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We all move to the living room when dinner wraps up. Odette rests her hand on my leg as we sit side by side on the sofa. Brooks enters the room with a sly grin on his face, carrying a tattered Monopoly board game. David jumps up from his seat to intercept him.
“Absolutely not.”
“Oh, come on! It’s been forever!” Brooks whines.
“You know why it has been forever, Brooks,” I call out from the sofa.
“That won’t happen again! It’s just a game.”
David glances warily around the room. “We can’t do this in front of Odette and her parents.”
Brooks glares at David. “Well, we could if you’d just behave and not hulk out on one of Mom’s vases again.”
Mom steps between the two like a referee and reaches for the game. “Hand it over. Especially since Sophie isn’t here to keep the peace between you three ogres.”
Brooks holds the game higher so she can’t reach it. “Come on, Mom! We will be on our best behavior.”
Mom quirks an eyebrow at David. “You and I both know that someone takes the game a little too seriously since attaining his CPA license.”
David’s jaw drops dramatically. “That was not my fault! The IRS would’ve caught the underhanded deals those two were making in a heartbeat.”
I can tell Odette is trying not to laugh, but her parents look a little concerned as my brothers practically bare their teeth at each other. The Hastings probably had a much calmer home than this, raising one child.
Our argument fades after a few more minutes and finally, Brooks agrees to put away the Monopoly game. We manage to agree on The Game of Life. Even Mr. Hastings joins in.
By the end of the game, mine and Odette’s Life vehicles are full of children, and our mothers cannot stop giggling about it.
“Odette tells me that Sophie is having a baby girl! How delightful.” Mrs. Hastings says to my Mom.
Mom beams with excitement. “Oh, I cannot wait! I have bags upon bags of pink, ruffled outfits already.”
“I’m sure I’ll be the same way when Madden and Odette have children. We cannot wait to be grandparents!”
The blood drains from my face. My mom glances in my direction then chuckles awkwardly, but quickly smooths her features and changes the subject.
She knows that the Hastings have no idea about our contract.
But Mrs. Hastings’ comment leaves me tense. My relationship with my wife has definitely come a long way, and yet we’ve never discussed children. Just the thought overwhelms me. I already feel like my life is a balancing act between my campaign and being a husband. But children? Sweat begins to form on my brow.
Odette must notice my panic because she gently places her hand on my knee. But the nagging fear of failure is back in full force throughout the rest of the evening.
After a few more games of Life, we drop off Odette’s parents and drive back to our apartment in silence.
Finally mustering up the bravery to speak, I lean against the open doorway in Odette’s room. “Odette.” I pause and release a deep breath. “Do you want children? If we make this marriage work, I mean.”
“Is this about my mom’s comment?” She sighs and comes up beside me, running her hands down my arms. “Honestly, I always pictured myself having children, but it’s not something I expect immediately.”
Of course she wants children. My stomach drops. Bringing my chin to my chest, I rub the back of my neck. “When we talked about seeing where this goes, I hadn’t even considered children.”
“You don’t want kids? Ever?”
“This is a lot of pressure, Odette.” I massage my temples with my fingertips. “I’m running for Congress. I don’t know how to be the kind of politician that I want to be and the kind of husband you need at the same time. I’m not sure that’s even possible. And then adding a child to all of that?”
“That’s ridiculous. Lots of people juggle successful careers and families. It’s not rocket science.”
An image of my parents bickering in the kitchen at Thanksgiving flashes through my mind. “It is to me.”
“You’re not even willing to try?” Her pained expression guts me.
