The question came out of the blue and hit me directly in the heart, even though I was sure she didn’t mean for it to. “Yeah,” I admitted. Then I actually elaborated, when I never elaborated on that question. Ever. “Teagan and I planned to have kids. I want three; she only wanted two.” I chuckled lightly to myself. “We weren’t in a hurry, because her asthma was bad and somewhat uncontrolled. Her primary doctor really wanted to get it under better control before we got pregnant. We were cool with that. We thought we had time. We used protection and had as much sex as we could.” I laughed aloud. “We called itdress rehearsal.”
She gave me a small smile. “I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“Nah, you’re good. I don’t mind talking about Teagan.” That wasn’t necessarily true. The truth was that I didn’t mind talking about Teagan with people who wouldn’t pity me, ask me a million questions, or try to pump me for information out of sheer nosiness. “You want kids?”
“In theory, but you usually need a second person to provide the other half of the DNA. I’m as single as a Pringle out here. Andas much as I stay in the house, I don’t know where I would meet a potential . . . suitor. But yeah, I would love to be a mom. I’m weird, though.” She gave a light chuckle. “I want a house full of kids. At least five or six. I want to live on a big piece of land in a rural area where they can run and explore. I wanna stay home with them, homeschool them, and cook meals from scratch. I’m very idealistic and I romanticize everything.”
“It sounds good, though.” And it did sound good to me. I wasn’t sure if it was realistic, but it sounded good.
“That just seems like a simple life, and I want a simple life.” She continued. “I want my kids to have a simple life.”
“I don’t know too many women that are looking to stay home. The women I know want their own money and control over their own finances.”
“Yeah. Having that lifestyle would require major trust on my part. I would have to know without a shadow of a doubt that my husband wouldn’t switch up on me and become an asshole. And there’s really no way to predict that, so it’s just a dream. A fantasy.”
“Maybe you could sell something online or offer some kind of service to bring in your own money,” I offered.
“Maybe.” She shrugged her shoulders before giving a yawn.
I leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Get some rest, E. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Good night.”
I smiled to myself as I walked into Sacred Warmth. Even though I was just here a few hours ago, I still felt refreshed and ready to take on the new day. I had to give credit for that to Quentin. There was just something about sleeping with my body pressed up against his that made my entire nervous system feel safe enough to put me in a sleep coma.
I stepped into the employee lounge and placed my purse into one of the drawers we used to house our belongings. Once I put my things away, I headed to the front desk. “Good morning.” I greeted Nina, the receptionist.
“Hey.” She grinned at me. “I heard y’all had a late night last night.”
I pretended to wipe sweat from my brow. “We did. Baby boy Witherspoon was trying to stay inside his mama.”
We both chuckled.
“Well, I hope you got some rest because your first client is here.” She handed me a file. “Mrs. Ayers and her husband are in room 3.”
I took the file and gave Nina a smile. “Thanks. See you later.” I really enjoyed the atmosphere at Sacred Warmth. The staff was so friendly and warm that they made me feel welcomed and capable right away.
I walked into room 3 with a smile. Mrs. Ayers was a new patient to the center. She was a late arrival, only deciding to change her birth plan to include a doula and a midwife when she was well into her second trimester. It was only our second visit together, but I liked her and her husband. They were a sweet couple who were expecting their second baby.
“Good morning. Good morning.” I chirped upon entering the medium-sized room. Both she and her husband were seated on the sofa.
“Good morning,” she responded.
“Good morning,” he parroted.
“How are you feeling today, Mrs. Ayers?”
“Ugh, tight.” She grimaced, placing a hand on each side of her swollen stomach. “I can tell this baby is growing. Every day I feel like he has less and less room to move around.” She held up a finger. “But that doesn’t stop him from trying.”
We both laughed.
“Well, we’re at the part where we need to start planning for this impending birth.”
She nodded.
“Let me give you a quick overview of what we’ll cover today. If I leave anything out that’s important to you, let me know. We can discuss it.”
She nodded again. “Sounds good.”
