Time for House and Jess to have THAT conversation.

Thanks for reading, and you know how much I love your comments.

Chapter 128.

That evening, I arrived home before Jess. I grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and tried to settle on the couch, but found myself sitting on the edge, tapping my cane on the floor. My mind was whirling. I had to decide what I'd say to her. If I was certain of my own feelings, it would have been easier. But seeing Christopher that afternoon added to my own confusion.

How long had I told myself that I wasn't dad material? There were so many reasons for it. And I've made it through over thirty years as an adult without any urge to prove myself wrong. But now...

And then there was Jess. I hadn't a clue what she was feeling, but I could see the look on her face when we left Jerome's office. Maybe I should just let her make a case for having a kid. Maybe she didn't even want one. They were trouble. Took a lot of time, energy and money. Especially money.

Do you know what it cost to raise a kid these days? There are diapers and bottles, onesies and carseats. Then when they're older, there would be clothing and bicycles, music lessons and soccer uniforms, and eventually cars. Not to mention college.

My stomach was churning and an ache had started in my head by the time I heard Jess at the door. I still wasn't prepared.

"Honey, I'm home!" Her voice was so cheerful.

I tried for a neutral look, since I couldn't muster a smile. "Home already?" I made a show of looking at my watch.

Jess smirked. "I'm home the usual time. Wait until the business opens. I'll be out all kinds of strange hours. Then you can complain." She joined me on the couch. "So, how did you spend your afternoon?"

I told her about my talk with Ellie. Anything to avoid the inevitable.

She nodded. "You know what this means, don't you? It means my dad didn't put Morgan up to it."

I shrugged. "We still don't know Morgan's motivation for sure, but it's beginning to look like it."

Her brow furrowed. "Do you think Ellie's in any danger from Morgan?"

"Chase is on it." I put a hand on her shoulder. "He'll guard her and Christopher with his life."

"I hope so. I haven't seen my nephew in a while. How's he doing?"

"Very well, actually. He's trying to walk, and he's talking a bit." I twisted my mouth into a grin. "He remembered me."

"You're very memorable." She rested her head against me and took my hand.

I buried my nose in her hair and could still smell her strawberry shampoo from that morning.

She pulled away after a minute of silence and looked up at me. "Greg, I guess you don't want to talk about it, but I think we should."

"About how memorable I am?" My instinct for avoiding uncomfortable situations kicked in.

"You know what I mean. We have to decide whether we ever want to have a kid of our own." She stared at me.

Now that she said it, there was no way to deflect. I nodded. My mouth and throat were dry and I could feel my heart quicken. "I guess we should." I took a deep breath and let it out. "Do you want one?" I lobbed the ball back in her court, but I knew once she answered there was no going back.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed and she frowned. "No. Did you think that being in Jerome's waiting room, surrounded by couples who longed for a child and pictures of happy families would trigger my maternal instinct? Greg, my focus right now is on starting a new business. What would I do with a child? With someone who needs my attention even more than you do?" She poked my chest.

"And what about in the future?" I needed her reassurance that we'd have to face this decision again a few years down the road.

She shook her head. "I'm not sure I was ever cut out to be a mother. I'll leave that to the Ellies of this world."

That had gone so much better than I'd expected. I'd tied myself in knots over nothing. "As long as you're sure."

"You haven't said how you feel about this."

"At the moment, relieved. I never pictured myself as a father, either. Oh, your nephew's a cute kid, and I enjoy seeing his developmental progress, but on an everyday basis, no thank you."

She grinned. "Right. Being able to hand him back to his mother when he gets cranky, or you tire of playing with him..."

"...or he becomes annoying. Yes, that's a great advantage of not having your own."

"So, we're agreed?" She slipped her hands around my neck.

"Agreed." I kissed those delicious lips and ran a hand through her silky brown hair. "No rugrats for us. But we still have to go through with this game with Jerome. You'll have to have the ultrasound tomorrow."

She nodded. "All that gel on my stomach. It's a messy job, but someone has to do it."

"Especially if it gets us more info on Francesca."

Her eyes took on a faraway look, as if her mind was wandering down new paths and she had to concentrate on every step. "Do you think Morgan might have developed a thing for Francesca the way he had for Ellie so long ago? I mean, Ricky admitted he had."

