“Are you saying that we should have had a second kid years ago?” I teased.
Lexi laughed. “Maybe,” she said. “Just think, though. When Emma's graduating high school, this little one is going to be a pre-teen still!”
“I'm still stuck on the thought of Emma graduating high school!” I said, shaking my head. “Katherine and I are four years apart, and that worked out fine for us.”
“But you and Katherine were different,” Lexi said. “You had something to unite against. There was a reason for you to love one another. But Emma's so good at making friends, she doesn't really need a younger sibling. Not the way that you did.”
“True,” I agreed, frowning. “I think they'll be friends.” I paused. “Don't you like the idea of her having a little brother, though?”
“He'd have to grow up pretty competitive to keep up with her,” Lexi said, laughing. “I like that idea, though. A matching set, one boy and one girl. Of course, we'll mess it up if we ever do have another kid, but I guess then we hope for another boy and another girl.”
I snorted. “Is that the way it works?”
“Plus, if we had a boy, you could teach him football and how to fix cars and computers and whatever else it is that boys are supposed to do.”
“Emma and I already toss around the football, although she prefers to play Frisbee with Spot,” I pointed out, rolling my eyes. “And I don't know the first thing about fixing a car or fixing a computer, so I guess the kids, boys or girls, are shit out of luck there.”
Lexi laughed. “Shit out of luck, only they have a b
illionaire for their father,” she said.
“True,” I said, smiling. I frowned, cocking my head to the side. “I'm a little nervous about having a boy,” I finally admitted. It was something that had been in the back of my mind since we'd started wondering about the gender of the new baby.
All right, it was something that had been in the back of my mind since Lexi told me she was pregnant, if not before that.
“I didn't have the best relationship with my father,” I told her, slowly tapping my fingers against the edge of the steering wheel. “And I can't help but worry, what if we have a son and I do the exact same thing to him?”
Lexi was silent for a moment. “Emma is fiendishly smart,” she finally said. “And I know that you aren't the playboy that you once were. You'd be perfectly happy letting Emma take over Orinoco, wouldn't you be?”
“Of course,” I said. “If that's what she was interested in. She'd be brilliant in business. I can already tell. The way that she makes friends, the way that her mind works. She's definitely going to grow up and be someone.”
“And have you tried to pressure her one way or the other?” Lexi asked.
I raised an eyebrow at her. “Can you imagine trying to pressure Emma to do something that she didn't want to do?” I asked. “People talk about herding cats. That would be like herding cats to go out into the rain or something. It would be futile.”
“Exactly,” Lexi said. When I gave her a confused look, she elaborated. “You know that Emma would be the perfect child to mold into your image and to prepare to take over the company. And she's your firstborn. You could be doing to her exactly what your father did to you. But you don't. I have no reason to believe that you're going to push our second child to do anything that he or she doesn't want to do either.”
I frowned at her. “You may be right,” I said slowly.
“Anyway, if you do start to put too much pressure on the baby, at least Emma will be there to be friends with the kid,” Lexi finished. “Just like you had Katherine.” She paused. “Remember, my own relationship with my father wasn't very great either. But I don't think you're that kind of guy. From everything that I've seen with you and Emma over the years, you're a perfect dad. A little forgetful sometimes, maybe, and I'll never let you dress our kids again if I have my way, but you're a great dad. I don't think that you have to worry.”
I smiled over at her. “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I told her.
“I love you,” Lexi said quietly, and I could see the tears threatening again. “I never thought that I could be so lucky.”
“I'm the lucky one here,” I told her. “I have a beautiful wife, a beautiful daughter, and another beautiful child on the way. I'm not working as much as I used to, and my company is still pulling record profits every quarter. I'm a much better person now than I was when you first came into my life, and I know that that's all your doing. And isn't that exactly what a person is supposed to strive for in a relationship, to be their best self?”
Lexi gave me a watery smile, tears beginning to slip down her cheeks. “These are tears of joy, in case you were worried,” she joked.
“Come here, you,” I said, hugging her sideways as we pulled into a parking space. I kissed her hair. “I'm going to love you forever, in case you were worried.”
“Good,” Lexi said quietly.
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