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I rolled to my side, propped my head up in my hand, and pointed out, “I’m not getting any younger.”
Dakota’s eyes widened. “Jack, you’re not serious.”
Now, it was my turn to laugh. “Not completely.”
This did not seem to ease Dakota’s worries. “So, you’re partially serious?”
“Look, I realize this is new, but I know enough about how my life has been for the last three years to know where my head is at. I also know that I barely lasted three hours, thinking that things had gone south between us in an irreparable way. I’m not here suggesting we have a baby right now, but it’s like you just said. I’ve already been inside you three times without any protection. While I think it would be best for the both of us to avoid an immediate pregnancy so we can get to know one another better, I can’t say that I’d be upset if it happened, either.”
Dakota didn’t respond.
She stared at me for a long time before dropping her head back to the pillow and staring at the ceiling.
I started to think that perhaps I’d said the wrong thing, and she was having second thoughts about all of this.
“Sweetheart?” I called.
“Hmm?”
“Can you tell me what’s going on inside your head?” I asked.
She shook her head, but still managed to respond. “I just need a minute. I mean, I’ve spent weeks telling myself that I needed to give up on my dream of having a family, and now I’ve got the guy I was checking out for months from my living room window in my bed on the same day we’ve had sex for the first time telling me he wouldn’t be mad if I wound up pregnant. It’s a bit of a shock to the system.”
“For the record, Dakota, I do think we need some time to just be the two of us,” I clarified. “I just don’t want you to be worried if it turns out we got a little more than we bargained for today.”
Nodding her understanding of my position, she replied, “That makes me feel a little better.”
“Good.”
“But on the off chance that we did get more than we bargained for today, maybe we should start now,” she said.
“Start what?”
After shooting me a look of disbelief, she answered, “Getting to know each other.”
I gave her hip a squeeze and smiled. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
Dakota thought for a moment and asked, “So, you’ve got brothersandsisters?”
I nodded. “Two brothers, Carson and Dylan. And four sisters, Brooklynn, Jessa, Hailee, and Blair.”
“Wow,” she marveled. “And your parents? They survived having seven children?”
At that, I burst out laughing and gathered Dakota up in my arms. I held on tight to her as I buried my face in her neck.
God, it felt good.
I hadn’t laughed like that in years.
That’s why I knew that despite the fears she still had about it all, Dakota was meant to be in my life in a permanent way. But if she needed time to get there, if this was what she’d give me along the way, I’d enjoy every single step of it.
“They did,” I confirmed. “But it wasn’t easy.”
“Will you tell me about it?” she asked.
I was wondering if there was anything I’d deny her. For now, I hadn’t come across anything. So, I dove in and gave her what she wanted.
Dakota listened intently, chiming in when she had a question or needed clarification. I laughed a lot, and for the first time in three years, I didn’t feel so empty inside.
