Page 96 of Keeping Amanda
He nodded. “Yup.”
“Are you really okay with him now? Or were you just lying to get him to leave?”
Nash sighed. “It’ll take me a bit, but him coming here…it helped. I don’t blame him for what happened anymore. And I’m trying to forgive myself too.”
“Good. Because I’m gonna be upset if you continue to beat yourself up about this. It’s over. Done. We’re moving on. Okay?”
“Sounds good to me. You want kids?”
Amanda was taken aback at the abrupt shift in conversation. “What?”
“Children. I assume you do, since you were ready to adopt Bibi and Michael. Are you dead set on adoption? How would you feel about biological children? Yours and mine, that is.”
Happiness bloomed hard and fast. And right on the heels of that emotion was arousal. It had been a long time since she’d felt even remotely sexual, but sitting here, feeling pretty damn healthy, and hearing Nash talk about children—theirchildren—had her ready to start making them immediately.
“Uh,yes. I’d love my own biological kids.”
“Good. Me too.”
“Um…now?”
He chuckled. “No. I think we can wait a bit. Get settled. Get married. Buy a house. That kind of thing.”
“Wait, was that a proposal?” Amanda asked.
“Not even close. Just me letting you know what my intentions are. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Make afamily. Live happily ever after. My mom is gonna want the big-shindig wedding. She had a blast planning Natalie’s, and I know she’ll be honored if you let her help plan ours. She loves you already. You won her over with that first phone call I made, updating her on what was going on. And you’re going to be an amazing mother. But you need to get your career figured out first. And mine isn’t exactly calm and easy at the moment. We’ll play things by ear. But one day soon, I’ll pull out a big-ass ring and ask you to be my wife. To let me be your husband.”
Amanda had a huge grin on her face that she couldn’t hold back. “And when that day comes, I’ll gladly say yes. I love you so much, it’s almost scary.”
“I completely agree. But there’s something so…beautiful in that terror, isn’t there? Knowing you have someone who will be by your side no matter what?”
“Absolutely. Nash?”
“Yeah, Rebel?”
“Is it weird to say I’m glad I was kidnapped?”
“Yes.”
“Nash! No, it isn’t.”
“You asked, I answered. Never be glad for that. But you can be glad we met. You can be glad circumstances led me to you, or you to me, but you can’t be glad you were kidnapped. I firmly believe we would’ve managed to meet some other way. We’re both here in Norfolk, it would’ve happened eventually. And when it did, I also believe we would’ve clicked just as fast as we did down in Guyana.”
“You really think that?”
“Yes. Now, how about I go find a nurse and see where your discharge papers are? I’m sure you’re ready to get the hell out of here, and Rain is more than ready for you to come home. He’s a damn bed hog, and neither of us have been sleeping well since you’ve been gone.”
“One thing before you go.”
“Yeah?”
“I talked to the doctor…and he said that I was cleared for sex whenever I felt up to it.”
Nash stared at her with a look so hot, it was all Amanda could do to hold his gaze.
“And I’m thinking we never got that hot night we were planning after the bar.”
“You remember that?” Nash asked.
