Page 20 of Wilde Hearts

Lifting my head, I met his gaze. “I’m so sorry, Doug. I didn’t mean to lead you on again, and I really thought I was ready to move forward. I want to move forward. I want kids and a family.”

His eyes went wide. “Kids?”

I tilted my head. “You don’t want kids?”

“God, no!”

The weight pressing down on my chest lifted slightly. “Oh my gosh, you just made this so much easier for me.” I laughed slightly. “Thank you.”

He looked confused. “I did?”

“I want kids. Desperately. I was even thinking about IVF. So if you don’t want kids, then we clearly weren’t meant to be.”

It was his turn to laugh. “So now you can say we didn’t work because you want kids and I don’t. Nothing to do with Colt Owens.”

When he winked, I smiled. “That’s exactly right!”

“So, back to this IVF. Are you being serious? You’d want to have a baby without a father?”

A sudden wave of sadness washed over me, despite my immediate reply. “I am being serious. Are you saying I shouldn’t do it unless there’s a man in the picture?”

He rolled his eyes. “You know I’m not saying that, Ensley. If anyone can do it, it would be you. You’re the strongest, most intelligent woman I know.”

Again, why no feelings for this man?

“But you have to explain this to me. Why the rush?”

“The rush?” I replied. “I’m thirty years old, Doug. My clock is slowly ticking away, and a family is something I’ve always longed for. My sister is married and has kids. Now Caden. At the rate I’m going, Gatlin will be married and having a kid before me. It’s not fair, and I’ve wasted so much time on…”

“Colt?”

I sighed. “Yes. If I’m honest. It’s pretty damn clear that I can’t move past him, which really pisses me off.” I shrugged a shoulder. “If I can’t have the marriage, I’ll have the kids.”

“And you think that will fill the void in your heart?”

My eyes widened. “Holy shit, Doug. Way to hit the bullseye.”

He held up his hands and shook his head. “I’m not trying to hurt you. I care about you. I want to see you happy, and if having a child will do it, I’ll support you—as a friend—one-hundred percent.”

A warmth spread through my chest, and I reached out and took his hand. “I really, really wish things had worked out between us. I care about you, too, Doug. If it’s worth anything, you were the only man whom I truly thought could get me over Colt.”

He smiled. “Life has a funny way of working out the way it should. Maybe things didn’t work out between us because fate knew Colt would be coming back to River Falls.”

I shook my head. “No matter how much I still love him, I don’t think I can forgive him for what he did to me.”

“Never say never, Ensley.”

I sighed. “Let’s change the subject, please. Tell me what’s going on in your life.”

We talked easily over dinner, and Doug even had me forgetting about Colt for a short time. I’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to Doug. He was going to make some lucky woman very happy one day.

“How about we head to a bar and get you that whiskey?”

“That sounds amazing.”

Doug brought me to a new bar in Granby called The County Line. It was a country western bar, and at night, they had a live band. Even on the weekdays.

We found a small table tucked into a back corner. I’d already had two shots and was working on my second beer. I could feel the buzz coming on.