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“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“You’re apologizing too much. It takes a lot to offend me.” Finally, he gripped the end of the splinter but knew it was going to sting when he pulled it free.
“People think highly of you,” she said softly. “That must mean you’re a good guy.”
“I guess I have my moments.”
“You left out some details regarding the fire. Few teens would be brave enough to run into a burning house to save someone.”
He didn’t like talking about that day. “It was nothing heroic. I think more people would do the same if given a chance.”
She laid her free hand on his shoulder, the warmth from her touch seeped through the cotton of his shirt. “Raven, what you did was most definitely heroic. I can tell that you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“Apparently you would know what that’s all about.” He stayed focused on the splinter.
“Are you saying we’re like two peas in a pod?”
He shrugged. “I’m saying that when I first saw you, I could practically see your mind churning.”
Her sigh made Seabreeze shift. “I didn’t want to be here.”
“Obviously, but I bet you’re a worrier.”
“I suppose I am.”
“Since you’re so good with babies, do you want to have one?” Realizing she might not answer the invasive question, he took a chance.
“Is that an invitation to have one?” Her eyes shone.
He chuckled. “There are worse things I suppose.”
“Okay…really. I’m starting to think the punchline is you asking for us to have a child together.”
“That’s not where I’m headed. I’m only curious.”
“I did want a child. Each time Gray and I talked about it, we decided timing wasn’t right.”
“Interesting,” he mumbled.
“That’s all you can say?”
“You already have a child. It’s your career and it’s a spoiled brat. I bet you spend more time in your office crunching numbers and coming up with marketing plans to save companies than you do saving your personal life.”
“My personal life doesn’t need saving.”
He cleared his throat. “Right.”
She stiffened. He’d hit a nerve. “Are you suggesting that I didn’t work on my marriage?” Irritation had found its way back into her voice.
“Did you?”
A long hesitation settled between them and finally, “Maybe I didn’t do enough. I wanted to be successful. Sometimes a woman is forced to choose. Men have done it for centuries without feeling guilty.”
“Look, I’m only asking questions, but when it came right down to it, did you really want children or maybe not with him?”
There was that convoluted hesitation again. “That’s a loaded question.”
“I’m sure it is. It’s not as if your chances of finding love and having a family are nonexistent. Choices must be made though. No one wants to be married to someone who’s gone all the time.”
