Free Day's End by Colleen Vanderlinden Page B

is completely.”
    I felt myself relax a little. “Okay. I feel better now.”
    “I love that you actually worry about stuff like that,” Ryan said.
    “Well, they matter to you, so they matter to me.”
    “She’s gonna ask you about babies,” he said a few minutes later, and I could tell he was uncomfortable bringing it up. “She just will. And I’m sorry in advance.”
    I let out a short laugh. “It’s okay.”
    He cleared his throat. “That’s not really a discussion we’ve had yet. Uh. Assuming we’re still both on the same page about the forever thing?”
    “We are,” I assured him. “Is it crazy that it’s not something I’ve given much thought to? I mean, part of me loves the idea of having kids with you. I can see it. But… we are who we are.”
    “Yeah.”
    “It would scare the hell out of me. I don’t know if that can ever be part of my life. I’d want to be good, you know? I’d want to make sure the kid had everything he or she could ever want. I don’t know if we could give them that, not if we wanted to keep doing this, even without all of the obviously terrifying parts of bringing a kid into the world being who we are.” My mind flashed to Jarvis. Jarvis, who was missing along with her three daughters, most likely because she’s a powered person who’s affiliated with StrikeForce.
    “I’m with you. I like the idea of it, but… yeah.”
    “How about we just say that it’s a maybe someday thing and we’ll play it by ear?” I asked him.
    “That sounds perfect.” The relief in his voice was obvious, and I smiled.
    “You were worried about what I’d say.”
    “I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m glad you’re not all gung-ho about it, but I’m also glad you didn’t flat out say no. Our life is gonna be nuts.”
    “Already is, Ryan.”
    He laughed, and we fell into a comfortable silence again as he flew the mini jet. I fiddled with the edge of my skirt and looked down over the cities we were flying over. Not much longer, and I could feel us descending. I looked out the window, but everything was dark. I could see a brick ranch, lights shining warmly from the windows. My stomach fluttered. When we touched down, Ryan jumped down out of the jet and reached up to help me step down.
    “Such a gentleman,” I teased. “Remind me to thank your grandmother for your manners.”
    He squeezed my hand and lowered his face to mine. He brushed my lips with his and murmured, “Just as long as you know I’m not gonna be so gentlemanly later.”
    “Promise?” I asked.
    “Mmhmm.” He took my hand and we started walking toward the back of the house. I could make out large garden beds, a patio with a table and chairs on it, a little structure that looked maybe like a chicken coop. It was so quiet and serene. The air smelled clean and healthy.
    It was so damn weird.
    The city girl in me didn’t know how to handle all the peace. I had a feeling I could maybe get used to it, though.
    We stepped up onto the back porch, and as soon as Ryan’s foot hit the bottom step, I heard a shout from inside the house. The back door flew open, and a tiny woman launched herself into Ryan’s arms. He hugged her.
    “Hey, Gran,” he said.
    “It’s about time you got yourself over here,” she said. “Your grandfather has been missing you something awful.”
    “Just Pops, huh?” Ryan asked, laughing, and the woman swatted at him playfully. Then she turned to look at me. The first thing that hit me was that now I saw where Ryan got his eyes. Same gorgeous, warm brown color, same luxurious dark lashes.
    “And this must be Jolene,” she said. “I’m Tina.”
    “It’s nice to finally meet you,” I said, wiping my sweaty palms on my skirt before holding a hand out to shake. Ryan’s grandma laughed and pulled me in for a hug.
    “None of that among family,” she said, hugging me gently. I hugged her back and met Ryan’s gaze over her head.
    “Ronald, get yourself moving. You want to meet the