She smiled as she raised a shoulder. “I don’t do well in strange surroundings. But the room is lovely and that shower is perfection. I’m thinking of doing some remodeling in the house and the bathroom gave me lots of ideas.” She paused. “Coffee?”

He pointed to the second place setting at the table and the carafe. “Help yourself.”

She sat down and took in the plate of fresh fruit, the croissants and butter. “Very fancy. Do you do this every day?”

He folded the paper and set it on the chair next to him. “No. I can order room service from the hotel. This is from them. However, I am capable of scrambling you some eggs, if you’d like.”

“This is plenty. Thank you.”

She poured herself coffee, then took a croissant. After breaking it open, she looked at him.

“The kissing was nice.”

Not the conversational opening he’d been expecting. “Yes, it was. I was worried you wouldn’t be okay with it.”

“I was. I haven’t thought much about sex since Stuart died. It was nice to know that part of me hasn’t atrophied from lack of use.”

“You don’t feel guilty?” A dumb ass question, but it was too late to unask it.

She shook her head. “There isn’t any guilt. It’s not like that. When I think about Stuart, I feel sad. I think maybe the not moving on is about staying connected to him. If I have a life, I leave him behind.”

“He’s not here to leave.”

“I know. Which creates my dilemma. I think guilt would be easier to handle—that happens when you violate your own moral code. But for me, I’ve never been sure of what I’m allowed to do or not do. At the same time, I’ve assumed I’m the one making the rules. What if I’m not?” She picked up her coffee. “Do you want me to change the subject?”

“Not at all.”

He didn’t enjoy talking about Stuart but believed ignoring him didn’t work, either. He was a part of Unity. Without Stuart, she would be a different person.

“It’s like the kid thing,” she continued. “Last night, when Lela was talking about her children, I had such an ache inside. I always wanted children.”

“You had a plan. His mother dying changed the timeline.”

She smiled. “You remember.” She picked at her croissant. “It was a dumb plan. What were we thinking? That kids couldn’t possibly be moved once they were in school? That’s ridiculous. We shouldn’t have waited. We shouldn’t have taken the chance. I feel so stupid. I want kids. Sometimes I can practically feel what it’s like to hold a baby in my arms.”

She stared at him. “Oh, wait. I just remembered I’m not supposed to say that to the guy I’m dating. It’s considered scary, right?”

He chuckled. “You wanting kids is so the least of it, Unity.”

“I’m not pressuring you to be a father.”

“I understand that.”