Ignoring Lucas, Tate nodded. “See, that’s what I thought too, but I think I might want my own child.”
“Then break up with her, don’t let it go any further,” Erik said with a shrug. “She is great, you know I like her a lot, but if you are second-guessing it now, what’s going to happen ten years from now when you have two little Chinese kids who aren’t yours and you want your own?”
“Hey, asshole, that’s my sister-in-law,” Lucas sneered. “And if you knew this before you started with Audrey,” he said to Tate, “then it isn’t fair to hold that against her. She told you her issues, and you accepted them.”
“I know,” Tate said, feeling like Lucas was attacking him, which in a way he had every right to. “I love her, Lucas, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her, but I cannot shake this feeling that one day I’ll want my own child.”
“That’s not fair,” Lucas said again, with a shake of his head.
“It would be a deal breaker for me.” Everyone turned to Shea, and his eyes were intently on Tate. “I knew that I wanted kids when I started this thing with Elli. She wanted them too, and we were good. Now if after we started trying and she couldn’t have a child, that I would understand and cope with, but if she told me right out before that she couldn’t, I would’ve let her go.”
“I know,” Tate said, “but I don’t want to let Audrey go. She makes me happy; she makes my life worth living, guys. My heart is invested in her, and I don’t want anyone else.”
Tate could tell that no one knew what to say, until Lucas said, “If you are totally devoted to her, then you would take the good with the bad. Audrey is a fantastic, sweet person. She will love you with everything inside her, and she deserves a guy who will love her just the same. If you don’t think you can, then cut her loose, dude, don’t hurt her anymore by making her think this is for real.”
Lucas held Tate’s gaze for a long time, then shook his head, stood up and threw money on the table before walking away.
“Shit,” Tate muttered as he got up and followed Lucas out of the restaurant. “Lucas,” he called out. “Just a minute.”
Lucas looked back and waited for him at the doorway. When Tate reached him, they both walked out to the parking lot before Tate said, “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
Lucas shook his head. “I don’t want Audrey to get hurt again, and I thought you were the guy to make sure that never happened, but now you say this?”
“I am just thinking about the future, Lucas. I don’t want to hurt her. I love her.”
“You keep saying that, but when you love someone you love all of them. Even the fucked up parts! Hell, look at me and Fallon! She was a walking train wreck before she finally got her head out of her ass. And now look at us, we are so fucking happy.”
“I understand that, and I know that I won’t be happy without her,” Tate said, his chest hurting. He didn’t want to leave Audrey. He didn’t want to live life without her, but how was that fair for him to feel like this and not say anything? That was the whole point of having friends, so that he could talk about things that bothered him.
“Have you told her?” Lucas asked.
“No. This just crossed my mind this morning. I haven’t even thought it through. I just wanted to get everyone’s input and then I was going to talk to her about it if it is still bothering me. I’m not going to hurt her, Lucas. I accepted it when she told me, I’m just thinking more about what it means now.”
“No one can make your mind up for you, Tate. You gotta do it. Is she worth it? Can you trade in one thing to have everything else? One thing you can be certain of—Audrey will love you for the rest of her life.”
“I do.”