Raven would have never guessed that Zerra would bring this up now. Caught off guard, he sits up, and she follows, sitting beside him.

“Why wouldn’t you want to start a family now?” she asks, her voice soft but sincere.

Raven finds it hard to look at her as his thoughts wander. He wishes things were different for them.

She gently runs her hand down his arm, resting her chin on his shoulder. “We’ve talked about starting a family eventually, so why not now? I want our kids running around ...