Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Eighteen
Wynn pointed to the counter. “Just dump them there,” she said, setting down a box containing ribbon, gift tags and tape.
Garrick did as she requested with a half dozen rolls of wrapping paper.
When his arms were free, he grabbed her by her jeans belt loop and pulled her close before lowering his mouth to hers.
Her body, still humming from her recent orgasm, responded immediately. A reality that made her smile. While she was certainly interested in round two, she knew that Garrick would need at least half an hour to recharge. Men were so delicate.
“Why are you smiling?” he asked, cupping her butt and squeezing.
“Because this is nice.”
“It is.” He kissed her again. “How late is Hunter going to be?”
“It’s dinner while watching a basketball game,” she said, glancing at the clock. “We have maybe an hour, but I wouldn’t want to push it past that.” She glanced past him to the piles of presents stacked on several chairs around her dining room table.
“And we really do have to get going on the wrapping.”
He nodded, kissed her one last time before stepping back. “Chandler’s coming back late Saturday or early Sunday. They’ll head back to Phoenix on Tuesday, so I do need to wrap everything before he gets here.”
“Have you asked her to stay through Christmas?”
He looked at her. “No. I don’t want to pressure her with that. She and Chandler are spending a couple of extra days with me and that’s enough.”
“I know you want more,” she said gently.
“I do, but it’s not practical. She’s getting close to her due date. She’ll want to be home with her regular doctor.”
Wynn was less sure about that. From what she’d seen at the baby shower, Joylyn was still figuring out how she felt about her mom and all she’d learned about her past—not to mention the fact that she’d been kicked out of her own home.
Joylyn might not have wanted to come to her dad’s place, but everything had changed.
“She’s been happy here,” she said, walking over to the gifts. “I would suggest letting her know she always has a place with you.”
“I’ll think about it. So how do you want to do this?”
“I like to sort through the presents. See how much I have to wrap, then decide which ones get what paper. I bought a couple of rolls of really pretty paper for Joylyn. There’s the cartoon print for the baby and Hunter.”
“Hunter’s fourteen. Isn’t he too old for cartoon Christmas wrap?”
She laughed. “Yes, and that’s the point. He rolls his eyes at me and complains, but I think he secretly likes it.”
They went through the presents, separating them by recipient. Garrick had bought Chandler a tool kit and a leather jacket.
“Joylyn helped me pick it out,” he said. “Apparently it’s one he’s been eyeing online for a while.”
He’d gotten Joylyn pearl earrings accented with a small diamond.
“They’re beautiful, and I’m impressed with your ability to walk into a jewelry store and not freak out,” Wynn said, teasing him. “It’s a skill.”
“Jewelry stores don’t intimidate me,” he told her. “Although having seen your latest piece, I wouldn’t know what to buy.”
She grinned as she fingered her puka shell necklace. “Are you saying bad things about my Secret Santa gift?”
“Not at all. It’s lovely.”
“I know it’s silly, but I like it.” She shifted a few bags to the “Chandler and Joylyn” pile. “I don’t know Chandler at all, so I went with a family gift.”
“You didn’t have to get them anything.”
“I wanted to.” She tapped the bag. “It’s an electronic picture frame. They can hook it up to their Wi-Fi and send new pictures anytime they want.” She pointed to the large boxes next to the chairs. “Those are diapers.”
“For Christmas?” He sounded disappointed.
“Trust me, she’ll be grateful. No one got her diapers at the shower, and babies go through dozens every week. The cost adds up. They’re a huge expense. However many I buy, she’s going to need so many more.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe once they’re settled I can get them some kind of service.”
“Aren’t you already giving them a week in a cabin in Lake Tahoe?” she asked. “And going in on a meal delivery service with Alisha?”
He shifted his weight. “She’s my baby girl.”
“I get it,” she said softly. “You have a lot of Christmases to make up for.”
“I know. I keep telling myself that I gave her gifts those years, even if she wouldn’t see me, but it’s not the same. I didn’t see her, so I had to guess what she wanted. I never knew if she liked them or not.”
“I think she liked them even if she wouldn’t admit it to anyone.”
They went through the rest of the gifts. The last bag held baby clothes. Wynn pulled out a couple of pairs of footie pajamas and a little T-shirt that said I’m New Here . There was a cute hoodie with matching baby-sized sweatpants.
