She picked up her peeler and grabbed another potato and went back to work.
Yeah, that was what I thought. If she had answers, she’d have spit it out. She knew I was right. About all of it. I had to go.
“Tell him, Quincy.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I think Kennedy might surprise you. And I’m sure you’ve heard this, but it takes a village to raise a child. You don’t think I’m thrilled at the idea of having a little one around here? Those boys will dote all over that kid. If it’s a girl? They’re all doomed.”
“I’m a pilot. I don’t want to be left at home with the babies while the brave soldiers go off to war. That would suck. If my career is over, I need to at least go somewhere where I don’t feel the loss of it every day.”
She set the peeler back down and turned around, leaned against the counter.
“You’ve been around too many men. A woman can have it all, whatever that is.”
God, she sounded just like my mother.
“A woman’s career iseverything,not just a job that pays a salary. When you’re my age, you’ll look back and tell your grandchildren that you were a badass pilot in the Navy and a mother and whatever else you do. You’re young. You can fill your life any way you want.”
“But–”
“There are no buts, honey. This is your life. It might not go as planned, but neither do missions. There are contingencies and changes, but the outcome is the same. Success. You’ll be grounded for a bit, but you’re making a person. It doesn’t mean you won’t fly again.”
She came over and patted my hand. “Trust me. You’ll look back on this child as the greatest accomplishment of your life.”
Tears flooded my eyes because the baby clearly made me a sappy mess.
“Don’t steal the same joy from Kennedy. Tell the man.”
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
KENNEDY
“Tell me what?”
I walked into the kitchen to find Quincy and Mrs. L having some kind of heart-to-heart that involved me.
Thank fuck. I sure as hell hoped it was about her staying. Giving us a chance. Not tucking tail and running just because things suddenly got real between us. Or whatever her issue was.
Quincy looked up at me with those big brown eyes shimmering with tears, and all the anger I’d had toward her for giving up on us dropped to the floor. In all the times I’d known her, I’d never seen her look worried or scared, but right now she did. I swiftly crossed through the kitchen and took her into my arms. “What is it, sweets?”
God, she felt good. Soft, warm. I breathed in her scent, and my dick got hard. I couldn’t help it. “Whatever it is, I’ll fix it.”
Mrs. L tactfully evacuated the kitchen, but still, Quincy looked around, like she didn’t want anyone hearing.
“Come on. Let’s go for a walk.” I took her hand and led her out the back door and toward the mountain on the same path I’d taken last night when she’d damaged my pride and my heart by claiming this thing between us had just been about sex.
I was grateful when she didn’t argue or resist because Lord knew, she did a lot of that when it came to me. No, according to Mrs. L, she had something to tell me. If she hadn’t come willingly, I’d have tossed her over my shoulder.
If I fucked up, I wanted to make it right. Hell, I was going to do stupid shit all the time, and I had a feeling I’d be groveling. A lot.
But me doing something that had her saying she was going to take a job in fucking San Diego? That was seriously spooked about intimacy. Hopefully now, she’d come to her senses. Except the tears made no sense.
Hell, women made no sense.
I had to slow my pace to match hers, and her hand felt clammy in mine. She was definitely nervous about this talk.
I tried to lighten the mood. “You can just say I was right. I’ll do theI’m right dance,and then we can kiss and move on.”
It worked. Quincy let out a bark of laughter. “Excuseme? Right about what?”
I hesitated. She’d already ripped my heart from my chest and stomped on it. I didn’t exactly want to get vulnerable with her again. Not without knowing whether she cared. Whether she was in this with me or not.