Page 143 of Oracle Returns: Time will Stop

“I like a challenge, and the way that sounds. Bring it on, Mrs. Coffee.”

She stared at him.

“Why do I think that the challenge part was directed at me?” she asked.

He shrugged.

“How you interpret it is not my business. I said what I said, Gennie. All I know is I want a life with you, and I don’t care what it costs to get it. You’re going to be the mother of my kids and the woman I get old with. Whatever adventure is waiting for us, we’ll take it together.”

That made her heart skip.

Now, she was curious.

“How many kids are we talking?” she asked.

He snorted.

“Six. Seven. Maybe ten.”

She stared at him.

Oh, and he saw it.

There was that flash of fear, and he knew it was because her parents had abandoned her.

Well, he’d regroup, so she didn’t get scared. They’d work their way to babies one day. They were both young, so they had time.

“Oh, you meant human ones? I thought we were talking about little bears. I like a litter of puppies. All that puppy breath and cuddles…”

She laughed.

“Don’t scare a girl like that. I could do ten dogs. I’m a big dog lover. I don’t think I can do ten kids.”

Oh, he was aware.

As for kid kids…

“Maybe one or two. I don’t know if I’ll like parenthood. I like other people’s kids, so we’ll have to go from there,” he admitted. “We’ll figure that out together. You have to birth them, so ultimately, you have the final say.”

Yeah, that was the perfect answer.

Because that was how she felt, too.

“Deal.”

He kissed their joined knuckles and then led her and Bear up the steps.

At the door, he paused.

“Ready?” he asked. “This is your last chance out,” he admitted. “If we do this, we stay together, and we fight it out—good, bad, or the ugly. I’m not a quitter, Gennie…and I need you to be a fighter for me.”

Because he felt the storm coming.

With love, she stared into his eyes.

“Let’s do this, Mr. Coffee.”

Yeah, she was more than ready.