“I’m not pregnant. Or at least, I don’t think I am. Years ago, I was talking with Iris Salisbury.” I lace my fingers together as I try to figure out how to share something I’m not sure Jake is going to understand. “Do you remember her?”
“Sure.”
“Anyway, she works for Children’s Division. One day, when Dale and I were on a call at her office for some kiddos who came into care, she was telling me about how hard it was to find placements homes in our area so the kids could stay in school. And even when she could find a family, if those foster parents had something going on that day, then they’d still have to place the kids in the city and then bring them back to Brookhaven.”
He rakes a hand through his hair. “Even in Columbia, we struggled to find placements when kids would come into care.”
The thought of Baby Doe going to a shelter where there aren’t enough staff to bond with an infant makes my heart hurt.
“Anyway. I decided that night to become a foster parent.” His eyes widen with surprise. I’m shocked no one told him about it, and I’m thankful he doesn’t lurch off the sofa to run for the door. “For emergency placements only. With my crazy work schedule and hours, it’s impossible to find childcare.” Ilift a shoulder. “And I didn’t want to ask friends or family to help those hours before and after work. It’s too much to expect someone to get up that early or give up their evenings.”
“Wow.” He sits for a moment in silence and my heart drops to my feet. He’s going to feel the same way David Hollister did. We were on our second date the night I told him my plan.
The look of disgust on his face said it all. It was as if he thought I reeked of rotten diapers and unwashed dishes. In the middle of a meal, he said he was nauseous, called the waitress over, asked for the bill, and announced that we didn’t have the same vision of the future. He wasn’t interested in parenting someone else’s kid. That’s why his dating profile was specific to single women only.
“Em, I had no idea. That’s wonderful.” He grabs my hand, replacing my fingers with his.
I sag into the cushions as the weight of my worries eases. “I wasn’t sure how you’d take the information.”
“Why?” The confused expression on his face eases the remaining tension.
“Let’s just say that the guy I was seeing when I decided to become a foster parent didn’t take well to the idea. We didn’t make it through our second date before he called for the bill. He took his portion of the food and left.”
“Who in the fuck would do that?” He squeezes my hand, pulls me to his side, and drops his arm over my shoulders. “Never mind. I don’t want to know the name of the asshole. He wasn’t good enough for you, and he clearly didn’t understand how amazing of a person you are.”
I rest my head against his shoulder and press my face into his shirt.
“What’s wrong?” He tips my chin up with his finger and stares into my eyes.
“You’re perfect.”
“Not hardly.” He shakes his head. “If I was perfect, I would’ve followed you upstairs that night at your mom’s house–”
“And sang karaoke with me, Ruby and Bella?”
“Absolutely.” He laughs and pulls me onto his lap with my thighs straddling him. I rock against his hard body, and the humor drops from his face. “Quit being a tease.”
“I’m not teasing,”
“You’re incorrigible.”
“That word you’re saying, I don’t think you know what it means.”
“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
“Fuck.” I shudder as my sex convulses. “You are perfect. You quote my favorite movie. You aren’t freaked out by my being a foster parent. And you give amazing orgasms.”
He presses his lips together, quirks an eyebrow, and thrusts his dick into my core. “Multiple?”
“Multiple kids?” I wink.
“Multiple orgasms. But if you have multiple kids, I’m not running away.” He tips his head toward the other end of the sofa. “Those are baby clothes. Lots of baby clothes.”
“Yes. Baby Doe comes home from the hospital tomorrow, and I’m keeping her for thirty days.”
“That’s awesome, Em.”
Heat floods me from all directions. “I was at mom’s house when Iris called. I turned her down at first, but Mom convinced me to take her. She said she’ll watch her when I’m at work.”
