The vampires sat with their blood and Elisabeth poured another glass of port. Sarah said, "Your mother is lovely Elisabeth. You must be thrilled she's come around to your side."
"Yes, it means a lot to me."
Jackson finished his blood. "Let's go up. Goodnight."
When they entered his room, Elisabeth held Jackson's arms. "What did mother say to upset you?"
"She told me you are expected to have children."
Elisabeth closed her eyes in dismay. "That is nothing you need to be concerned about."
"How can you say that? I don't want to deny you motherhood."
She put her hands around the back of his neck and pulled him in to touch noses. "If I can't have children with you, I don't want them. I'm not even sure I would want a child even then."
"But…"
"The pack is all about my gift, and trying to duplicate it. That is not a good enough reason for me to bring a child into the world."
"Your mother thinks the pack would accept us if you agreed to have a child, and we could raise it."
Elisabeth gasped. "My mother asked you to agree to me having another man's child?
"No, it wasn't like that at all. It was my idea."
Her face softened immediately, and she held her cheek to his. "You are so wonderful. I love that you would do that for me, but this is not something we need to deal with, at least not now. Can we please enjoy our engagement for a while without any complications?"
"You promise to tell me if your maternal instinct kicks in?"
"I promise"
He brushed his lips across her ear. "Let's consummate our engagement."