She remembered how little she’d had when Hunter had been born and how she’d been terrified they weren’t going to make it. She’d felt alone and lost, and if that lawyer hadn’t shown up with the unexpected inheritance, she didn’t know what would have happened.
Things were different now, she thought as her heart ached with longing. She was different. Settled, mature and with a support network she could count on. She was still in her midthirties. Biologically there was no reason to think she couldn’t get pregnant and have a baby. Maybe even two.
“Wynn, are you all right?”
Emotions filled her, making it hard for her to breathe. The need grew until it was bigger than anything she’d ever felt.
“Wynn?”
She looked at Garrick. “I want to have a baby.”
His eyes widened and he immediately took two steps back, putting one of the chairs between them.
His reaction was so honest and male that she couldn’t help laughing.
“Don’t freak. I was making a statement, not asking for a donation.”
His expression turned from panicked to wary. “It’s an unexpected statement.”
“Sorry.” She held up one of the footie pajamas. “How can you resist something this sweet?”
“Buy all the baby clothes you want.”
“It’s not the clothes.” She smiled at him. “Relax. This isn’t about you. It’s about me and the choices I made. How I cut myself off from a part of who I am because I felt I had to be punished.”
“Because of what you did with Chas?”
She nodded. “I was wrong. If he was still around, I would tell him that. I made a mistake, but I learned from it. Things are different now— I’m different.”
She folded the pajamas. “I like kids. I like being a mom. I always wanted more than just one child. Hunter’s nearly grown. In a few years, he’ll be heading off to college and then what? I’ve lived with regrets for too long. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want kids.”
She also wanted Garrick in her life, but thought going there now was probably a little too much information for him to take in. She had no idea how he felt about her. Oh, she knew he liked her and wanted to have sex with her, but what about beyond that? What about the next step?
That was where everything got fuzzy. They hadn’t been together long enough to have that kind of conversation. Should they reach that point, she wanted him to know her plans for the future. She wanted more children, and if he didn’t, well, she wasn’t sure how that would work out.
“Like how many?” he asked, still looked shell-shocked.
“Two.”
He relaxed. “That’s manageable.”
“I’m a realist.” She walked around the chair, placed her hands on his chest and stared into his eyes. “I’m not asking you for anything, Garrick. Please believe me. I wasn’t hinting.” She might have been wishing, but he didn’t have to know that. “I like what we have.”
She felt him relax.
“I like it, too.”
“Good.” She raised herself on tiptoe and kissed him. “Now let’s wrap some presents.”
***
Thursday after work Garrick drove up the mountain to watch football with his friends.
As he navigated the route, he tried to settle his mind, but there was too much going on.
Holly’s wedding was Saturday, Chandler was due back right after that, then Joylyn would be heading back to Phoenix to await the birth of her baby.
Garrick still wasn’t sure what he was going to do. He had some time off around the holidays. He supposed he would get a hotel room in Phoenix and spend Christmas there so he could be with Joylyn. It was the plan that made the most sense—only he didn’t want to be that far away from Wynn and Hunter.
Adding to the confusion was the fact that he couldn’t forget what she’d told him last night when they’d been wrapping presents.
She wanted to have more kids.
The statement had thrown him. He believed her when she said she wasn’t hinting at anything. Wynn was straightforward and open. She didn’t play games. Still, the statement had been unexpected, and he’d been unable to let it go.
Did she want kids with him? He believed she hadn’t been hinting, but still, they were a thing and he liked what they had together. And if so, how did he feel about that?
While he wasn’t opposed to marriage, he’d always assumed he wouldn’t do it again.
His relationship with Sandy had been a disaster, for the two of them and for him and Joylyn.
He didn’t want to take any more risks like that.
But kids were different. He liked kids. But how to have one without the other?
He parked in front of Jasper’s house and walked to the front door. Seconds after he knocked he heard Koda barking. Jasper let him in.
Garrick handed him the six-pack of beer he’d brought, then dropped to a knee to greet the old dog who circled him, tail wagging.
“Hey, you,” he said, rubbing Koda’s ears. “How you doing, big guy?”
Koda woofed his answer, before swiping Garrick’s face with a quick lick. Garrick stood and greeted his friend.
“You don’t have to rub my ears,” Jasper said dryly, leading the way to the family room where a large Christmas tree, decorated in red and silver ornaments, dominated the space.
“Good, because I was going to say you don’t have to lick my face.”