If You Love Me by Anna Kristell Page A

about
everything, from who’s going to take out the trash to whether or not we’re
going to start a family. Is that the problem? You aren’t ready for kids and you
don’t want to tell me?”
      “That’s not it and you know it, Adam. I want a
baby as much as you do. But I refuse to bring a child into this world with
things the way they are between us. Something’s got to change.”
    “And it’s got to be me, is that what
you’re saying?”
    “Think about it. Lately, you’re,
well, just different. You’re not the fun-loving, hot-blooded man I fell in love
with. You’re distant. You never want to go out and when we stay in, you ignore
me. You’re either glued to the television or the computer. That’s not what I
signed up for. I miss our good times together.”
    “Is that what you think? Well, lady,
I’ve got news for you. You’re way off base. You’re the one who’s changed. That
sweet, crazy, happy-go-lucky gal I fell in love with has left the building.”
    “Adam, we’re not two kids dating.
We’re married. We’re grown-ups with real, everyday problems. We have
responsibilities. Life isn’t always fun and games in the real world. We have
jobs, housework, bills to pay. Do you see where I’m going with this? Add a baby
or two to the mix and our lives will be even busier. Until we can learn to
balance the rest of it and still manage to love each other like crazy, we can’t
move forward and have a baby.”
    “Are you saying you don’t want to
move forward with me now? Are you saying you want out?”
    Ashley sighed deeply as the tears
threatened to flow. “I’m not saying that at all. What I’m saying is we need to
grow up. We should be able to handle the responsibility and still have fun. We
don’t seem to be able to do that.”
    “So what you’re really saying is
marriage to Adam Brant isn’t what you thought it would be. I don’t measure up
to your idea of the perfect husband. News flash, baby, no husband is perfect
just like no wife is perfect. You’re going to have to learn to accept my faults
or move on.”
    “You just don’t get it, do you?” She
turned to go.
    “Everyone tried to tell me I was
just your rebound guy. I guess I should’ve listened. I let my heart rule my
head when it came to you. I was so crazy in love with you I didn’t care. I
wanted you, and I was determined to have you at all costs. I thought we could
make it work.”
    Ashley turned to face him. “I can’t
believe you just said that to me. I wouldn’t have married you if I didn’t love
you, Adam. I still love you. I just think we need to work out our differences
and stop talking about having a baby until we do. I don’t find fault with
everything you do. You just infuriate me at times, when you don’t help out
around here, or when you think just because we’re married we have to stay home
every weekend.”
    “Is that what this is really about,
Ash? Because I can assure you, your darling Ross wouldn’t have been perfect
either. Hell, he wouldn’t even stick around when you started talking marriage.”
    Smack! Ashley slapped him hard
across the face. “You’re a son-of-a-bitch, Adam. To bring up what happened
between Ross and me when you know how hurt I was about it. I told you about our
break-up because I wanted you to know what happened, not because I wanted you
to throw it in my face every time we argue. I was being honest with you. When I
met you, I was still afraid to let myself fall in love again. By telling you
why I was afraid, I thought you’d understand my hesitancy to start a
relationship with you. Once you convinced me you weren’t going anywhere, I fell
and I fell hard, Adam. For you, not Ross. Apparently you don’t believe that.”
    Adam rubbed his cheek. “Go find the
one that got away, Ash. That’s what you really want. That’s what this is all
about. You’re still in love with Ross Canter. You can’t stand the fact he
walked out on you. If it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t be