“You ought to be feeling pretty damn young—now that you’re getting so much nookie,” Suzanne pointed out. She cocked her head. “Or are you? Have you and Kalis bonded yet?”
“No, and we’re not going to,” Jillian said firmly. “We’re getting along just fine the way we are and that’s how I’d like to keep it. Besides, he’s really on the, uh, large side, if you know what I mean,” she added. “I’m not eager to try and take on something that big—I’d be walking funny for a week afterwards!”
“Oh, all Kindred are big,” Suzanne said dismissively. “All you need is some bonding fruit. That stuff helps you stretch like nobody’s business—it also makes you horny as hell, though, so be careful if you eat some,” she added.
Jillian nodded doubtfully. Living on the Mother Ship, she’d heard all about the magical properties of the little fruit that looked a bit like a triangular peach. But just like the Kindred Goddess, she wasn’t sure how much she believed of what she’d heard.
“Well, this pastry is done and we’re all set for brunch.” Suzanne sighed as she stacked the neatly wrapped parcels of tart dough and put them in the walk-in chiller. “Want to come over and see the babies? They’re actually getting to be fun, now that they’re smiling and cooing instead of screaming and crying from the colic,” she added, smiling tiredly.
“I would love to see the babies, but there’s something I need to do at my suite,” Jillian hedged.
Suzanne grinned.
“Don’t you mean someone? It’s okay, go on and have some fun with Kalis. I kind of wish I would have had more fun with my guys before I got knocked up.”
“You’re a great mom—you know you love it.” Jillian smiled at her friend. “But I have to be honest, seeing you up to all hours dealing with triplets makes me really glad I didn’t have kids with Brad, after all.” She made a face. “Well, I wouldn’t have wanted to have a child with that bastard no matter what, but I’m just glad not to be a single mom right now.”
Suzanne frowned.
“Well what about when you get together with Kalis—because I know you will. Are you going to try for kids then?”
Jillian shook her head.
“You know, if you’d asked me a couple of years ago, I would have said yes without a doubt. But now that I’m getting towards fifty, well—I kind of think that ship has sailed. And you know what? I’m all right with that.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m happy just being the cool aunt to your three little guys and still having time to myself to travel and cook and explore.”
Suzanne sighed.
“Now you’re making me jealous! You get to go back to your suite and have a glass of wine and some nookie and I have to go home and change dirty diapers.”
“You’ll be fine,” Jillian told her, laughing. “You’ve got two husbands to help you, remember?”
“Yes, and they’re both really good about changing diapers and rocking and burping the babies but I’m the only one who can breast feed and believe me, my boobs are getting so sore,” Suzanne complained.
Jillian nodded sympathetically as they locked up Pat-ar and left together. But she couldn’t help being glad that she was heading back to her suite for a quiet evening in with her man instead of a night of broken sleep filled with wailing babies and dirty diapers.
Wait, did you just call Kalis ‘your man’? whispered a little voice in the back of her head. With a shock, Jillian realized she had. Was she getting more serious with the big Kindred than she had meant to?
Ruefully, she had to admit that she was. She’d meant to be so careful, guarding her heart and keeping her emotions in check. But somehow, Kalis had gotten in under her radar and she had to admit, they weren’t just “hooking up”—she was emotionally invested, just like she’d promised herself not to be at the beginning.
Maybe it was because Kalis was so easy to talk to and be around. He had a really calming presence about him and his deep, quiet voice was never raised in anger or agitation, which was a departure from guys she’d been with in the past.
He was certainly different from her ex, Brad, Jillian thought, as she and Suzanne stepped onto the tram to head back to their respective suites. Brad had always had to be the life of the party—the center of attention in any room he walked in on. At first, she had found him charming, but it wasn’t long before she started finding his frenetic energy downright exhausting and then pretty damn annoying. And that was before she’d caught him in bed with another woman.
In contrast, Kalis was calm and quiet. He never got frazzled or short-tempered—not even when they got in the weeds during a busy dinner service. He just forged ahead until they all caught up. Or, if it was another station that was behind, he was always willing to pitch in and help out. He never seemed to think any task was beneath him—he was willing to help anyone out, which was a trait that Jillian really valued—both in a line cook, and in a person in general.