was finally ready. She felt her heart thudding in her chest as Caleb counted down from ten. She decided to put her trust in him, and in the children, and in the engineers who had built this devil ride. When he said, “Go,” she dove with him—racing down into the blue blur, whipping around turns, rising and then dropping, faster now, steeper, and she felt the cool spray of water, the whoosh of air, and she heard her own cries of joy echoing in the tube behind them as they launched out into the air and landed in the pool with a splash.
She was clinging to Caleb’s shoulders and laughing when they surfaced.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked, spitting water.
“Let’s go again!”
They rode the Black Knight six more times before Jane had had enough. Then they bought hamburgers and onion rings and an enormous strawberry milkshake each, and sat with themin the cool shade of the gazebo, beneath the magic mist machine, and ate and laughed and watched the children playing in the pools just beyond.
“I’m sorry they didn’t have any birthday cake,” Jane said.
Caleb popped another fry into his mouth. “That’s okay. I think I’m getting fat.”
“Yeah, right,” she said. “You’re sitting down and I can still see your abs.”
He stood and inhaled deeply, sticking his belly out like a Buddha. Then he rubbed it against Jane’s cheek. “Does this make me look fat?”
“No,” she said, trying not to laugh and pushing his belly away from her face. “It makes you look pregnant.”
Caleb exhaled and dropped back into his chair. Then he looked at Jane with a mischievous smile on his face. “I’d like to see what you look like pregnant,” he said.
“Come on, Caleb. We already talked about this.”
“No. We already talked about how you don’t want to talk about it. But we never really talked about it. Don’t all these cute kids running around here make you want one?”
“No,” Jane said. “They maybe make me want to have a friend with kids. You think it’s easy, but it isn’t. It’s hard work raising a child. You have no idea.”
“But you were alone when you raised Melody. You’re not alone anymore, Jane.”
The very mention of Melody’s name brought tears to Jane’s eyes. She felt silly about it, embarrassed even. As if she should be over it by now. But she would never be over it, and maybe only a grieving mother could understand that. She turned away so Caleb wouldn’t see her crying, and she watched a little girl feeding ice cream to her younger brother.
Caleb leaned forward and took her hands in his, waiting forher to look back at him. When she did, there was nothing but love and understanding in his green eyes.
“I know it still hurts, baby,” he said. “And I won’t ask you to talk about it. But I want you to know that I’m here to listen if you ever do want to talk. All right? I’m a good listener.”
“I know you are,” she told him, nodding.
He smiled. “I promise I won’t mention kids again, okay?”
Jane reached and placed her hand on his sweet cheek. The sounds of the children faded to just a beautiful murmur, and she and Caleb sat like that for several quiet moments—she with a hand on his warm cheek, he smiling at her with his kind eyes—and she knew that if she ever did want to have another child again, it would be with him. She wanted to tell him so, but the silence seemed too perfect to spoil with words.
When the moment had passed, the noise faded back in and Jane returned her gaze to the kids playing in the pool. She picked up her milkshake and polished it off.
“Just so you know,” she tossed out, “if you ever do want to bring up us having a kid again, mister, then you had better start planning a wedding.”
The sun had set by the time they finally left the water park, and Jane stretched her legs out and relaxed into the passenger seat, thankful that Caleb had offered to drive.
Her muscles ached in that wonderful summer way; her skin
She was clinging to Caleb’s shoulders and laughing when they surfaced.
“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” he asked, spitting water.
“Let’s go again!”
They rode the Black Knight six more times before Jane had had enough. Then they bought hamburgers and onion rings and an enormous strawberry milkshake each, and sat with themin the cool shade of the gazebo, beneath the magic mist machine, and ate and laughed and watched the children playing in the pools just beyond.
“I’m sorry they didn’t have any birthday cake,” Jane said.
Caleb popped another fry into his mouth. “That’s okay. I think I’m getting fat.”
“Yeah, right,” she said. “You’re sitting down and I can still see your abs.”
He stood and inhaled deeply, sticking his belly out like a Buddha. Then he rubbed it against Jane’s cheek. “Does this make me look fat?”
“No,” she said, trying not to laugh and pushing his belly away from her face. “It makes you look pregnant.”
Caleb exhaled and dropped back into his chair. Then he looked at Jane with a mischievous smile on his face. “I’d like to see what you look like pregnant,” he said.
“Come on, Caleb. We already talked about this.”
“No. We already talked about how you don’t want to talk about it. But we never really talked about it. Don’t all these cute kids running around here make you want one?”
“No,” Jane said. “They maybe make me want to have a friend with kids. You think it’s easy, but it isn’t. It’s hard work raising a child. You have no idea.”
“But you were alone when you raised Melody. You’re not alone anymore, Jane.”
The very mention of Melody’s name brought tears to Jane’s eyes. She felt silly about it, embarrassed even. As if she should be over it by now. But she would never be over it, and maybe only a grieving mother could understand that. She turned away so Caleb wouldn’t see her crying, and she watched a little girl feeding ice cream to her younger brother.
Caleb leaned forward and took her hands in his, waiting forher to look back at him. When she did, there was nothing but love and understanding in his green eyes.
“I know it still hurts, baby,” he said. “And I won’t ask you to talk about it. But I want you to know that I’m here to listen if you ever do want to talk. All right? I’m a good listener.”
“I know you are,” she told him, nodding.
He smiled. “I promise I won’t mention kids again, okay?”
Jane reached and placed her hand on his sweet cheek. The sounds of the children faded to just a beautiful murmur, and she and Caleb sat like that for several quiet moments—she with a hand on his warm cheek, he smiling at her with his kind eyes—and she knew that if she ever did want to have another child again, it would be with him. She wanted to tell him so, but the silence seemed too perfect to spoil with words.
When the moment had passed, the noise faded back in and Jane returned her gaze to the kids playing in the pool. She picked up her milkshake and polished it off.
“Just so you know,” she tossed out, “if you ever do want to bring up us having a kid again, mister, then you had better start planning a wedding.”
The sun had set by the time they finally left the water park, and Jane stretched her legs out and relaxed into the passenger seat, thankful that Caleb had offered to drive.
Her muscles ached in that wonderful summer way; her skin
Similar Books
