“Ask away,” he assured her, sliding his arm around her waist as they stopped at a vantage point to gaze out at the sea.
Tessa fiddled with a button on his shirt, keeping her eyes downcast as she murmured hesitantly, “It’s about - well, about starting a family. We’ve talked about it briefly a couple of times, but never got specific as to when. And while I’m not in a big rush, I don’t want to wait years to have a baby, either. Especially,” she added teasingly, “since I plan on giving you at least three or four.”
“Do you now?” asked Ian, arching a brow. “Well, I suggest we start with one and see how that goes before planning on raising an entire rugby squad. But to answer your question, love, I understand your sense of urgency. After all, I’m not exactly a young man, am I?”
She opened her mouth to protest. “That’s not what I meant at all, Ian. You know how much I -”
“Hate it when anyone brings up the age difference between us,” he finished. “Yes, I’m aware, love. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m forty-one. And I don’t want to be in my fifties while you’re still having babies, so we shouldn’t wait too long to start our family.”
He slid both arms around her waist, turning her slightly to face him. “Give me a year,” he pleaded. “Give us a year. One wonderful, glorious, hedonistic year just to ourselves before we bring a little one into our lives. And I promise that it will be the best year of our lives, Tessa. I told you on our first date that I’d show you the world if you wanted, and I’m ready to make good on that promise. And I’ll make you another promise right now - that one year from today, on our first anniversary, we’ll re-visit the idea of having a baby. Can you live with that?”
“Yes, oh, yes!” she exclaimed happily, looping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. “So let’s make this a year to remember, shall we?”
Ian kissed her. “No time like the present I always say. Let’s go get a start on this next year back in our suite. With special emphasis on the hedonism, of course.”
One Year Later – Sonoma Coast, California
Ian raised his wine glass. “Happy anniversary, darling. It’s hard to believe an entire year has already flown by, hasn’t it?”
Tessa nodded as she clinked her glass against his. “I agree. It seems like our wedding just happened a month ago. But it has been a wonderful year, Ian. Just like you promised back in Virgin Gorda.”
“I always keep my promises, love,” he told her, his eyes twinkling. “Especially the ones I make to you.”
And it had most definitely been a wondrous, magical year. Ian had - well, dazzled her over the past twelve months, had been the most devoted, attentive, and loving husband a woman could ever dream of. They had traveled extensively, both on business and for pleasure, and to destinations Tessa had never imagined she would ever see - Argentina, Brazil, Chile; the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, Barbados. They had made a return trip to Hawaii, and had flown from there to Hong Kong to visit with Colin and Selina for a week. During their trips to England for the Christmas holidays and the annual board meeting, Ian had whisked her off for long weekends to Switzerland and Scotland, as well as to Tuscany for their yearly family vacation. In between, there had been long weekends at the beach house, ski trips to Lake Tahoe, Aspen, and Sun Valley, and other impromptu trips he’d surprised her with.
In between business trips and the work projects she still handled for Ian, Tessa had been kept busy with her second year of online college classes, as well as doing some slight re-decorating of the beach house. Their social life was a nonstop whirlwind of attending the theater, symphony, and ballet, invitations to parties, receptions, and dinners, and entertaining friends at their own home. One of those events had been a lavish baby shower Tessa had organized for Julia, who’d discovered she was pregnant soon after her first wedding anniversary.
And Tessa had been thrilled beyond belief when Julia and Nathan had asked her to be the godmother to one of their twin sons, who’d been born just a few months ago. She had never held a baby before, and when little Noah had been placed in her arms for the first time, she hadn’t been able to resist cuddling him close, inhaling his sweet baby scent, and longing for a child of her own.
But she had honored Ian’s wishes to wait a year before bringing up the subject, and had quite honestly been enjoying this decadent, carefree time in their lives as much as he had.
Tonight, however, was their first anniversary, and she’d been trying to work up the nerve all day to bring the subject up. Ian had offered to take her anywhere in the world to celebrate their first year together, including making a return trip to Virgin Gorda. But Tessa had shaken her head when he’d brought the subject up.
“Honestly,” she had told him, “I’m sort of worn out from all the traveling we’ve done this year, not to mention how tough my classes have been this semester. Is it okay - that is, would you mind very much if we just spent a few days at the beach house? I’d really just like to be alone with you, and to have complete peace and quiet.”
He’d given her a sweet, soft kiss. “Of course it’s okay,” he had assured her. “And I was actually hoping you’d suggest that idea. You’re right, we’ve been doing more than our fair share of globetrotting these last few months. The beach house it is, then.”
Tessa took another sip of her wine, keeping her gaze downcast. “Do you remember another promise you made me a year ago? As I recall, we were looking out over the water then, too.”
They were having a pre-dinner glass of wine out on the deck, staring out at the wild Pacific ocean at sunset. And since the cool, breezy weather was considerably colder than the Caribbean had been last year, they were both bundled up in sweaters and jeans. Tessa had bought Ian a pair of jeans as something of a joke this past Christmas, but he’d surprised her by declaring he actually liked them very much. Since then he’d taken to dressing more casually outside of the office, especially when they spent time up here at the beach house.
“I remember. Quite well,” he told her, an amused expression on his handsome face. “And I’m guessing that this is what you’ve been fretting about all day, isn’t it? You see, darling, I can always tell when something’s on your mind. You get very pensive, start twirling a lock of hair around your fingers, and start fussing over me more than usual. So what exactly is on your mind, love?”
