“Such a huge responsibility...” He spoke the words more to himself than to her.

“And a huge privilege,” she answered. “Occasionally, it’s rewarding and...dare I say it...fun.” Her head tilted. “Kids were a hot topic for you and Becca, right?”

He chewed his lip, staring at the table. “She wanted to start a family, but I kept saying I wasn’t ready. She realized I might never be ready, and...yeah, it was a problem for us.”

He hated thinking of the tears Becca shed because of him. He’d kept putting off the decision to start a family, figuring they had time. And then she was gone.

“But you like children, right?” The surprise in Zoey’s voice made him feel worse.

“I’m not an ogre, okay? I love my nieces and nephews and all the new little cousins. I just never knew if I was parent material. There are people who would crawl across hot coals to have kids, and I’ve...” He swallowed hard. “I’ve never felt that way. So I kept putting it off until...”

Zoey surprised him by coming around the table and catching him up in a fierce hug. He was still sitting, and she pulled him tight so that his head was on her shoulder. He stiffened at first, then relaxed into her embrace. Her voice went soft and low.

“I never said you were an ogre. I’ve seen how great you are with children. But it’s okay to not have kids, Mike. Lots of people make that choice.”

It was odd how comforted he felt with his head resting on her. When was the last time he’d been held like this? He couldn’t remember.

“Looking back, I think Becca hoped I’d change my mind eventually. We’d argued about it the weekend she died.”

That last argument had been one of their worst. Hurtful things were said very loudly. The next day she was gone, leaving a gaping hole in him that would forever be filled with guilt. Zoey gave him a gentle squeeze and stepped back, breaking their contact. It took all his strength not to pull her back to him.

“It’s sad that you argued about it before the accident, but your argument didn’t cause what happened. And she knew how much you loved her. My God, everyone called you the biggest lovebirds ever. The two of you lit up a room. You would have figured it out if you’d had the chance.”

Mike rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe. She would have been a great mom.”

“Becca? Oh, my God, yes.”

“She never got the chance...” Because of him.

There was a beat of silence before Zoey cleared her throat. “Did I tell you Chris is having a baby? I mean... Genna’s having a baby, with Chris.”

He stared, trying to gauge her feelings. “And what do you think about that?”