We continue watching the movie in silence for a few minutes, but as the show comes to an end, Rob falls quiet. When I look at him, his brown eyes are intent on me, and my heart pounds in my chest. I put my plate on the coffee table. Has he been watching me this whole time?
“What is it?” I ask. “Do I have something on my face?”
He shakes his head and smiles. “Not at all. You’re gorgeous, honey.” He reaches for the remote and pauses the movie. “But Pepper, I wanted to talk to you about … well, you know. The Issue.”
My heart sinks. Oh no. He’s going to tell me that while he respects me, I’m too young to be a parent, I don’t know what I really want, yada yada yada.
“Yes?” I manage to ask in a steady voice. He inhales deeply.
“I know you hate thinking about this, but I have to ask. Are you still considering freezing your eggs?”
“Oh,” I deflate the tiniest bit. Of course he’d want an update on my thoughts. “Actually, no. I know for a fact that I don’t want to go through with the procedure.”
He nods like he’d expected that answer. “Did you tell your parents?”
I nod.
“Yeah. Marcy and Peter weren’t super happy about it, but I’ve made up my mind. I know they spent money, but they can’t tell me what to do with my body. I guess that gift certificate is just going to expire.”
He nods again, this time with a smile. “Well, I’m glad you’re doing what you want and making that decision for yourself because I agree with you: your body is your own, and on an issue like this, you can’t let other people dictate what you do. But there’s more, honey.”
I deflate a little. This whole conversation already has me down.
“Oh, okay. What is it?”
Rob takes a deep breath and straightens his shoulders a bit.
“Actually, it’s about what you said at the diner a few days ago,” he begins. “About wanting to have a baby with me.”
Panic rushes through my veins, and I try to explain myself while giving him an easy exit.
“I’m so sorry I sprung it on you like that. I think I was just out of my mind with anxiety, and I mean, you probably don’t want to have more kids because you already have Mindy and you have grandkids too. Or at least, not more kids with me—”
He takes my face in his hands and silences me with a kiss.
“Hush,” he says when he pulls away. “Baby girl, that’s not what I was going to say at all.”
“Th-then what?”
“I want to give you a baby, Pepper. I want to have a family with you.”
At first, I feel numb, and then a blush fills my cheeks and incredible happiness blossoms in my heart. “Wait, really? You mean it?”
He nods and shoots me a lopsided smile.
“Yes, you, sweetheart. I can’t think of anyone who would be a better mommy.”
I stammer.
“But, I mean… are you sure you’re ready to be a dad again?”
“I am.” He lets go of my face and takes my hand instead. “I’ve given it a lot of thought, Pepper. Mindy arrived in my life twenty years ago, and I still look back on the day she was born as one of the happiest moments of my existence. And after I had her, I wanted another child but things didn’t work out that way, and I’d resigned myself to my fate.”
“I know things didn’t work out with Mindy’s mom,” I say slowly, “but I had no idea you wanted more children.”
He shoots me a lopsided grin.
“How would you know sweetheart? But anyways, I loved having Mindy but I had so much trouble with Felicia, her mom. There’s not really much of a story there. Toward the end, we fought a lot. She’d go out with her friends and spend money while I babysat Mindy, and ultimately, we just realized wanted different things from life.” He shrugs. There’s no malice in his eyes or in his body language. At most, he just seems wistful about the children he missed out on.
“I’d be happy with you,” I murmur. “No, I will be happy with you. You’ve been a great father to Mindy.”
He smiles at me and squeezes my hand. “Good, I’m glad you think that. I’ve been dating on and off for two decades, but I’ve never found someone I wanted to have more children with. Hell, I was beginning to think that ship had sailed before we bumped into each other.”
“‘Bumped into each other?’” I quip with a smile. “That’s putting it mildly.”
He laughs. “You’re right. I should have said, before you stole my ambulance and made me chase after you down the street.”
I grin.
“I take it back. The way you said it before is better.”