Seeing that it was already getting late, I told him. “Ashton, it’s time for bed.”
Ashton put down his phone. Just then, the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile as he set his penetrating dark eyes on me.
I pursed my lips and looked at him. I had always found this smile of his far too charming to be real.
“Why are you smiling?”
His eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “I’m happy!’
Well, duh, but what about?
He didn’t elaborate anymore. And since I didn’t want to probe any further, I made my way to the bedroom.
The sound of footsteps behind me got closer, and I soon found myself in Ashton’s tight embrace. His voice was low and sensual as he whispered, “You’re so pretty when you nag.”
“Could you be any cheesier?” I mocked.
Seriously, though, why would anyone like to be nagged at?
Brushing away my sarcastic remark, Ashton cuddled me as we got into bed. He then moved his palm onto my lower abdomen and asked softly, “Does it hurt?”
I froze for a moment. I had genuinely forgotten about the pain I had to endure when it got to my time of the month. He actually remembered?
As I shook my head, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Can’t believe you remembered even though you’re so busy with work. Sorry to have worried you.”
He smiled faintly. “I peeked at the memo on the phone.”
Oh… clever!
As I thought about Hannah’s words, I turned around and met Ashton’s gaze. “Ashton, shall we go to the doctor tomorrow and remove the vasectomy clips?”
His smiled faded. “What’s wrong?”
I wasn’t sure how to put it across. Previously, Jared had mentioned that keeping the vasectomy clips in for a long time would be bad for the body. It might even result in infertility. I really had expected Ashton to get them removed earlier. But so many years had passed, and he still hadn’t shown any desire to do so.
“I… want a child of our own!” I exclaimed. Though that statement might not be entirely true, I just needed an excuse to get him to remove the clips.
He narrowed his gaze as he said solemnly, “It’s not time yet.”
“Why?” I raised a quizzical eyebrow.
“There are two reasons why Jared hasn’t fought for Summer’s custody. Firstly, you’ve raised her for almost five years now. Secondly, we have good financial and social standings to continue to care for Summer. If I reversed my vasectomy and got you pregnant, Jared would then have better chances of getting custody of Summer should he wish to proceed with it.”
Ashton’s voice was low and even. Even though he kept his emotions out of it, one could still hear a hint of helplessness within.
If both parties had similar financial and social standings, it’d be a fair fight in the eyes of the law. Hence, I could lose Summer’s custody.
Seeing as how I remained silent, Ashton took my hand in his. “No hurry. We’ll still have plenty of chances at having a baby in the future.”
“But having the clips on for too long isn’t good for your body. And besides, even after removing them, we don’t have to try for a baby immediately.” Even if Jared planned to fight for Summer’s custody, we didn’t have to use this as a means to stop him from doing so. In the worst-case scenario, I’d ask Louis for help. I was sure he’d have a way to deal with Jared.
He chuckled. “Worried for me?”
I pursed my lips before saying, “Ashton Fuller, I want you to think about this seriously. If we want children, we ought to do it soon. The older I get, the more dangerous a high-risk pregnancy would be. If you lose both mother and child from that, you’d have to find yourself a new wife.”
My words weren’t entirely true, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of having children. I knew he chose not to get the vasectomy reversal because of me and Summer.
He was aware of how important Summer was to me. If I lost her, my condition might worsen too. That was why he could bear with not having children of his own.
However, there was still so much to look forward to in our lives. Love felt forever only in the present moment, and no one could guarantee an eternity of it as time went on.
It would be nice to be honest with each other while we lived and loved in the present.
Ashton hugged me tightly. “Never!” he exclaimed, his voice low and magnetic. That single word was so ambiguous. Did he mean he would never lose me and our child or that he would never remarry?
I slept very soundly that night. Even though I had a few vivid dreams, I couldn’t remember any of them when I woke up.
It was already nine in the morning when I opened my eyes. It really had been a long sleep.
I was surprised when I saw Ashton still in the room. “Don’t you have to go to the office today?”
He smiled faintly, still comfortably dressed in his custom royal blue pajamas. “It’s the weekend. I’m taking a day off to be with you!”
I smiled back at him and shifted slightly in bed. When I felt something wet underneath, my heart started to race.
I might have stained the bed, but I needed to be sure. As I gingerly touched the sheets, the dampness I felt confirmed my suspicion.
It felt like I had stained quite a large area which meant that the mattress would also need to be cleaned. This might be the heaviest flow I’ve had since coming back to K City.
Having noticed the change in my expression, Ashton couldn’t help but ask, “Is your stomach not feeling well?”
I shook my head, trying to hide my embarrassment. “Summer should be up by now. Why don’t you check on her? She must be hungry.”
He nodded wordlessly.
I was so relieved when he finally left the room. But as I got out of bed and saw the state of the sheets, I gasped.