Tessa fiddled with a button on his shirt, keeping her eyes downcast as she murmured hesitantly, “It’s about - well, about starting a family. We’ve talked about it briefly a couple of times, but never got specific as to when. And while I’m not in a big rush, I don’t want to wait years to have a baby, either. Especially,” she added teasingly, “since I plan on giving you at least three or four.”
“Do you now?” asked Ian, arching a brow. “Well, I suggest we start with one and see how that goes before planning on raising an entire rugby squad. But to answer your question, love, I understand your sense of urgency. After all, I’m not exactly a young man, am I?”
She opened her mouth to protest. “That’s not what I meant at all, Ian. You know how much I -”
“Hate it when anyone brings up the age difference between us,” he finished. “Yes, I’m aware, love. But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m forty-one. And I don’t want to be in my fifties while you’re still having babies, so we shouldn’t wait too long to start our family.”
He slid both arms around her waist, turning her slightly to face him. “Give me a year,” he pleaded. “Give us a year. One wonderful, glorious, hedonistic year just to ourselves before we bring a little one into our lives. And I promise that it will be the best year of our lives, Tessa. I told you on our first date that I’d show you the world if you wanted, and I’m ready to make good on that promise. And I’ll make you another promise right now - that one year from today, on our first anniversary, we’ll re-visit the idea of having a baby. Can you live with that?”
“Yes, oh, yes!” she exclaimed happily, looping her arms around his neck and hugging him close. “So let’s make this a year to remember, shall we?”
Ian kissed her. “No time like the present I always say. Let’s go get a start on this next year back in our suite. With special emphasis on the hedonism, of course.”
One Year Later – Sonoma Coast, California
Ian raised his wine glass. “Happy anniversary, darling. It’s hard to believe an entire year has already flown by, hasn’t it?”
Tessa nodded as she clinked her glass against his. “I agree. It seems like our wedding just happened a month ago. But it has been a wonderful year, Ian. Just like you promised back in Virgin Gorda.”
“I always keep my promises, love,” he told her, his eyes twinkling. “Especially the ones I make to you.”
And it had most definitely been a wondrous, magical year. Ian had - well, dazzled her over the past twelve months, had been the most devoted, attentive, and loving husband a woman could ever dream of. They had traveled extensively, both on business and for pleasure, and to destinations Tessa had never imagined she would ever see - Argentina, Brazil, Chile; the U.S. Virgin Islands, Aruba, Barbados. They had made a return trip to Hawaii, and had flown from there to Hong Kong to visit with Colin and Selina for a week. During their trips to England for the Christmas holidays and the annual board meeting, Ian had whisked her off for long weekends to Switzerland and Scotland, as well as to Tuscany for their yearly family vacation. In between, there had been long weekends at the beach house, ski trips to Lake Tahoe, Aspen, and Sun Valley, and other impromptu trips he’d surprised her with.
In between business trips and the work projects she still handled for Ian, Tessa had been kept busy with her second year of online college classes, as well as doing some slight re-decorating of the beach house. Their social life was a nonstop whirlwind of attending the theater, symphony, and ballet, invitations to parties, receptions, and dinners, and entertaining friends at their own home. One of those events had been a lavish baby shower Tessa had organized for Julia, who’d discovered she was pregnant soon after her first wedding anniversary.
And Tessa had been thrilled beyond belief when Julia and Nathan had asked her to be the godmother to one of their twin sons, who’d been born just a few months ago. She had never held a baby before, and when little Noah had been placed in her arms for the first time, she hadn’t been able to resist cuddling him close, inhaling his sweet baby scent, and longing for a child of her own.
But she had honored Ian’s wishes to wait a year before bringing up the subject, and had quite honestly been enjoying this decadent, carefree time in their lives as much as he had.
Tonight, however, was their first anniversary, and she’d been trying to work up the nerve all day to bring the subject up. Ian had offered to take her anywhere in the world to celebrate their first year together, including making a return trip to Virgin Gorda. But Tessa had shaken her head when he’d brought the subject up.
“Honestly,” she had told him, “I’m sort of worn out from all the traveling we’ve done this year, not to mention how tough my classes have been this semester. Is it okay - that is, would you mind very much if we just spent a few days at the beach house? I’d really just like to be alone with you, and to have complete peace and quiet.”
He’d given her a sweet, soft kiss. “Of course it’s okay,” he had assured her. “And I was actually hoping you’d suggest that idea. You’re right, we’ve been doing more than our fair share of globetrotting these last few months. The beach house it is, then.”
Tessa took another sip of her wine, keeping her gaze downcast. “Do you remember another promise you made me a year ago? As I recall, we were looking out over the water then, too.”
They were having a pre-dinner glass of wine out on the deck, staring out at the wild Pacific ocean at sunset. And since the cool, breezy weather was considerably colder than the Caribbean had been last year, they were both bundled up in sweaters and jeans. Tessa had bought Ian a pair of jeans as something of a joke this past Christmas, but he’d surprised her by declaring he actually liked them very much. Since then he’d taken to dressing more casually outside of the office, especially when they spent time up here at the beach house.
“I remember. Quite well,” he told her, an amused expression on his handsome face. “And I’m guessing that this is what you’ve been fretting about all day, isn’t it? You see, darling, I can always tell when something’s on your mind. You get very pensive, start twirling a lock of hair around your fingers, and start fussing over me more than usual. So what exactly is on your mind, love?”
