away, leaving the silence to pulse between us like a heartbeat. I had to fight not to fill it with babble, either audibly or in my head.
Just to let the moment be.
“Now you do.” His thumb swept over my skin, over and over. Soothing me without words. “I don’t think it’s weird, Honey. I think any man who gets to build a life with you would be lucky as hell.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He sucked in a breath. “You know I used to watch you feed the ducks sometimes.”
“I believe you said every day.”
“Not every day.”
“You said every day.”
“Anyway,” he cleared his throat, “sometimes I watched you reading to the ducks too. Or at least that’s what it seemed to me you were doing. Were you reading to them?”
“I can neither confirm nor deny.”
“So yes?”
I nodded sheepishly.
“What did you read to them?”
“Usually my spicy romance novels. I fly through them, usually a couple a week. Though I usually skip the really…intense parts so people walking by didn’t overhear.” I frowned. “Guess I’ll have to quit feeding ducks and reading at lunch on the really cold days. Can’t hang out for a half hour on a park bench when it’s subzero.”
“You need something inside.”
I waved a hand. “Couch is good enough for me. Though I do like having the view of the lake to read by.” I shrugged. “Why I like my apartment. Perfect vantage point.”
“It is. I love your apartment.”
“Well, it’s not fancy like your place, but it gets the job done.”
“Fancy isn’t the important thing. It’s home.”
“Yeah. You’re right.” Smiling, I settled back into the seat to enjoy the rest of the ride.
No music. No idle chitchat.
We didn’t need any.
Right before we reached The Hummingbird’s Nest, Jared called. Christian answered it through his in-dash screen. “Chief, what’s up?”
