Just Deserts - Brenda Jackson [24]
Tristan blinked, trying to keep the shock of her words from his face. Making a baby with her had been the farthest thing from his mind. He had a wallet packed with condoms to prove it. The subtle hint he’d given her a few moments ago, when he’d said that what they would share would go beyond satisfying their needs, was mainly about the love he felt for her. A love that he had held inside for years. He had wanted her to eventually see that their lovemaking had nothing to do with just enjoying sex together. In his mind they would be making love in the purest sense of the word.
But a baby?
On more than one occasion he had thought about being the one to give her the baby she wanted, especially when he’d seen how discovering Marc had been sterile had left her broken, nearly destroyed her spirit. That’s when the idea first took shape in his head and it had stayed locked in the back of his brain. Now she was bringing it to the forefront. Personally he wanted more between them than satisfying needs and making a baby. He wanted her to come to the realization that he loved her. That was what drove him to do whatever it took to make her happy. On the other hand, he knew more than anyone that a baby would make her happy.
He inhaled deeply; deciding not to burst her bubble by telling her that making a baby with her before they got married was not part of his plan. But then, he wasn’t ready to tell her exactly what his future plans for them were until she got the closure she sought concerning Marc.
He took her hand and brought it to his lips. There was no need to ask her if she was sure she really wanted a baby. But he had to make sure she truly wanted his baby. “Do you really want my baby, Dani? What if he or she is born bad-tempered like me?”
He watched her smile. “Tristan, you are the most mild-mannered person I know, and yes, I truly do want your baby. Just the thought of being pregnant fills me with profound happiness and joy.”
There was something about her that let him know what he’d always known. She would make any child a good mother. She would make his child a good mother. She’d had a good role model. Her parents, especially her mom had been the best. He had spent many a night over at the Timmonses’ house. And when the grandmother who had raised him died when he was in his senior year of high school, it had been the Timmonses who had taken him in. He never knew his father and his mother. They’d been teenagers who, after he was born, only showed up when looking for a handout. Nothing about that had changed, except now when his mother came looking for a handout she usually had some man trailing behind her.
“Aren’t we going inside?”
Tristan heard the anxiousness in her voice and couldn’t tell whether the thought of them making a baby was the driving force behind it. Did he really care? The answer came quick. No, he didn’t. He loved her and wanted to bring peace and happiness into her life. It was happiness that she deserved.
He tried to downplay the trembling in his hand when he inserted the card into the lock. How long had he dreamed of this moment, actually thought it would never come after she’d gotten married? Now it seemed he was being given another chance.
He took a step back so she could walk in ahead of him. And then he entered and closed the door behind him, locking it.
Danielle wished she knew what Tristan was thinking. She breathed in, detecting the sexual chemistry that was heavy in the air. She no longer wondered how in just a short span of time they could move their friendship to this level. The important thing was that they had. And what had her feeling as if she was floating on air was the thought that with him, she could have the thing she desired most.
“I want to know the name of the perfume you’re wearing.”
She met his gaze. He was leaning against the closed door with a look on his face that could only be described as downright enticing. Even his smile seemed to be deliberately stroking her.
“Why?” she asked, taking off the jacket he had placed across