Page 81 of Fourth Heartwarmers Trilogy
“Of course. That’s been my idea all along. In fact, I’m planning on adoption once it’s possible.”
Jaqueline paused, letting her brain absorb his ultimate goal. “I’m going to play devil’s advocate so bear with me. Number one, you’re a young, so-so looking, unmarried man who wants to adopt a ready-made family when you could have your own. How would a potential wife handle that?” She’d seen Colin’s grin at her assessment of his charms but ignored the raised eyebrow and heated glance.
He cleared his throat and said, “Same way she’d have to if I’d been married to Gisele and lost her.”
“Okay. True. But you weren’t and the kids aren’t your actual responsibility. Are you sure you want to step in? We’re talking the rest of your life, right? They become your dependents from the time you sign that paper until you’ve kicked the bucket and upstairs with Gisele and the other angels. You get that?”
Colin laughed at her way of reasoning. “Of course I do. Look, I’ve always wanted a large family and wasted far too many years with a woman stringing me along with no intentions of ever having one baby never mind having more than one. Now… at the age I expected to be a father, I’m a bachelor with a very real distrust of your gender, but a growing affection for those two wonderful children who could bring a lot of joy to my world.”
“And a lot of work. Mind-blowing, life-altering, patience-exhausting work.”
“Hey, don’t forget the joy.”
“Sure. But along with the joy add in a lot of headaches, heartaches, and soreness in one’s butt.”
Totally laughing now, Colin shook his head at her words, encouraging her to add her reasoning.
When she saw his questioning expression, she admitted, “Just so you know, I’ve heard often enough what a pain in the ass I was for my mother, and trust me… according to my Gigi, I was a good kid.”
“And how does your Gigi feel about you now?”
“Oh, we’re the best of friends. She might be older than me, but I love spending time with her. She’s funny and cool and always knows the right thing to say.”
“Can you imagine a world without her?”
Jaqueline hesitated, her mind repudiating his question as one she wouldn’t or couldn’t even imagine. “I’d have been a very different, unhappy girl without her generous, loving, bright light in my life.”
“See… I want to be that same light for those two orphans. I can’t bear to think of what might happen to them if I don’t step up. Besides, I promised their mother that I’d take care of things.”
“Fine. No more arguments from me then. I guess I just needed reassurance that you were the kind of man who would carry through, not change your mind a few years down the road when things got tough.”
“Trust me, I’m a stubborn bastard when it comes to the people and things I care about. Plus, I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life and like any other person awaiting parenthood, I’m only willing to see the bright side of the future.”
“Then like I said before, I’m with you all the way. Anything I can help with, I will.” Suddenly, Jaqueline shook herself and looked toward the window. “Oh-oh. Listen to that storm. How will I get to my hotel tonight? The wind’s howling like a banshee outside.”
“While you had the kids out this afternoon, I zipped down to my hotel and got my suitcase, so I’d be prepared to stay with them. There was nothing here I could use, but you’d probably fit into Gisele’s nightgown and slippers. I do have an extra head for my electric toothbrush you’re welcome to use.”
She grinned at his way of stating a fact they both knew was smart. “You’re saying I need to stay for the night.”
“Did you look outside? It’s brutal out there. I’m not sure the taxis are even running now.”
“Right. I should have left earlier when it wasn’t so bad, but I think I’m stuck here now.”
When he pointed behind her, his arm touched hers, making her jump. He quickly pulled away, his voice becoming matter-of-fact. “You take Gisele’s bedroom. I’m fine here on the couch.”
Silly her, she’d noticed his change of clothes and hadn’t thought about how he’d gotten them. Of course, he’d intended on staying here with the children.
“This house is quite chilly, Colin. The children fell asleep together in Maisie’s bed, so I’ll use Charlie’s empty one. That leaves Gisele’s bedroom for you.” She held up her hand. “No, don’t argue. I doubt that there’s extra blankets anyway.”
They stood facing each other, the discomfort suddenly rising between them. Hating for the evening to end in such a way, Jaqueline moved right out of her comfort zone to step into his space, put her hands on his chest and reach up to kiss his cheek. Though he stiffened, he didn’t move back.
“Thank you for being the kind of person I wasn’t sure still existed. Goodnight.”
His voice husky, he whispered, “You too, Jaq… like the kids call you. Goodnight.”
She took only one step back when loud screams had them both running for Maisie. “Maman, Maman.”
Chapter Ten