"But then why kill her?"

"Because she wouldn't give him the time of day? Ricky handled it the way a sane man would, but I'm beginning to wonder whether Mike Morgan is sane." She focused again on my face. "Yeah, it's kinda far-fetched, isn't it?"

My mind went over what she'd said and examined it from several angles. "Maybe not so far-fetched. But where would a man like Morgan meet or even see her?"

Jess shrugged. "One of the car places, maybe."

"Just like Ricky, huh?" I tilted my head slightly. "You know, you may have something here." I looked at her with the awe I felt. "Thank you."

"You would have figured it out before long. And we still don't know whether I'm right."

"Now I wish we'd cultivated the people at those shops."

She pursed her lips. "There's always the photos on the walls."

"What are the chances Morgan is in one, especially one with Francesca in it, too?" I shook my head. "Don't answer that. I guess I'm going to have to come up with a plan to find out if he was ever a customer."

"Or worked there?" She didn't sound too sure.

"Huh?" Another thought that never occurred to me.

She stared at me. "We don't know what he did when he was released from prison."

"True."

"Maybe he got a job at one of the shops."

"Wow, you're on a roll tonight! Maybe you'll even come up with just the right name for your company."

"Oh, I didn't tell you." She grinned. "We did."

"So?"

"Gourmet Express." The self-satisfied smile lit up her face.

I bobbed my head. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

"There are a few catering companies using that name, but they're local, in other states, and none of them have registered the name. The closest is in Maryland."

"That's one worry eliminated."

"Now we have to have the name and logo added to all of the linens and have cards printed."

"When do you expect to start operation? Ellie seemed to be ready to go."

"We'll start in two weeks. By then we'll have everything in place, maybe even a sign." She snuggled against me again. "Oh, Greg. I can't wait."

She was in such a good mood, I hoped she wouldn't be disappointed. But she and Nina had done everything needed to make their business a success.

"Wanna celebrate?" I whispered in her ear.

"I'm always ready to celebrate with you." Her fingers played with the buttons of my shirt, then opened each one.

"Guess you are." I cupped her breast through her shirt and bra, then slipped a hand under the hem and lifted the shirt. When I leaned over to kiss the smooth skin around her naval, she giggled. But when I lifted the top over her head and tasted the swell of her breast, she purred.

"Oh, Greg."

I lifted my head to look into her eyes. The deep brown color was growing darker still and for a moment I lost myself in them.

"Greg?" Jess' soft voice brought me back.

I continued my exploration. As many times as we'd made love, it was never the same twice. This time she took the lead and I decided I didn't mind that she had so much control, especially when she stroked me. "Jess." My tone was low. I was sure she could hear the need in it. I caressed her and her response showed her need was just as great. After that it was all a blur of kisses and licks, strokes and caresses, skin against skin. We stopped only long enough to take precautions, then coupled and soared together to that pinnacle like no other. Then gently we came down the other side.

Our breathing was still jagged, pulses still quickened, as we continued to cling to each other.

"Mmm," Jess murmured. "That was the best celebration a girl could ever have."

"Glad I could be of service." I kissed her ear.

"I get the feeling you enjoyed it too."

"Oh, I might have." Even to me my voice wasn't as nonchalant as I planned.

Jess laughed, placing a hand on my bare chest. "I think we'd better move to a more comfortable place. This couch is fine for sitting, but not for much else." She started to pull away.

"If we must." I was comfortable, but knew she was right. My leg would start to throb if I didn't move. "Guess I should shower on the way."

"I can scrub your back."

"Front too?"

She chuckled. "Haven't you had enough for a while?"

"I suppose." I faked a pout, making her laugh outright.

She got up nimbly and held out a hand to me. It was a bit more difficult for me, but I managed without taking the proffered hand until I was standing and we sauntered together to the bathroom. In some ways, I missed my old shower, but it was times like this that I was happy to have one that accommodated both of us with room to turn around. Running a loofah over her velvety skin was one of those sensual pleasures I'd probably never tire of.

We'd finished our shower and were patting each other dry when the phone rang. "Let it go." I grabbed Jess' arm to prevent her from answering. But it rang again when we were tucked up in bed.

She glanced at the caller ID and picked up immediately. "Ellie, what's wrong?"