Read Online Learning to Love Again by Kelli Heneghan, Nathan Squiers - Free Book Online
Authors: Kelli Heneghan, Nathan Squiers
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he intended.
“I’m sorry.” She released a ragged breath. “I get a little defensive. I don’t want to see any other doctors. The nightmares are starting to get better, and they’re not happening every night anymore.”
“You’ll let me know if you change your mind?” Jason made it a question as he stared at her, trying to read her mind. She gave him a slight nod as she forced her eyes away from his intense stare. They stood there, both leaning against the fence, listening to the sounds of the night.
“Carly’s pregnant,” she said to fill the silence between them.
“That’s my guess, too. That was the point of the second honeymoon, I believe,” he drawled, a slight grin on his face.
“They’ve waited a long time,” she shifted, her hand again going to her lower back.
“Mitch wanted to wait, since they were married when she was so young, and hadn’t gotten to get out of Waketon like you and he did for college. He didn’t want her to feel tied down,” he agreed.
“I’m guessing he wanted to avoid ending up like my parents,” she turned to start walking again and he pushed away from the fence and fell into step beside her.
“Your parents? What about them?” startled, he glanced at her. He hadn’t expected her to give him the opening he wanting.
“My parents married when my mom was seventeen, almost as soon as she’d graduated from high school, and she had me less than a year later. She always talked about the things she never got to do, like college or traveling. And of course, Dad was busy working so he never had time to do any of those things with her. They died when I was fifteen,” she kicked at a rock on the ground. “Mom always resented Daddy for keeping her from doing what she wanted to do. At least, that’s how she saw it. She wasn’t a very happy person. I think that’s why, when Carly started mentioning wanting to see Alaska and going on that cruise, Mitch encouraged her to plan this second honeymoon. He knows she wouldn’t go without him and he didn’t want her to feel cheated.”
“You never told me about them.” Jason led her down a short path to the small creek that ran behind the barns.
Nicole stopped walking, staring out at the shadows. “It was hard talking about them. I was fifteen when they died. I was determined not to wind up like my mother, spending my life looking back and seeing what I hadn’t done,” Nicole turned and looked at him, deciding in that moment to throw caution to the wind and let him know her thoughts. “I met you and we started hanging out, and then we started dating, and it seemed like before I knew it, you were mentioning settling down and starting a family. Everything my mother had warned me against. I was becoming more independent and all of a sudden, there you were, trying to take control. I saw that independence disappearing, just like my mother had always warned me it would if I ever let a man control my life. I was too immature to try and talk to you, and too scared that you’d be able to talk me into letting you have it all your way, so I left.”
He stared at her for a few tense seconds and she began to wonder if she had imagined seeing that flicker of desire in his eyes at dinner. Maybe it had been annoyance. Or maybe being so honest just now had just pissed him off and she’d ruined everything. “I...”
He reached out and laid a finger over her lips. “Yes, I started talking about settling down and starting a family. I was almost thirty years old. But that didn’t mean I was going to hog tie you to the kitchen stove and keep you barefoot and pregnant!” he reached out and took her hand and pulled her a step closer to him. “I knew you had your own dreams, and I know how hard you worked to get through undergrad and then law school. I mean—Christ, Nicole!—you were twenty-one when you were accepted into law school. I knew how hard you had worked
“I’m sorry.” She released a ragged breath. “I get a little defensive. I don’t want to see any other doctors. The nightmares are starting to get better, and they’re not happening every night anymore.”
“You’ll let me know if you change your mind?” Jason made it a question as he stared at her, trying to read her mind. She gave him a slight nod as she forced her eyes away from his intense stare. They stood there, both leaning against the fence, listening to the sounds of the night.
“Carly’s pregnant,” she said to fill the silence between them.
“That’s my guess, too. That was the point of the second honeymoon, I believe,” he drawled, a slight grin on his face.
“They’ve waited a long time,” she shifted, her hand again going to her lower back.
“Mitch wanted to wait, since they were married when she was so young, and hadn’t gotten to get out of Waketon like you and he did for college. He didn’t want her to feel tied down,” he agreed.
“I’m guessing he wanted to avoid ending up like my parents,” she turned to start walking again and he pushed away from the fence and fell into step beside her.
“Your parents? What about them?” startled, he glanced at her. He hadn’t expected her to give him the opening he wanting.
“My parents married when my mom was seventeen, almost as soon as she’d graduated from high school, and she had me less than a year later. She always talked about the things she never got to do, like college or traveling. And of course, Dad was busy working so he never had time to do any of those things with her. They died when I was fifteen,” she kicked at a rock on the ground. “Mom always resented Daddy for keeping her from doing what she wanted to do. At least, that’s how she saw it. She wasn’t a very happy person. I think that’s why, when Carly started mentioning wanting to see Alaska and going on that cruise, Mitch encouraged her to plan this second honeymoon. He knows she wouldn’t go without him and he didn’t want her to feel cheated.”
“You never told me about them.” Jason led her down a short path to the small creek that ran behind the barns.
Nicole stopped walking, staring out at the shadows. “It was hard talking about them. I was fifteen when they died. I was determined not to wind up like my mother, spending my life looking back and seeing what I hadn’t done,” Nicole turned and looked at him, deciding in that moment to throw caution to the wind and let him know her thoughts. “I met you and we started hanging out, and then we started dating, and it seemed like before I knew it, you were mentioning settling down and starting a family. Everything my mother had warned me against. I was becoming more independent and all of a sudden, there you were, trying to take control. I saw that independence disappearing, just like my mother had always warned me it would if I ever let a man control my life. I was too immature to try and talk to you, and too scared that you’d be able to talk me into letting you have it all your way, so I left.”
He stared at her for a few tense seconds and she began to wonder if she had imagined seeing that flicker of desire in his eyes at dinner. Maybe it had been annoyance. Or maybe being so honest just now had just pissed him off and she’d ruined everything. “I...”
He reached out and laid a finger over her lips. “Yes, I started talking about settling down and starting a family. I was almost thirty years old. But that didn’t mean I was going to hog tie you to the kitchen stove and keep you barefoot and pregnant!” he reached out and took her hand and pulled her a step closer to him. “I knew you had your own dreams, and I know how hard you worked to get through undergrad and then law school. I mean—Christ, Nicole!—you were twenty-one when you were accepted into law school. I knew how hard you had worked
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