Deal Takers (Dealing with Love 2)

“I figured he’d change his mind,” I shrug.

“Has he given you any indication that he’s going to?”

I think back to the conversation Adam and I had only a week ago. It was more of an argument than a discussion, to be honest. I asked him if he’d at least consider having another child and he shot me down, point blank. He couldn’t have been any clearer that he would never change his mind.

“Nope.”

Devyn looks at me with pity. “Lorraine, you were meant to be a mom. I don’t know how many times you’ve told me how envious you are of the women you see giving birth daily—how badly you want to experience that moment when they lay the baby on your chest. I’ve never seen someone more at ease with children than you are.”

I pick at the label on my bottle. “Yeah...well, we can’t always get what we want. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to marry an older man. I love him. He loves me. That’s all that matters.”

“Do you really think so?” she presses. “Can you honestly tell me you’re okay with never having children?”

Not at all.

I stare at the ocean in silence, giving her the answer.

I have to fight back tears when she pulls me into a hug. “I’m sorry, hun.”

I take a deep breath and paste a smile on my face. Fake it ‘til you make it, right?

“It’s all good. If it doesn’t work out, I can just focus on spoiling the shit out of Nathan and the girls. Are you hungry? I’m hungry. I think we need to take advantage of the fact that calories don’t count on birthdays.”

She offers a grin as she concedes to my horribly obvious diversion. “Well, we can’t let that rule go to waste. Let’s go show that barbeque we mean business.”

Chapter Thirteen

BRODY

Today has been one of the best days I’ve had in a long time. Between the massive amount of food and drinks I’ve ingested, the hours of football we played on the beach, and overall tomfoolery with the guys, I should be exhausted. Should being the key word. Instead, I’ve been lying in bed staring at the ceiling for almost two hours—while everyone else is blissfully asleep—because my brain won’t stop flashing images of Rainey on repeat.

Rainey laughing like no one was watching. Blowing out the candles on her birthday cake. Building sandcastles with her nieces. Licking barbeque sauce off her fingers. Tossing a perfect spiral like she’s the motherfucking MVP. Her luscious curves pressed against my back when she tackled me in the sand. The best one of all? The single wink she sent my way right before we retired to our rooms. I’m obsessing about a fucking wink, people. What the hell is wrong with me?

What’s a guy supposed to do when he can’t get a sexy, smart, amazing woman off his mind? Well, in this case, this guy has been reduced to whacking off. Twice. While my dick is somewhat appeased, my head is not. I’ve never been so happy, yet so frustrated in my life.

Fuck.

I throw the covers off and pull on a pair of flannel pajama pants with a hoodie. Staying in bed isn’t getting me anywhere so I might as well raid the fridge for leftovers. As I pad quietly to the kitchen, a blue glow from the living area catches my eye. I walk over to investigate and freeze when I see Rainey on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, watching TV. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to be that blanket.

She startles as she notices me. “Oh. Hey, Brody.”

“Hey. Couldn’t sleep?”

“No,” she shakes her head. “I thought watching a movie would help me zone out.”

I glance at the screen and see some old guy standing next to a DeLorean. “What are you watching?”

Her eyes widen. “Is that a serious question?”

“Um...yeah?”

“You really don’t know?”

I think about it for a minute. “Is this that movie where the guy goes back in time and meets his parents?”

“It’s so much more than that,” she insists.

“Okay, so I’ve heard of it. Does that count?”