Page 33 of Silent Count
She looks over at me with her mouth agape. “Chelsea Sullivan.”
I can’t stop laughing at the shock on her face.
“I’m serious, Chelsea. Promise me.”
Once I catch my breath, I reach over and touch her arm. “I promise. Don’t worry; I have no intention of having babies anytime soon.”
“But you do want babies? Someday, of course.”
I pick at the seam of my purse. There’s a small string sticking out—most people wouldn’t even notice it—but I give it a tug, and it unravels a little more.
“Yeah, for sure. But I have a lot to do first. I would love to explore adoption too.” I study her face because I’ve never mentioned adoption to her before.
She looks over at me for a second, but I don’t miss the shine in her eyes. “Any child, whether biological or not, would be lucky to have you as a mother, Chelsea.”
“Thank you. I had a good role model.”
“Oh my God, stop. You’re making me cry, and I can’t see!” She wipes at her face.
I pull out a tissue from the small pack she always keeps in her glove box and hand it to her.
“Sorry.” I laugh, then admit, “The great thing about adoption is, I can give a kid a better story than the one they started with. Love them, support them, let them know they’re wanted. And maybe it’s selfish, but I like the idea of choosing someone—and being chosen back—without the whole mess of finding a guy first. And honestly, why settle down when casually dating is so much fun?”
“Ahh. The old fear of commitment.”
“I don’t have anyfear. I just don’t see the need to be in a fiery, passionate, dramatic, all-consuming romance.”
“You know, Chels, it’s okay to have more than a fling with someone. Not every relationship is like the one your parents had.” She glances over at me.
“Oh, I know.” I shrug it off like what she’s saying isn’t hitting home in some way. “I just don’t want to get invested in someone when I’m leaving and he’s leaving too.”
“I get it; I just want to see you consider it, is all. Love can be a very wonderful thing,” she says wistfully.
“Since I’ve never been in love, I can’t say that I know that to be true, but I’ll take your word for it.” I look over at her. “How is it you know so much about love anyway? I’ve never seen you with a man.”
“I’ve dated, and I’ve had serious relationships in the past, before you girls came to me. I just haven’t had much time in the last ten years to get into anything. You girls needed me more than I needed a relationship.”
“You should take your own advice then. It might do you good to get dicked down too, Aunt Laura.” I can’t hold the laugh that I try hard to keep in.
“Good Lord.” She shakes her head, but has a smile on her face. “And who says I haven’t?”
I gasp. “Aunt Laura! Have you met a man? Do you have a … loverrr?”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “A lady never kisses and tells.”
“Well, you’re no fun! Bravo though. You need to get some too.”
“Chelsea, I mean it. You’re not a kid anymore. I don’t have to worry about you meeting the wrong boy and getting into trouble. You’re a woman now, and it’s time you started taking some chances. I spent my twenties buried in med school, doing everything I could to avoid the opposite sex. And while I want you to stay focused on law school, I also want you to have a little fun. Meet a cute guy. Go on dates. Let yourself be romanced. Don’t wait until your forties to realize you deserve that.”
I widen my eyes and grin. “Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my aunt Laura?”
She laughs as the light turns green.
“This new guy must really have you under his spell,” I tease, smirking. “Either that or his dick is huge.”
She bursts out laughing. “What in the world will I ever do with you?”
“Make me chaperone a bunch of teenage girls and then feed me to the alligators, apparently.”
