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But none of that means I want to be there when he does.
I cross the room and slide my hand around Ashlyn’s hip while she talks to a few people, then skim my lips over her ear. “You almost ready to get out of here, baby?”
She turns and puts her palm flat on my chest, her eyes searching mine. “Sure. Are you feeling okay?”
“Yeah,” I reassure her. “I’m just sore and tired and ready to go home. Let’s grab shortcake and get out of here.”
“Kenzie and Brynlee are spending the night at the twins’ house, so Easton took Lindy home. Marco went with them. She had some homework she still needed to finish. But I’m ready when you are.”
I press my lips to her head. “Let’s go home.”
ASHLYN
Brandon’s quiet on the drive home. One of his hands rests on my thigh, the other on the steering wheel as he navigates the city streets. “You okay over there, big guy?”
“Yeah, baby. Just thinkin’.”
“What are you thinking about? You know you can talk to me.” I lay my hand over his.
“Everything. The game. My future.Ourfuture.”
“That sounds ominous.” I lace my fingers with his and squeeze. “What about the future? Are you thinking about not retiring? Because you playing for the Kings doesn’t make a difference to me.”
“No.” He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “Retiring is still the plan. It feels more important now than before. I want to be able to be present for you and Lindy. I don’t want to be traveling for half a year at a time unless you’re by my side. Have you ever thought about more kids?” he asks me, pretty much blowing my mind.
“Like, having more kids?” I squeak.
“Yeah. Lindy mentioned it to me. So did Maddie. But you and I never talked about it. Do you want more kids?”
“I... I don’t know. I haven’t given a whole lot of thought to it either. I love our life. And I’m not going to lie, some days I miss Madeline being a baby and seeing the world through those big blue eyes. But she’s at such an incredible place in her life, and the idea of starting all over again sounds exhausting. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to do it. I just never thought about it before. I knew I never wanted to do it alone again. But if we decide to have kids, I wouldn’t be alone. I’d have you. And you’d be an incredible father.”
Seeing Brandon holding Sam and Amelia’s son Lucky a few weeks ago may have made my ovaries simultaneously explode, now that I think about it. “Do you want kids?”
He pulls into our driveway and shuts off the car, then turns and gathers my face in his hands, his eyes locking with mine. “I never did. I never wanted to repeat the cycle I grew up in. I never wanted to bring anyone else into that world. But it’s different with you and Lindy. You brought me into your world. I never lived that before. A good parent. A loving parent. A healthy relationship. And I love that kid so damn much, Ashlyn.”
I climb into his lap and wrap my arms around his neck. “She loves you too. We both do.”
“I’m just not sure about the whole idea of having a baby,” he says softly, sounding broken, and I hate it. “Do you still want to marry me?”
“More than anything in this world,” I tell him, then press my lips against his. “We’ll do what’s right for us, whatever that is, Brandon. But at the end of the day, it’s going to be you and me against the world. I’m your new team.”
“I love you so much, baby.”
“Always,” I whisper.
“Guess we better go inside before we give Dean a show.”
I smile and move off him, not missing his impressive erection. “With any luck, Lindy will go to bed early,” I tease.
Easton and Marco’s cars are already here.
They’re both going to need to go.
Brandon and I walk over to Dean, who lowers his window. “Listen, I’m out of here as soon as my relief gets here. I’ll see you in the morning, guys. Don’t forget to send me your schedule for the week, Ashlyn. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
“Thanks, Dean. I’ll do it before I go to bed. Good night.”
“Yeah, thanks, man,” Brandon adds.
