soon, we'll watch him."
I glanced back at Kent for confirmation, but he just rocked back on his heels, hands in his pocket, and that throb of dread knotted up again in my stomach.
After Jeff gathered their belongings and Caroline placed Chase in the car seat, we walked them to the door where Kent and Jeff did their signature handshake, hug, and pat on the back.
"Bye, Caroline. Call me tomorrow." I crouched down on the balls of my feet, leaned into the baby carrier, and stared at their baby boy. I reached for his little hand and watched his eyes flutter in his deep sleep. "Bye, sweet Chase," I whispered, letting out a slow breath.
I blew kisses to Caroline and escorted her out the door. Her laughter echoed through the elevator banks. After the doors closed behind them, Kent walked back into the condo.
I let out an exaggerated sigh and slammed the door behind me, which caused Kent's eyes to widen from where he was sitting on the couch. I stalked to where he was against the leather cushions.
"You are so flipping rude," I snapped, placing a hand on my hip.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Our friends just had a baby. They came here to visit and were all excited that we could finally meet Chase, and all you could do was rant and complain about how babies are so high maintenance. And seriously where the heck is your filter? Tact, Kent. Tact."
"Beth," he uttered calmly, which only infuriated me more. "When have you known me not to speak my mind?"
At that moment, I wanted to rip his eyes out. I stepped toward him, reached for the remote, and turned off the TV.
"I want to talk about this now," I said, staring at him expectantly.
"Talk about what?" he asked slowly, his face apprehensive. And then I knew that he knew what I wanted to discuss. He had to.
My hands clasped in front of me and calmed the nerves burning beneath the surface of my skin. "Talk about... having kids," I stuttered. "We never talked about it before, so maybe before I assume things...we should discuss this now."
That got his full attention. He shifted to a sitting position at the edge of the couch and rested his hands on his knees. With his pointer finger and thumb, he pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes again. "We've been married for a little under two years, and you're twenty-five, Beth. We should not be having this conversation."
"But we've never had this conversation, Kent." My voice was shakier than I would have liked. I stared at his side profile, and my pulse slowed to a sluggish beat.
When I’d mentioned kids before, it was in passing. When I'd tease him lightly, saying, 'I hope our kids have your eyes', he'd just smile without a reply. But after today's display, I wondered if he ever wanted kids.
I had never thought in a million years that I would fall in love with the spoiled playboy he’d been before. Children, finances, and talks about what we wanted for our future would’ve happened in the dating phases, which never happened for us.
My hands trembled against my stomach. "Do you even see children in our future?" I whispered.
When his eyes flipped up to meet mine, I bit my cheek, afraid I was going to cry. The answer was in the torment of his eyes.
I held my breath. Seconds passed by, which seemed to last forever. I just stared into a sea of brown that usually comforted me, enlightened me, or made me laugh. Today, that chestnut brown was making me want to cry.
"I'm not ready to talk about this." His tone was firm, not to be argued with.
My stomach dropped to my toes, and my gaze fell to the floor. I stood shell-shocked in my spot until I felt warm hands encasing my waist. He lifted my chin to meet his eyes. "Your questions shocked me, okay? I'm just not ready to talk about this right now." He pulled me closer and tucked me into his hard chest. "Let’s go to bed. Just give me a little time, Beth."
Soft breaths escaped him onto my neck, and after a beat he kissed my temple tenderly. "Okay?" he pressed.
All of me wanted to talk