Wheeling Gull Isle she’s a 10 but…

There were some steps in between where they were now and parenthood, though it was a valid question. If they weren’t on the same page about kids, after all, there was probably no point pursuing a romantic connection.

Definitely, he answered without hesitation, adding, I’ve thought about it a lot, actually. I love kids but I wasn’t sure I was the type to ‘settle down,’ you know? But I’ve thought about what it’d be like to live on this island with you, raise some pups here. It’s kind of intimidating, honestly, but also it sounds kind of incredible.

From past conversations, he already knew Heda wanted children. “I—I’ve decided to have children and raise them here, Caracal.” At the time, she’d mentioned Mireille’s brother, perhaps the very same one who had recently died. A lot had changed since then, although the fundamentals had stayed the same: they still had one another, and the island.

Thinking about that conversation—how she’d burst into tears, then begged him to kiss her—suddenly stoked a fire in Caracal’s belly. He wanted to kiss her again now, though not a tender peck on the forehead. He wanted to properly kiss her, then explore even further than that… but, of course, that begged a question.

Have you ever… he began, then laughed at his own hesitation before completing his sentence, been with anyone?