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willing to resort to bribery if necessary.
    Jared plastered on a smile but lowered his voice. “I beg of you. Please don’t tell anyone about Taylor being here.”
    “Why do you think I’d tell?”
    “You have the worst tells in the world. Why do you think I like to play poker with you?”
    “You have to admit, this is salacious news.”
    Jared gave him a quizzical look. “Salacious?”
    “Michelle bought me a sexy word-of-the-day calendar for my birthday.” Tyler shrugged. “I have to tell Michelle. We don’t keep secrets.”
    “So you’re bailing on the bro code?”
    “The bro code isn’t worth sleeping on the couch for a month because I kept one of your secrets, which happens to be pretty big,” Tyler huffed. “Sorry, this is too good to pass up. I will call her as soon as I can get my butt behind the wheel of my SUV.”
    “No!” Jared grabbed him by the shoulders. “You cannot tell Michelle. She’ll call Morgan, and I’ll be up to my eyeballs in text messages and phone calls before I board the plane. I’m trying to get away from the family drama and away from Taylor and go on this vacation.”
    “What exactly is going on?” Tyler looked over toward the kitchen. “Why the surprise visit?”
    He knew it wasn’t a good idea to tell Tyler, but maybe he could buy himself some time. “I’ll explain, but only if you hold off on telling Michelle.”
    Tyler looked at him dubiously. “This better be good.”
    “Taylor asked me if I would consider having a baby with her.”
    “Really?” Tyler raised an eyebrow. “You two still having breakup sex?”
    “No, we haven’t been intimate since we separated.”
    “So how are you going to make a baby?”
    “What do you mean how? You’re a little old to be getting the birds and bees talk,” Jared fired back.
    “I mean, does she want you to deposit your love juice into a petri dish or hit the sheets?”
    “What difference does it make?”
    “For starters, the personal approach is more fun. But if she wants to conceive the old-fashioned way, maybe she’ll want to start things up again.”
    “I hadn’t thought about it.”
    “Sounds like you have a lot to consider.” Tyler put his hand on his shoulder. “I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell Michelle about Taylor until I know your plane is in the air. But by the time you land half the family, hell, half the planet will know. But at least you can decide if you want to soak up the sun or spend your time screening calls from well-meaning meddlesome loved ones.”
    “Thanks, man.” Jared bid Tyler farewell and looked at his watch. He needed to leave for the airport now. He’d keep his conversation with Taylor focused on the weather, her work, anything except talk about a baby.
     
    * * *
     
     
    Jared’s luck didn’t hold out. Taylor started chatting about the baby as soon as he clicked on his seat belt.
    “I was thinking the fall would be a good time to conceive. That way the baby would arrive in the summer. I could plan my vacations around that time and—”
    “One step at a time,” he said. “I thought you were giving me some time to digest this?”
    “I am. I just want you to know how well thought-out this was.”
    “OK.” He shifted to get a better look at her face. “How would we conceive the baby? You want to sleep together or would you rather I go to a facility and make a deposit?”
    “Well…” She bit her lip. “Going to bed together would make more sense. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before. We could both get tested to ensure that we’re both disease-free. I haven’t been with anyone in a while. How about you?”
    He got the feeling this was a fishing expedition, so he ignored the question. “And have you thought about custody and visitation? You live across the country.”
    “Oh, I just assumed you wouldn’t want to be involved.” She fidgeted with the rear view mirror.
    “Why on earth would you think that?”
    “I don’t know. But we can