Chapter 65

Cami

The last words you want to hear when you’re still basking in post-coital bliss are, “Oh shit.”

I’m a smart woman who was able to deduce what had Xander so freaked out when he pulled out of me, but he told me anyway. “The condom broke.”

“I figured as much,” I replied.

“You seem a lot calmer than I thought you’d be,” he remarked as he dropped the condom in the trash and returned to bed. Rather than lying down, he sat on the edge and regarded me warily. “Should I get one of those morning-after pills? We should talk about this, right? I’ve never had a condom break before.”

I sat up and wrapped my arms around him from behind. “Xan, I’m on birth control. The chances of me getting pregnant are incredibly low. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Piper was on birth control,” he reminded me. “I’m not stressing, but I think we should talk about what we’re going to do. I won’t freak out if you get pregnant. I want to be a dad, and you’ll make a great mom. We’ll face it together.”

Something told me Xander was about to say the wrong thing for the right reasons, so I decided to stop him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, babe,” he replied, turning to face me.

“That does not mean I’d marry if you if I got pregnant,” I told him. “Again, I am going to point out that there is almost no chance of that happening. I’m probably more likely to get struck by lightning. Let’s not discuss marriage.”

“Why wouldn’t you marry me?” he asked. “We’re in love. That’s what people do when they’re in love.”

“Have you been watching romantic comedies?” I asked.

“Just the ones I watched with you,” he replied. “That’s not why I think getting married is a good idea. You’re the one for me. I’m not one of those guys who needs to wait months to decide if something’s right. Let’s do this. We can get a license and get married before I leave for my tour. We can go to the courthouse tomorrow or even fly out to Vegas. If you want to plan a big wedding, we’ll plan it for later.”

It said a lot about how right Xander was for me that I wasn’t even a little tempted to pretend I was the impulsive type. That just wasn’t me. When I read a book where the couple ran off to Vegas for a quickie wedding, all I thought about were the things that could go wrong. It had a lot to do with my childhood.

“I’m not saying I don’t want to marry you, but I’m not ready to marry you right now.”

He looked bewildered by my response. “I don’t understand.”

“My parents got married when they’d only been dating a few months. They were madly in love and expected to spend the rest of their lives together. When my mom got pregnant, they figured it only made sense to get married.” My dad had told me that story while my mom always insisted she hadn’t been pregnant when they’d married. “For them, being in love was all that mattered. They figured all their problems would work out in the end.”

He nodded. “I see where you’re going with this. For your parents, love wasn’t enough. They just weren’t compatible. I honestly think we’re compatible.”

“I do, too.” He looked even more confused by my response. “That doesn’t change the fact that this is all new, and I want to spend more time getting to know each other before we make a decision that big. This conversation proves we still have a lot of things to discuss. You assumed I’d want to get married. I’m not that type. I want to take things slow—date and probably even live together first.”

Xander let out a frustrated sigh. “I hate waiting for things I want.”

I giggled at his reaction. “Poor baby. Would it help if I tell you that I’m worth the wait?”

“I already know that,” he assured me. “Do you have any idea how long that wait will be? I’m not trying to be pushy. I just want to know how long I should wait to ask you to move in with me.”

“How about if I just let you know when I’m ready to move in with you?” I suggested.

“Deal, but I can’t promise I won’t try to entice you into moving in with me sooner. I think we’re ready now. Besides, it’s a good way to see how great marriage will be.”

“No marriage talk until we’ve been dating a year,” I told him.

“A year?” He practically gasped. “You need a year to know if I’m the right guy for you?”

“A year is not a long time. In fact, I think most people wait at least that long to start discussing marriage,” I pointed out.

“Sorry,” he said with a sigh. “This isn’t the first relationship I’ve had, but it’s the first time I’ve been looking at the big picture—marriage and kids. The thought of leaving you when things are going so well is making me a little crazy.”

“I know just how you feel,” I admitted. “A month ago, the thought of your tour didn’t bother me too much. You’ll be back for visits, and I’ll fly out to see a show or two. I think the reality of it is just starting to set in. You’re leaving.”

“And I’m going to miss you like crazy,” he murmured.

“If we got married, you’d miss me just as much. I think we should agree that we won’t make any rash decisions right before you leave on tour.”

He nodded before turning and pushing me back onto the bed. “Is it okay if I start showing you all the things I can offer as a husband?”

“Absolutely!” I replied. “I’m more than happy to let you try to seduce a yes out of me.”