Page 29 of A Shore Fling
That’s a good question.
“She’s city through and through. She doesn’t belong here.”
“What’s wrong with a little summer fun?”
“Nothing.” Except, if one of my brothers became involved with Nina, she’d be off-limits for me, forever. It’s that simple. I would never break the Thorne brotherly code.
“No one said anything about marrying her,” he adds. I swallow a deep pull of beer and lick the remainder from my lips. “Have you ever thought about getting married again?” His question takes me by surprise.
“Where the hell did that come from?”
“Earlier, Drew brought up Jessica, and it reminded me you’ve been single for a long time.”
“So have you,” I point out. “You haven’t ever been married. At least I gave it a shot.”
“I’m not opposed to marriage. I just haven’t found the right one.”
My shoulders rise in a quick shrug. “I could say the same.”
“True.” He nods. “But you’re forty and I’m only thirty-four. If you want kids, you need to get going.”
“Pretty sure men can father kids into their eighties.”
“Sure, if you want to be fossilized by the time they graduate high school. If you had a kid tomorrow, you’d be fifty-eight when they turn eighteen. That’s not a dad—that’s a grandpa with joint pain and a will.”
I huff a laugh and flip him off. “People are starting families later in life. Becoming a parent isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. Mom had Drew when she was forty.”
“And look how he turned out.”
I glance toward the end of the bar, where Drew is currently trying to convince the unimpressed bartender that protein powder belongs in the mixed drinks. He flexes his impressive bicep and urges her to feel it.
I wince. “Okay, bad example.”
Jordan leans back on the stool, looking smug. “Exactly. That kid’s maybe two bad decisions away from joining a pyramid scheme.”
“He’s already tried selling me supplements out of his Mustang’s trunk.”
Jordan laughs under his breath. “Was it the testosterone-enhancing one or the muscle-recovery one?”
“Both. He had boxes full of them.” We both shake our heads.
Jordan lifts his beer. “To being childless, broke, and judging our brothers.”
I clink my bottle against his. “A proud family tradition.”
While we silently sip our beers, I think about everything Jordan said, and come to the realization he’s right. Time is ticking away at lightning speed, and what do I have to show for it?My house? My job?I don’t even have a dog. Jessica took our corgi when she left, and I couldn’t bring myself to get another.
“Life isn’t always what you expect. Most of the time it doesn’t go as planned,” I say.
He nods, spinning his upright bottle on the table. “I’m beginning to realize that myself.”
“I wanted to have a kid or two, but that got derailed with my divorce. And now, it’s ten years later, and it feels more like five years.”Where the fuck did the time go?
“I get that your marriage ended poorly, but maybe it’s time you dip yourtoeback in the dating pool.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Dude, you do realize I haven’t been celibate since my divorce, right?”
His expression turns serious. “You haven’t?”
