Page 69 of Clear Shot

“I know.” I can’t help but grin. “And he thinks we should buy something. Look at this.” I hand her my phone and show her the open tabs.

“Oh. Those are nice.” She smiles. “With a lot of bedrooms. You two planning to have lots of babies?”

“No.” I shake my head. “I mean, we might want to adopt in a few years but we’re not ready for that.”

“Adopt? How come? Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for adoption—there are so many kids that need families—but you don’t even want one of your own?”

“He doesn’t.” I explain about his views on his genetics.

“I see. How do you feel about that?”

“I think I’m okay with it.”

“Are you?” She cocks her head. “Because I know how your family is and you’re all about the babies.”

“Yes. But adopted babies are still babies and we even discussed the possibility of a sperm donor. We’re not ready for kids, though, so these aren’t decisions we have to make right away.”

“As long as you’re happy.” She meets my eyes. “And it seems like you are.”

“I am. He’s…well, there’s always been this thing with us. I just thought he was too much of a playboy for me.”

“Yet here you are—married, talking about buying a house. I’m happy for you.” She squeezes my shoulder.

“Thank you.”

“What about work? Are you still trying to find a job?”

“To be honest, the hurricane put everything on hold. I’m thinking more seriously about going back to school now, getting my master’s degree. I need to talk to him about it, see how he feels. I feel like I should pull my weight but I’m never going to make what he makes.”

“Let go of that,” she says softly. “I felt the same way, wanting to work, earn my own money… but at the end of the day, if this isn’t a business arrangement anymore, you have to be practical. Their lives as professional athletes take a lot out of them. They need us to be here, running the household, making it easy for them to do what they do. How will you build the foundation of your marriage if you’re both always traveling? It can be done, I’m not saying it can’t, but in your case—why? You’re still very new, still figuring things out both individually and as a couple. He doesn’t need your money.”

“But how do you come to terms with spending his?” I ask softly.

“It’s not his—it’s ours. We’re married. A couple. Now a family. We don’t think in terms of mine and his. Everything is ours.”

“I don’t know if we’re quite there yet,” I admit. “We haven’t used the L word. We’re still in the learning phase, you know? I don’t want to take advantage of the fact that he’s so wealthy.”

“If he was worried about that, he wouldn’t have suggested buying a house. He knows you don’t have that kind of money. I don’t think he’d be doing this if he didn’t want to, so here’s my advice: Communicate. Seriously. Talk about money. How much there is, how much you’re comfortable spending, and what your budget looks like as a couple.”

“That’s a good idea,” I say. “Thank you.”

“That’s what sisters are for, right?”

“You’re my only one, so I’ll take your word for it!”

“I don’t have any other either. I guess we’re going to figure it out together.”

“Well, I couldn’t have asked for a better one.”

“Same.”

I hand her the baby and then go in search of my laptop.

It’s time to start house-hunting.

We can discuss the details when Aiden gets home.

Chapter 24