Before I couldn't imagine a life outside my company. Now, I can't imagine going back.
I reach across the table, and Jennifer gives me her hand, her gaze warm and full of love. “I've been thinking about something. About the future.”
Her smile widens. “Uh-oh, got another binder?”
“I know it's early. I know we just bought the resort, and I still have six months until I’m fully transitioned out of my company, and there’s so much going on, but I was hoping.” I swallow hard. “That is, I was wondering how you felt about children?”
Her fingers tighten on mine, and I hurry on. “Not now, but maybe someday?”
“You want kids?”
Smiling, I nod. “With you, I do. I want everything with you, Jennifer. The resort, a home, and a family. All of it.”
It’s crazy. I never gave much thought to having children. I didn’t have time for a long-term relationship, so how would I have the time for the demands of parenthood?
But now everything has changed. I’ve changed.
“I want that too, Seth.” She squeezes my hand. “Just not yet. Let’s make the changes to the resort and learn about managing being a couple first.”
“Absolutely.” I squeeze her hand back. “And there’s the little matter of a proper proposal and a wedding before we commit to becoming parents.”
Her brown eyes gleam with tears. “That sounds perfect.”
I lean across the small table and press my mouth to hers.
The kiss tastes like promises of an amazing future and everything I didn't know I needed.
“How many?” she asks against my lips.
“How many what?”
“Kids. How many do you want?”
I pull back to look at her. “I don't know. Two? Three? How many do you want?”
“Two sounds good. Maybe a boy and a girl.”
“We can't exactly order them.” I grin.
“I know. But we can hope.” She grins. “I hope they get your eyes.”
“I hope they get your heart.”
We finish our meal and head home, planning a future that feels impossibly far away and thrillingly close all at once. We talk about baby names and whether we'd find out the sex ahead of time and how we'd decorate a nursery.
“Would we raise them in the cabin?” I ask.
Her brow furrows. “There’s not really any room there for more than one kid.”
“We could add on to the main house and make that our home instead.” We hadn’t really talked about what we were going to do with Mrs. Avery’s former home.
Jennifer’s smile is so bright it could chase away the gloom on a cloudy day. “That is a perfect idea! And since you’ll be right there, you can be a hands-on dad, not like my father was.”
“No, not like your dad,” I promise. “I'm going to be the dad who makes breakfast, coaches soccer, and shows up for every school play.”
She gives me a look. “Do you even know how to play soccer?”
I laugh, feeling carefree and alive unlike ever before. “No, but I could learn. The main thing is I want to be there.”
