(Complete)Ainsley Douglas has been on more blind dates than she can count, but each one is worse than the one before. Although living alone can be lonely, she isn't looking for happily ever after. With a career she loves and some of the best friends...
Ainsley sighed as she entered the apartment. Ian looked up from his book.
"Was it that bad?"
"No, it was nice. Evangeline and Poppy were the center of attention all afternoon."
He nodded. "Your niece is cute. Who was there?"
"The Roche-Sumner wives and me and my mother."
Alicia Sumner had a brunch and invited her daughter-in-laws, Ainsley, Carolyn, and Jill and Shaun Roche.
"I think the purpose was to jumpstart my biological clock."
"By exposing you to kids?" Ian laughed.
"Just Evangeline because she's an infant and doesn't talk. The jokes on them because I like the older ones I can talk to."
He chuckled. "Like you and your bff Brooke."
"She's your bff too."
"Where were the guys? It's too cold for golf."
"Probably home taking care of the talking children. Seriously, I might not be opposed if they came out after diapers, breast sucking..." She scrunched up her face. "... and crying all the time. Brooke was ten when she came into my life."
"She's only part time."
Ainsley smiled. "That's the best part. Like with you, your dad only had you in the summers."
"Ainse, actual parents wouldn't find joy in that."
"See. I'm not meant to be a parent."
He shook his head. "You might be onto something."
She knitted her brows. "What?"
"Maybe part time parenting."
"How? Borrow everyone's kids. I like Daphne."
He shook his head laughing. "No. Maybe we could foster. We would need a second bedroom."
"You would want to do that?"
He shrugged. "It can't hurt to look into it."
She looked into his soft green eyes. "Can I think about it?"
He nodded. "Marinate it as long as you want. The idea just came to me."
He stood and kissed her lips. "Did you miss me?"
"You know I always do. I was cleaning up some paperwork and found something in a pile of insurance policies and 401K statements."
"An unpaid bill."
He laughed. "No. This."
He lifted an envelope off the counter.
Ainsley gasped. "I forgot about it."
The envelope had 'negative' written in Ian's uniform print.
"Should we look?"
She had been emotional when she wrote what she wanted if she wasn't pregnant. She wrote a lot more than the two words for the positive results.
Slowly she nodded. He said, "Your turn to open it."
She ripped open the envelope. "Do you remember yours?"
He nodded. "I wrote a secret."
She frowned. "I did too. Can I read mine?"
She opened the paper and looked at her own handwriting. Clearing her throat it read. "I want to keep Ian in my life always."
He smiled. "If you had read it back then, I would have told you I'm not going anywhere because I love you."
She handed him the envelope. "Your turn."
He looked a little sick. "I had been considering a vasectomy."
She looked at him. "Really? You never said."
"It started before you, after that other relationship, I was afraid women would try to change my mind. I had thought about it a lot, but my knee surgery pre-empted. When we thought you might be, I should have wanted to run for surgery, but it is a decision we should make together."
"Permanent decisions are permanent. I'm not the same person I was at twenty-eight and I'll be different at thirty-eight. I get it, even though I don't see myself changing."
Ian squeezed her hand. "The only thing that won't change is you and me. I'm yours but if you want a paper to say it, I'll do it."
"I don't need a paper, our love is our bond. Don't tell my mother. She still thinks my ring is a pre engagement ring."
Ian had given her a sapphire ring she wore on her left hand.
"It's my promise to love you, and a warning to all men to stay away."
He wore a claddagh ring his grandparents gave to him for graduation to send a message to the Val's in the world.
"I'm happy being unmarried to you." She reached up to kiss his mouth. He held her for a long sensual kiss.
Her phone chimed breaking them apart. "It's probably my mother checking on my biological clock." She smiled. "Nope. It's Alison. She's having a girl. Poor thing. Xander's mother wants them to name it after her. She says no f-ing way she's naming her baby Doreen. It's a grown up name."
Ian laughed. "All babies grow up."
"All I can say is I dodged a bullet by not liking Xander."
"Baby, you were meant for me."
She argued. "I think it's you who was meant for me."
"Shut up." Ian kissed her to stop her. "We're meant for each other. True love."
"I agree. No mystery there."
Thanks for going on Ainsley and Ian's journey with me. I have loved every vote and comment. I did lots of laughing. You are the best readers ever❤
For those of you who missed it or want to read it again, I will be republishing Loving Christmas. It's a prequel about when David Gillespie met Rose ❤️️
The Publisher Series continues with the final story, It Had to Be You. Add it to your library and reading lists today.
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