Page 27 of Headstrong Like Us

My brows knot. “You figured?”

He rolls his eyes and gives me a look. “I know you. You’re moral and good, and with addiction in your family history, I figured that you’d take time to weigh everything. You wouldn’t beyouif you didn’t overthink this shit, even the sheer existence of our kids.”

He’s right, but I’m attached to his use of “our kids”—and Jesus, I’m trying not to grin like a fucking fool. “I’m not sure I can decide right now.” It’s a big deal, and it seems so abrupt to close the door on a biological kid just because addiction runs in my family. I wouldn’t even be alive, if my parents kept that door glued shut. Still, I have to ask Farrow, just to be sure. “But if I choose to never use my sperm, would you be alright with that?”

He touches his obsidian spear earring, which he wore the night of the fire.Not lost.“I’ll be honest, I want to see you in a kid the same way you want to see me. But I’m okay with that changing. Just like I’m okay with adopting too, as long as we have at least one biological kid in the future.”

I smile. “I can get behind that.”

“How do you feel about Jane’s offer?” Farrow asks, sweeping me and gauging my reaction.

“There’s a lot to consider.” I stare at the Batman action figure. “I don’t care about the incest rumors.” I look right at him. “I don’t care if Jane carrying our baby or using her egg stokes that bullshit. Public perception isn’t dictating my fucking life.”

His pride for me just bathes my whole being. My eyes burn, and I blink back emotion. He motions me on with two fingers. “Keep going.”

“You.”

He leans back easily without tipping the chair. “I don’t have family who’d do this for me. And it’s a common thing, family members donating eggs: a sister helping a sister, a cousin helping a cousin. I like knowing there’s a lot of love in this process, as fucking cheesy as that sounds.”

I nod, because I like that too. And I think about something. “If she’s pregnant with our child, I wouldn’t want that to impede her life and her ability to have her own babies. But I’m famous—we’re famous.” I gesture to his chest. “Andtrustdoes play a factor in choosing surrogates and egg donors.”

Farrow nods.

“Would you take her up on the offer?” I ask him outright.

He nods more. “Yeah, I would.”

“Both?”

“Yeah, but like you, I also don’t want this to fuck with her life plans.” Farrow pries his earpiece out of his ear and splays the cord over his shoulder. “Basically, we have choices that are waiting around in the future.”

The door feels wide open to multiple options, and I think we’re both more comfortable not making a hard and fast decision right now.

5

FARROW KEENE

After trekkingshin-deep in briar and being stung twice by yellow jackets, I’m thankful I’ve never been on the 24/7 detail of a Meadows. Though, it’d make more sense for me to be here as Sulli’s bodyguard while I’m also on-site as a doctor (in the case of a climbing emergency). Being her bodyguard means it’d free-up Banks to protect Maximoff.

But no, some other prick is watching my fiancé right now.

“Once you’re called in as a doctor, you’re only a doctor,” my father told me. He’s the one who created that needless fucking rule, barring me from multitasking.

He wishes the white coat is the only thing I wear, and he’s all too eager and quick to strip me of my radio and gun.

As soon as Sulli and her dad are on the ground, I sling my med bag on my shoulder, and I’m out. I can tell Ryke Meadows is peeved that I’m being a standoffish asshole. I could’ve at least hiked back to the parking lot with them, but the truth is, I don’t know who’s protecting Maximoff.

Akara has been rotating temps every couple of hours. And Maximoff is always too good at convincing just about everyone that he’s fine and capable of being his own bodyguard. Lucky for him, he has me.

And I’m not letting him go through shit alone.

I fit on a motorcycle helmet and climb on my Yamaha, the one I bought with Maximoff. The night of the fire, we parked the bike on the street.

I ride out to the Philly Aquatic Center.

Despite the stings and scratches, I enjoy hiking and the outdoors. But Maximoff loves that shit even more than me, so to not have him there just made me miss him for six-plus hours.

I manage to evade most paparazzi back in Philly, and once I park, I tuck my helmet under my arm and saunter casually into the aquatic center, chewing a piece of gum.