Page 54 of Bailey

She sat back. The truth was out now between them, and as Bailey replayed all the things she’d just said, she realized how terrible she sounded. She desperately wanted Reeves to say something—anything—so that she wouldn’t have to hear herself say that she purposely kept everyone, from people to animals, at arm’s distance so she could walk away whenever she wanted.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Reeves didn’t know what to say to erase the wide-eyed look of anxiety that had filled Bailey’s face. He didn’t agree with her assessment of herself at all, and he simply didn’t know how to tell her.

“I think—” he said at the same time she said, “What about you?”

She waved her fork and then finally speared a piece of lettuce appraisingly. “Sorry, go ahead.”

“No, what were you going to ask?”

“I was just wondering if you wanted kids,” she said.

Reeves sat with the question for a moment. “Well, like you,” he said. “It’s not really something I’ve thought a lot about, because I haven’t really dated anyone seriously enough to consider it.”

She nodded as she put her bite of salad in her mouth.

“I didn’t have great examples as parents,” he said. “Though it certainly wasn’t my mother’s fault.”

“My parents are great,” Bailey said.

“Yeah.” Reeves smiled and watched as she physically relaxed right in front of him. “I’d like to spend more time with them, you know, when you’re not passed out or we’re not knee-deep in mud.”

“Sure.” Bailey nodded and took a much larger bite of the salad.

“I think you’re wrong, you know.”

That brought her head up again, her eyes wide as they flicked between his.

“I think you’d be a great mother,” he said. “I’ve seen you take care of the things you care about, and I know that we’re still learning a lot about one another, but you’re kind, and caring, and deeply passionate about the things you do.”

She relaxed again and ducked her head. Though she usually expressed gratitude when he complimented her, perhaps this didn’t feel like a compliment.

“And I think if you had a child with a man you loved, and you were in a committed, happy marriage with that man, you would love that baby to the ends of the earth and do anything for it.”

He nodded like that was that, relieved when Bailey gave a couple of tight nods in agreement.

“Thank you, Reeves,” she whispered.

Yes, they had only been dating for several weeks now, but Reeves had seen Bailey in action at work, and he’d seen her deal with her staff and with OJ, and in stressful situations. Sure, she might bring a dog or a pair of cats home and tend to them for a few days, and then give them away, but she wouldn’t bring them home at all if she wasn’t nurturing and maternal and cared about them. He saw it from the front side of the situation, while she only saw the end of it.

He finished his sandwich, and then his coffee, while Bailey had barely started on her soup. He leaned back in his chair and cleared his throat, and somehow that signaled to Bailey that he had something more he wanted to say. She looked at him again with her eyebrows raised, having just put a bite of bread that she’d dipped in her cheddar broccoli soup in her mouth.

“I’ve been doing a lot of day trips and hikes for my channel,” he said. “And the wildflowers are really coming on.”

“Are they?” Hope bloomed on her face, and Reeves couldn’t wait to take her into the mountains to see the wildflowers.

“Yeah,” he said. “I was thinking of doing a couple of nights as a camping trip. I know you can’t come for that, but maybe you could hike in on a Saturday. We could see the wildflowers, and I’ll cook lunch over the fire.” He trailed off because his previous attempts at talking to Bailey about helping him with his videos had gone nowhere.

“You don’t have to be on camera,” he added. “You won’t have to do anything at all.”

“You just talked about me hiking in somewhere,” she said.

“I’ll come down and meet you.”

He tilted his head at her, trying to understand what was really going on, what really ran through her head. “I thought you liked hiking.”