The act seems so unnatural and unromantic to me. “It scares me.”

“Then we won’t do it. It’s not a big deal.”

“I’m sure it’s something Addison has done. I can ask her to tell me about it.” I lift my head and peer over my shoulder. “I would try it if it’s what you wanted.”

“My mates talk about it all the time, but this is what I know. Fucking you in the ass doesn’t get us a baby.” He kisses my shoulder. “I want all of my swimmers in the right place.”

Good grief.

I lift my head and roll over so I can look at him. I’m almost shocked by his words. Almost. He just used the phrase fucking you in the ass and the word baby in the same sentence. I’m pretty sure that combination is just wrong, but that’s my caveman. No filter. And I love him for it.

“If this whole conception thing works out tonight, then we’ll have a baby before Christmas.” And before our one-year anniversary. That’s a little terrifying.

“If you got pregnant tonight, when would the baby come?”

“I’d be due on October first.” He looks at me grinning and I shrug. “What? I Googled it.”

Breakfast with Margaret, Emma, and Chloe turned into the two mothers giving me all kinds of tips on how to get pregnant. Between the two of them, they have six kids, so it appears they know what they’re talking about.

I return to our apartment after spending the morning with the McLachlan ladies and find our bags sitting next to the door. “In a hurry much?”

“There’s a rainstorm coming soon. I’d prefer to be home before it starts.”

“You don’t like driving in the rain?” Technically, I guess it’s riding instead of driving since we’ll be in the backseat.

“Not really. Dad and I were in a car accident in the rain when I was ten. I still remember the car hydroplaning.” He stops to kiss my forehead as he walks by with the last piece of luggage. “I haven’t been much of a fan since.”

“Was it a bad accident?”

He puts the bag down and points to his upper arm. “Broke my arm so bad, the bone was sticking out through the skin.”

I wince, thinking of the pain he must’ve endured at such a young age. “That sounds terrible.”

He pushes his sleeve up and I’m able to see a faint scar—one I’ve never noticed before—and I stroke my fingertips over it. “It wasn’t pleasant.”

There’s so much I still don’t know about Jack Henry, but I plan to learn it all.

I place my purse on the table by the door. “Can I have a minute to do a walk-through? Just to make sure I’m not leaving anything I want to take home.”

“Of course. You can do that while I take these bags to the car.”

I walk into the bedroom and the linens on the bed are thrown about from our baby-making sessions. I guess he has someone who’ll come in to clean after we’re gone. Or maybe I’ve assumed too much and it’s something I should’ve taken care of prior to leaving. Too late now.

I feel him come up behind me and his arms wrap me in a tight cocoon. “Remembering what we did in that bed last night? And this morning?”

“I am—vividly. There’s a lot of biological material on those sheets. I should have washed them this morning since we’re leaving.” It seems gross, and maybe rude, to leave the bedding for someone else to clean.

“I have someone who will come in to take care of it.”

Well, there’s no time for worrying about it now. “Okay. Let me take a look in the bathroom and then we can go.”

I go inside for a once-over and decide I’m all good. If I leave something, I can buy it in Wagga. Maybe. It’s not exactly a large town with a lot of shopping options but it’s where Jack Henry and I have made our home, and I love living there.

I’m walking out the door when something in the trash can catches my eye. I stop and look at the blue box I’ve become so very familiar with since our honeymoon—one of our many boxes of spermicide. I reach down to take it out and hold it up while standing in the doorway. I clear my throat to catch Jack Henry’s attention. “I see you trashed this. Did you take pleasure in doing that?”

He gives me a crooked grin. “Hell yeah, I liked throwing that shit away. It makes our decision to have a baby feel much more real.”

I’ll agree with that. It’s feeling very real right now.

12

We arrive at Avalon with about thirty minutes to spare before the bottom drops out of the sky and a raging thunderstorm descends. Laurelyn’s standing at the wall of windows overlooking the vineyard, watching the sheets come down. “I love rain. It relaxes me.”

I approach from behind and wrap my arms around her waist. “I don’t dislike rain, only driving in it.”

“It’s perfect for napping.”

“Then you should go lie down for a while and I’ll get you up in a couple hours.”

“I am pretty tired.” She looks at me over her shoulder. “Both of us were up late, so I think you should join me.” I’m not sure but I think this is an invitation for something besides napping? “It’s Sunday—Mrs. Porcelli isn’t here.” Yes. This is an invitation for daytime sex and perhaps a nap afterward. Both work great for me.

I tug on her hands. “I’m in.”

I lower the roman shades, darkening the bedroom. “You’re right. Today is perfect for napping.”

She crawls onto the bed and then moves to her knees. She pulls her dress over her head and drops it before reaching around to unfasten her bra. “It is, but I think today is even more perfect for making a baby.”

She’s going full force at Project Conception and it’s a total turn-on. “You’re really in to this.” I kick off my shoes and unfasten my jeans. I pull my T-shirt over my head and let it fall to the floor.

She wiggles her bum as she pushes her knickers down her hips. “I don’t do anything halfway.”

I’m moving to the bed when she tosses the white lace at me, successfully landing it on my shoulder. I grasp the nearly nonexistent piece of fabric and bring it to my nose. Her scent is intoxicating and I’m positive it’s impossible to ever get enough of it. I’m completely possessed by her. “Do you realize you hold complete authority over me?”

“Funny, I’ve thought the same thing about you on many occasions.”