Page 132 of Memories By the Shore
“Piper is in labor!” she exclaims.
“That’s wonderful,” I say. A flash of envy steals my moment of joy.
With her face beaming and watery eyes, she hands me a glass. “I can’t believe it. I’m so happy for her. Thank goodness Dupara Wine Country is only a few hours away. We can head over once she and Jack are home from the hospital.”
“That sounds great,” I say. “Perfect time for Christmas too.”
I set my glass on the table, then turn to Avery. Trying to form the right words, to ask her what I’ve been thinking for some time. She might turn me down, and that’s alright, but I’m as sure now as I was back then all those years ago—she is my world. I have wanted to be a father since I found out we were having a baby for the first time.
Taking both hands and grazing the smooth skin on the sides of her face until I can thread them through her hair, I piece together the proper words.
“Avery.” I smile, my eyes bounce between her hazel-green sparklers. The beautiful eyes I’m sure our baby would inherit.
She wraps her arms around my waist and gazes up at me. “Yes?”
“I love you more than anything in this entire world,” I begin.
“I love you too,” she drawls, unsure where I’m going with my words. “Are you alright?”
“I waited for you for eight years,” I say softly. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
She pulls her mouth to the side. “We’re already married, if that’s where this is going.”
I bite my lower lip, trying to keep a straight face. “You asked me yesterday what I wanted for Christmas.”
“I did.”
“And I told you, I have everything I could ever want.”
Avery slides her hands up the back of my shirt, caressing my skin. “Yeah?”
I cup her cheeks, tilting her head to force eye contact. “I want to try for a baby.”
A sharp rise of her chest alerts me she wasn’t expecting that. “Oh, Jasper.” Avery’s eyes dart away. Her fingertips fall from my back. “What if I can’t give you one?”
“What do you mean?” I ask, unsure why she’d think she wouldn’t be able to have a baby.
Avery backs away and shuffles her feet to the couch. “I’ve already lost one. I don’t know if I could do that again.”
There it is.Fuck. How can I convince her to try again if what happened when we were young still haunts her today?
I slowly blink, gathering my thoughts. “I understand.” Taking the space next to her, I pull her in and hold her close. “I understand why you’d be scared.”
“I want a baby with you so much, and I finally feel like I’m at a time in my life when it would be an amazing adventure,” she says, her voice slightly cracking. “But what if I fail? What if I can’t?”
We lie back against the couch, her curled into my arms. “Then we’ll get through it together. I promise.”
“I’m nervous.”
“I am, too, but we won’t know unless we try.”
With a deep sigh and relaxation of her muscles, she turns her head toward me. Avery’s eyes flare with fear but a hint of excitement. “Alright.”
I can’t explain the happiness that takes over me. “Yeah?”
She nods, a tear rolling down her cheek.
Epilogue
