Page 108 of Fall Over You

Perhaps the ADHD demon finally met the ovulation monster.

I’m washing dishes, Tyler is drying and putting them away, and Ellie’s in the other room watching a show.

The words tumble out. “Do you want more kids?”

Tyler’s lips part and his face grows increasingly red as he fails to breathe. The demon got me good this time.

“Don’t forget to breathe,” I remind him. This is bananas. I just threw a massively important question at him like it’s whether he got the mail today.

He obeys and stares down into the soapy dishwater. “Well.”

He says nothing for another few minutes, and I hear the closing song on Ellie’s show. We don’t have much time before one of us starts winding her down for bed.

“Well,” he repeats. “I think I want Ellie to have a sibling. And I don’t want them too far apart in age.”

I shrug. “Okay. So, yes, you want another kid and you can’t wait too long or you’re at a five year gap.”

“Yes, however . . .” He sighs. “It might be a while before I’m ready. I wish I could be ready now, but I know I’m not. Things are going well between us, and if things keep going well, then it’s probably a possibility down the road.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he asks. “That’s it? You ask a massive question and follow up with ‘okay?’”

“Yep.” I don’t mention that “probably a possibility” makes me want to kick and scream until he explains what the hell that means. My body is basically begging for reproduction, but saying that would be manipulative given the circumstances. Plus, there’s a piece of copper in my uterus that would stop any such reproduction from taking place, so the point is moot.

He stops what he’s doing and turns me so we face each other fully. “Do you want kids?”

“Yes,” I admit, trying to make sure I’m diplomatic. “And while I’d be happy starting whenever, I understand why someone would want to wait. And I think whenever my partner and I decide we want children, it will be the right time.”

He chuckles. “Your partner, huh? And who’s that?”

“A theoretical person who would be committed to me.”

“Hmm.” He scratches his chin. “I wonder,” he draws the phrase out, “what you’re not saying.”

“Daddy!” Ellie yells from the other room. “Come look at what I made Pussy do!”

“You’d better go see about that,” I say.

Tyler gives me a smack on my ass. “To be continued.”

FORTY-ONE

TYLER

I’m beat as all hell heading back from a long night of working on the cottage, but I know a warm bed and an even warmer wife wait on me at home. A wife who, given our discussion after dinner, likely wants to have my babies.

That may or may not put a little extra pep in my step. I drag in some autumn night air and smile to myself at the house ahead of me. A few lights are on, and Becca should already be in bed with how late it is.

Home. I’m at home with Becca.

Even if her little cottage project is adding to my stress in all this madness.

My wife has on a headlamp and shorts overalls that barely cover her ass, and her face is buried under the kitchen sink. Call it a competence kink, but I love how much Becca can—and will—do on her own.

She must have headphones on, because she doesn’t seem to notice that I’m here. I drop to my knees next to her and run my hands over her hips and ass. She jumps and her head slams into the cabinet.

“Fuckin’ fudgsicles!” Becca rips an earbud out of her ear and touches the back of her head tenderly, checking for blood. I reach to rub the spot where she just got hit. “I’m trying not to cuss, I swear. You scared the shizzin’ piss out of me.”