Before they left, Josh and Brooke were saying their goodbyes, while the bachelor males appeared to be staying a while longer.
“I wonder if any of them will outlast the others,” Sierra said to Adam as she drove them to her favorite ice cream parlor.
“None of them will leave until she kicks them all out,” Adam said. “You know, I had planned to take you out to dinner tonight and tomorrow night. We won’t get to do either now.”
“I know, but we had fun anyway. Getting to know each other isn’t all about just being together at a restaurant but how we interact with others and each other at work and play. I love seeing the way you joke back and forth with the guys. I didn’t think we would ever get that last picture hung because you and the others were making Josh and Ethan move it so many times.”
“They’re good sports. I’ll be on the hot seat next time. We take turns.”
“I haven’t checked the weather for boating tomorrow. What does it say?”
Adam looked up the ten-day forecast on his phone. “Sunshine, only ten percent chance of rain that day.”
“Okay, good, then it will be a beautiful day. What about Josh? Did you check with him to see if they were coming?” She pulled into the parking lot of her favorite ice cream store.
Adam was texting on his phone when she left the car, and he hurried to join her. “They said they would definitely come with us on the boat trip.”
“Oh, great.” Then she got a call from Brad and put it on speakerphone. “Hi, Brad. Adam and I are going into the ice cream shop for dessert. What’s up?”
“Mom and Dad wanted to do something with us tomorrow morning, but we are already going boating with you. Would it be all right if they come with us on the boat?”
Adam said, “Yeah, sure. Josh and Brooke are coming too, and we have plenty of room.”
It looked like this was going to be a family excursion, plus Josh and Brooke who were like family. She hoped Adam didn’t feel obligated to take her parents with them too.
“We’ll see you all tomorrow then,” she said, and they ended the call. “Since my parents are coming, did you want to ask your parents to come along for the ride?”
“Yeah, they love to boat.”
“Okay, invite them then.”
“You know what this is going to sound like,” Adam warned.
“A welcoming committee for my parents. They’re the same age as your parents, so hopefully they’ll become fast friends.”
“All right. I’ll ask them.” Adam called his parents and said, “Yeah, Dad, we’re boating tomorrow, and Sierra’s parents are coming. Would you and Mom like to join us so they’ll feel welcomed to the pack?” Adam smiled. “Yeah, of course Sierra’s coming. All right. See you in the morning.”
Sierra and Adam walked inside the ice cream shop and were greeted with a fifties-era nostalgic look: a black-and-white-checkered floor, red-vinyl-topped chrome stools at the counter, red booths, little café tables and chairs, and fifties music playing overhead. Pictures of fifties stars hung on the wall behind the aqua counter, and vintage-style Coca-Cola lamps hung over the booths. A red replica vintage gas pump was filled with cold sodas. She loved the atmosphere here, but she especially loved their sundaes. She couldn’t think of a better place to have dessert on a date.
She and Adam were soon ordering their sundae treats to die for. Hers: brownie waffle sundae topped with chocolate-chip mint ice cream, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, colorful sprinkles, and two cherries on top. And his: a Black Forest sundae with Oreo cookies, vanilla ice cream, and cherry pie filling, topped with whipped cream, walnuts, and a couple of cherries.
With sundaes in hand, they took their seats in a booth.
Adam asked her, “So what do you think about kids?”
She had just taken a spoonful of ice cream, and she swallowed it before she answered the question. She was surprised he would ask that of her so out of the blue. It sounded to her like he was getting really serious. “I like kids.” Most wolves did. It was something innate to their wolf halves—the love of all little wolves and taking care of them in a pack. “I love to teach art to the ones at the ranch.”
“I mean, about having your own.”
She smiled. She figured that was what he was getting at, but he hadn’t wanted to just come out and say it. “You mean about…?” Her job? Raising kids? Mated wolves wanted to have offspring, if they could, to continue their species. It didn’t mean they could always have kids. But sure, she wanted some. She continued, “Working while raising them?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“You mean having kids with you.”
He smiled, his ears tingeing red.
“You have been at your job as long as Josh has, and he retired.” She didn’t want to assume Adam wouldn’t want the role of stay-at-home daddy. Maybe he did. Maybe he was tired of all the running around, trying to catch the bad guys, especially since Josh had retired.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Or I have my retirement income from the military, and I could take care of the kids while you continue to be a detective.”
He let out his breath and looked relieved. “Yeah.”
She laughed. She wasn’t really surprised. With Josh, it was different. He wanted to help Brooke with her business. “Don’t worry. If we mate and have kids, I want to stay home with them. I can still teach art to the kids at the ranch. Someone will surely look after the little ones when I teach the others. As to being a sketch artist? That’s a toss-up.”
“You could do it on the days I’m off and I could watch the kids.”
She smiled. She wanted to laugh, but he was being so serious, as if they had already agreed to a mating, that she didn’t want to make light of the situation.
“What about money?” she asked. If they were going to talk about being a couple and the issues that came with that, money was often a top concern.
“I save a good portion of my income every month, spend what I need, splurge when I feel the urge, and I shop around for the best deal I can get on major purchases. What about you?”
“That sounds like me.” She ate some more of her ice cream. “What about the house situation?”
He smiled, looking pleased they were having this discussion. “We can sell one or rent it, or sell or rent both and buy a new one. If you were to stay home with the kids, then you should have the biggest say in that since you’ll be living there more than I would be.”
“Until you retire.”
“Yeah, someday. I like what I do for now, though I won’t be able to do it forever.”