Page 74 of First Date: Divorce
“Not everything is in the paperwork.A woman has to preserve some shred of pride.”
Distract, distract, distract.
“But something that serious, you should have included it—”
“There wasn’t time.”
“This just happened?When—?”
“If you hadn’t had so much pride and reserve — icy cold reserve — there wouldn’t have been a Gigi,” Eric said.
K.D.swung around to him.“How dare you!”Their eyes met.He clearly didn’t know where she’d go next, but his look said to go for it.“I am not frigid,” she finished with full outrage.
“No, no, of course not,” soothed Melody, completely sidetracked.“There is no frigid personality.There are only frigid circumstances.”
“With K.D.the circumstances are always frigid.”The remaining strain in Eric’s voice could easily pass for anger.
“You’ve made sex all about having a baby,” she threw back at him.
Yes, this was based on what they’d discussed with Pauline, but definitely adding flourishes.
“It wouldn’t be if we did it more than once every other month.”
“That’s—”
“Let’s pause there a moment,” Melody said quickly.“I don’t want to slide past this issue.It seems that having children is important to you, Eric.”
“It is.”He opened his hands and looked down at them, as if seeing a baby there.
Just that fast, K.D.could imagine a baby there, too.The tiny head carefully cradled in one large palm, the rest supported by the other hand.
She shook off the image.
“He wants children to carry on the great Larkin name.To become little clones of him.So he can live on through them.It’s all about ego gratification.”
“It’s all about family.”He looked directly at her.“I don’t want kids in my image.I want a family in my family’s image, with the focus on being together, being good to each other, and raising good human beings.That’s what matters.If having babies isn’t in the cards for us, I’d want to adopt.Maybe adoptandhave babies ourselves.”
“Adoptand— How many kids do you want?”she asked him.
“Three, four at least.”
“Good Lord.You have it all planned out, don’t you?”
“You haven’t talked before about how many children Eric wants?”Melody’s voice brought K.D.up short.
She recovered fast.“I don’t want any, so it hasn’t mattered how many he wants.”
“Why don’t you want children?”
“Kids deserve more,” she blurted.
“More than what?”
But she was done blurting.“More than parents who don’t see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, right down to whether they should have been born.”
“She’s terrified she’ll become her mother.”
Eric’s words felt like a spear thrust into her ribs.She sucked in oxygen at the force of the blow.
