Page 36

“You don’t need to explain anything.”

“Maybe I don’t. Time passes so quickly,” Riley said. “I enjoyed editing for a long time. Now? I don’t know. It feels like a task—just a task. I don’t spend time writing. I don’t even spend timereading. My work has become achore. I don’t have the same feeling of accomplishment I once did.”

“I get the feeling this is about more than having another baby.”

“Maybe it is. I want to enjoy putting the house together. I want to have the time to make it ourhome.I want more time tospend with the kids—all of them—not only ours. Not forever. For now.”

Fallon smiled. “I know that wasn’t easy for you to tell me.”

“It’s even harder for me todo.”

“Quit,” Fallon said.

“What?”

“Finish the projects you’ve committed to and quit.”

“Fallon, I meant that I’d like to step back when we’re closer to having a baby—maybe when I am pregnant.”

“I know what youmeant. I don’t think that’s what youwant. Look, I’ll be totally honest. If it were up to me, we would start working on adding to this family now.”

“I know.”

“But I also realize we both need to feel that way.”

“I’m ready, Fallon, I just…”

“You want a little more time with me and Owen. We barely got married, and life went all Helter Skelter.”

“That’s one way to put it,” Riley said.

“We’ll talk to Jacob after I talk to Andi. I need to know how she feels about us accepting Jacob’s offer.”

Riley nodded.

“Maybe we should agree that we table any plans for you to try to conceive until we’re living in the new house,” Fallon suggested.

“Are you going to be okay with that?”

“Yes.”

“Fallon?”

“I promise,” Fallon said. “You think I should look into starting a new business.”

“I don’t want you to hold yourself back. There’s a difference.”

Fallon scratched her brow.

“What haven’t you told me?” Riley asked.

“I haven’t been keeping anythingfromyou.”

“But?”

“There’s a piece of property for sale in Jeffersonville,” Fallon said.

“Go on.”