“Yes and no. I like to climb, so I sometimes wake early and head out to some of my favorite climbing spots when the weather allows, then I tend to take a dip in whatever water’s close by to cool off,” I explain.
Her eyes skim my body, pausing on my abdomen, then traveling over my arms. “Well, that explains how defined you are considering you spend your days behind a computer.”
I chuckle and glide my hand down my torso, her eyes following the path. “Thanks for noticing.” I give her a wink and her cheeks turn pink. A splash of cold water against my back breaks our moment, and I spin around to catch the culprit trying to run away as she giggles. I chase after her, pretending to fight my way through huge waves to get to her. When I catch Kenny, I lift her out of the water as she giggles and wiggles, kicking her feet. I throw her up in the air and catch her, her giggles growing louder by the second as I drop her gently back into the water and splash a small amount of water at the sweet girl.
She squeals as she runs away, dropping down to paddle through the shallow water. “Ahhhh, Uncle AJ got me but I escaped. I’m a superhero like Black Widow!”
“Well, that makes a change from her usual princesses.” Sarah giggles, raising her eyebrows at her sister.
“Yeah, in the last week or so, she’s been watching the Marvel movies with the boys. Normally, she leaves the room and plays with her dollhouse when the boys are watching the movies, but she’s been staying. She’s hooked!”
“I’m hungry, Mommy,” Lachlan calls out to Emma, still keeping a safe distance from the action.
“Okay, let’s get out and get something to eat.”
We all head out of the water and back to our spot, Emma and Theo working together, along with Sarah to organize the kids. I readjust the umbrella to ensure the blanket and chairs are shaded, keeping up my ruse that I’m concerned about sunburn. As I watch Sarah with the kids; I know she’s going to make a great mom. She obviously has a strong bond with her niece and nephews because there’s a level of comfort between them that shows how much they love each other. Much like me and Colton.
After we’ve finished eating, the girls head to the bathroom with Austin and Kenny in tow, leaving me alone with Theo and Lachlan. As soon as the girls are out of sight, Theo’s eyes snap to me.
“So, AJ, explain to me what sort of man offers to help a stranger in a club to get pregnant.” His eyes bore into me and I swallow. The guy is freaking intimidating. I thought we had a moment before, but clearly, I was mistaken.
I glance around, then look him square in the eye. “Look, I’m going to be completely honest with you, but it has to stay between us. Do I have your word?”
He nods but keeps his lips sealed.
I grasp the back of my neck and then draw in a deep breath, hoping the guy doesn’t think I’m some kind of psycho. “I saw her in the club and thought she was stunning. Not gonna lie, those curves drew me right in.” He nods in agreement. Obviously, we have similar tastes because Emma has the same feminine body shape. “When I overheard her speaking with her friend about wanting a baby, I thought I’d take the opportunity to speak with her about it. Let’s face it, the woman is way out of my league and I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t look twice at me if it weren’t for my …” I skate my eyes across to Lachlan and then down to my groin area, hoping he gets my meaning. “I helped my sister and her wife get pregnant, so I knew I could help her. And … well … I’m hoping if she spends enough time with me, she’ll get to know me and want to stick around.” I shrug as though my confession is no big deal.
Theo’s entire body relaxes for the first time since I arrived and he nods. A slight tilt to his lips makes me relax too. “Just don’t hurt her. Okay.”
I hold up my hands in surrender. “Never. It’s not even something I remotely want to do.”
Emma, Sarah, and the kids return ending our chat and we spend the rest of the afternoon building sandcastles, getting wet, and having fun. It’s possibly the most fun I’ve had in ages and as I get to know Emma and her family I think Hayley, Lisa, and Colton would like them too. I think our families would blend well together. Which reminds me.
“Theo, Sarah was telling me you’re a carpenter.”
He smiles. “Yeah. That’s right.”
I collect my phone and open the photo app. Turning it around, I show Theo the photo I have of the climbing wall I was looking at for Colton. “My nephew is three and he’s a climber. He’s driving my sister and her wife crazy, so I said I’d look into getting him a climbing wall for their backyard.” He takes the device and studies the pic, showing it to Lachlan. “Do you think you could build the frame? I’ll add the climbing holds.”
He and Lachlan share a smile. “We sure can. This is an easy A-frame. We could use cedar and pine for this. What do you think, Lachlan?”
He nods. “Yeah, this looks pretty easy.”
Theo returns my phone. “We should be able to build this for you. When did you want it? I’ve got a couple of orders I’m working on at the moment.”
“Whenever you can squeeze it in.”
“No problem. I’ll grab your number from Sarah when we’re ready to start.”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
CHAPTER13
–sarah–
A familiar,heavy feeling fills me with disappointment. Slight cramps and pain in my lower back deliver the news that I failed once again. That my body is still completely my own and I won’t be sharing it with another life for at least another month. With already two failed attempts through the fertility clinic and now this one, I’m wondering if my dream will ever become a reality. I head straight to the bathroom to deal with it and mentally prepare myself for worsening cramps later this afternoon and tonight.
As I sort myself out, I remind myself it takes time to get pregnant, that it can take up to two years, but I’m worried I’m running out of time. My inner voice reminds me I can’t decide one day I want a baby and it’ll happen straight away, but that rational thought doesn’t stop the sheer disappointment and anxiety. Running my fingers through my hair, I drag the elastic band from my wrist and tie it up in a ponytail, then grab the next load of washing.