Total pages in book: 29
Estimated words: 27255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 27255 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 136(@200wpm)___ 109(@250wpm)___ 91(@300wpm)
“There’s something else,” I say.
“I figured,” Sam smirks.
“This girl, she doesn’t actually want to get her eggs frozen. She’d rather do it the natural way.”
“Good for her—”
But then I cut him off.
“No, I’m not done. She wants to get pregnant by me.”
Sam chokes on his next sip. I wait while he pounds on his chest and sputters before lifting his napkin to wipe his forehead.
“Holy fuck. Are you serious? She wants to have a baby with you?”
I nod.
“No wonder you wanted to talk,” he says before running a hand through his blonde hair, messing it up in a perfect way. “Shit. How do you feel about it?”
“After she told me, I was surprised.”
“Understandable,” he nods, brows raised. I shrug.
“But then I was excited. I like the idea of having a family with her, but I didn’t say yes or no. I just acknowledged her statement and moved on.” I tap my fingers against the handle of my mug. “I mean, what was I supposed to say? Honey, I love you and I want to put my baby in you right now? You’re only twenty and you’ve got your whole life ahead of you, but I want to keep you pregnant as much as possible?”
He shrugs.
“Why not?”
I shake my head.
“No, you don’t get it. She’s young. I remember when Mindy was born, how tiny and warm she was, but also how much fucking time and energy a baby takes. It’s draining and will turn you into an old man overnight. I can’t force that on this girl. She doesn’t know what she’s asking for.”
I feel pressure building unexpectedly behind my eyes. I blink a few times and take a sip of my beer, hoping Sam hasn’t noticed how emotional I’ve become.
“You okay, man?” he asks with concerned etched on his face.
I shake my head.
“I don’t know. Now that I’ve thought about it, I’d love to give her a baby. So who’s the crazy one now?” My voice is husky, and I clear it a few times before I continue. “I’ve always wanted to be a dad again, but things didn’t work out with Mindy’s mom, and honestly, I thought that was the end of the road for me. I’m fucking in my forties, buddy. I thought I was done.”
Sam nods.
“Yeah, but lots of guys have kids in their forties these days.”
I nod.
“But I never thought it would happen for me. I never thought I’d have another child, but now, I look at this girl, and I feel like I can see my future stretching out in front of me, you know? And I can’t help but wonder, do I deserve it?”
Sam leans back in his chair and whistles through his teeth. “Shee-it, man. You’re getting all Dalai Lama on me.”
I merely shake my head.
“Having kids is serious business, and yeah, I want to bone her hard and fill her with my kids until she’s popping them out year after year. But what do you do when she’s only twenty? She’s too young to know what she’s really getting into.”
Sam merely shrugs.
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit premature?”
I squinch my brows together.
“How so?”
Sam merely gulps his beer again.
“Well, you’re making decisions for her. Maybe she’s young, but some of the young ‘uns know their own minds. Maybe she’s already considered all this.”
I squint.
“You think?”
He shrugs.
“Maybe. I don’t know because I don’t know her.”
That causes me to put down my mug.
“Actually, you’ve already met her, Sam,” I say.
He shoots me a startled look.
“I have? When?”
“Remember that girl who stole our ambulance last month?”
I watch the gears turn in Sam’s mind before his eyes grow wide.
“Her?” he demands. “The cute one with the big boobs?”
I smirk at his expression and then frown. “Yeah, her. But keep your eyes off her tits.”
He shakes his head at me. “Just when I think I know you, you throw a curveball like that at me.”
“Gotta keep you on your toes, kid.”
“Yeah, no kidding,” he harrumphs. But then he shoots me an impressed look. “You go, old man. She was gorgeous, even if she was a little tipsy. I don’t blame you for wanting to fill her with your babies.”
And with that, I know the path forward. I want more children, and Pepper says she does too. I’ll confirm with her again, but if she says yes, I’m throwing her on the bed and putting my kid in her as soon as possible. This is going to be fun.
11
Pepper
* * *
A few days have passed since we went to the CryoFreeze information session, and though I’ve given it some thought, I still can’t see myself getting the procedure done. I arrive at school feeling exhausted and incredibly unprepared for the day. At least I have a cold brew in hand to keep me from falling asleep in class.
My parents’ words whirl in my head. I had another talk with them about how much I don’t want to freeze my eggs, but Marcy and Peter wouldn’t listen. We got into a huge argument, and I ended up staying overnight at Mindy’s place. Things are just too hot at home right now.