"Ah, so you work together," she says, and Spencer doesn't miss the way the corners of her lips twitch before she tilts her head at him. "I thought I'd read you were a librarian."
"I was," he says, nodding, and it's strange that she knows all this even though they've already gotten to know so much about her just through the information and records the agency had sent. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Erin had done her own homework, considering she'd hardly want to give birth to a child for just anyone, but it makes him wonder just how much she knows about him, his past. He's not sure if the subject of his family should come up, if only to reassure her that he's very much not a murderer, and he wets his lips as he shoots a quick glance at Joel before continuing. "After we got married, we thought it would be good for both of us and for the shop if I left the library to come work there. I was a librarian for twelve years, I got to know how to run the place, my boss left me in charge quite often..." He smiles softly. "I think my new boss would agree that things are working out quite nicely."
He doesn't think the reason Crossroads is flourishing is due directly to him, Joel had just needed that little push to keep his doors open and welcoming, to keep the window displays up-to-date and uncovered by the curtains, to actually keep to the store hours for consistency as opposed to treating them as mere guidelines. These are all things Joel could have done on his own, Spencer hasn't done anything particularly special--at least, he doesn't think so--but he's glad to see that all of the minor changes they've made are working. The store gets more foot traffic, more inquiries and calls and requests, and Spencer's even arranged for an advertisement to be run in the paper for when Caden Carter does his signing.
"Well, good for you two because as much as I love my husband, I don't know that I could live and work with him every day," Erin laughs, shaking her head with a wide smile as she lifts her cup of tea to her lips.
"I enjoy it," Spencer answers, and he doesn't need to look to Joel for confirmation that his husband likes it, too. They're not going to agree on every aspect of how to run the store but for the most part, they tend to me on the same page and that's proven to be immensely helpful. "I know it sounds a bit cheesy but every decision we've made together has turned out to be the best decisions of my life." He looks down at his ring, humming in mild amusement to himself. "This one, the decision to have a baby, it's... Well, like Joel said, we weren't prepared to find each other. We've both suffered terrible loss, and I'd become very accustomed to believing that good things weren't meant to happen to me."
He can tell by the way she's actively trying to keep from flinching, to keep her expression neutral, that she knows. Whether she'd done further research on her own or had read about it in the papers when it had happened, Erin knows what had happened to his family. Still, she keeps her gaze steady and that, combined with a squeeze from Joel's hand, gives him the strength to carry on.
"I-- I'd just truly like to believe that we'll be good fathers," he says with a sheepish laugh, another flush rising to his cheeks. "Having seen what we've seen, having been through what we've been through, some people might think we're just damaged but I think it makes us more aware. We'll only ever want to give any child we have the best, to give him or her a life as free of pain and worry as possible, to share as much love for our baby as we do for each other."
His knee is bouncing again, and Spencer knows it's because he's rambling but there's an ache in his chest because he's realizing all over again how badly he wants this. He wants the first things he sees every morning to be his husband and their child, and he takes a deep breath to call himself before giving Erin a small smile, one that she seems to have no problem returning, and he finds himself feeling so grateful for the understanding in her eyes.
"Not many people can go through something terrible and come out the other side the way you two seem to have," she says, voice gentle, and she nods at their interlocked hands. "Obviously I don't know either of you very well but if you decide it's right, I'd be happy to change that."
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Date: 2014-10-15 10:07 am (UTC)"I was," he says, nodding, and it's strange that she knows all this even though they've already gotten to know so much about her just through the information and records the agency had sent. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised that Erin had done her own homework, considering she'd hardly want to give birth to a child for just anyone, but it makes him wonder just how much she knows about him, his past. He's not sure if the subject of his family should come up, if only to reassure her that he's very much not a murderer, and he wets his lips as he shoots a quick glance at Joel before continuing. "After we got married, we thought it would be good for both of us and for the shop if I left the library to come work there. I was a librarian for twelve years, I got to know how to run the place, my boss left me in charge quite often..." He smiles softly. "I think my new boss would agree that things are working out quite nicely."
He doesn't think the reason Crossroads is flourishing is due directly to him, Joel had just needed that little push to keep his doors open and welcoming, to keep the window displays up-to-date and uncovered by the curtains, to actually keep to the store hours for consistency as opposed to treating them as mere guidelines. These are all things Joel could have done on his own, Spencer hasn't done anything particularly special--at least, he doesn't think so--but he's glad to see that all of the minor changes they've made are working. The store gets more foot traffic, more inquiries and calls and requests, and Spencer's even arranged for an advertisement to be run in the paper for when Caden Carter does his signing.
"Well, good for you two because as much as I love my husband, I don't know that I could live and work with him every day," Erin laughs, shaking her head with a wide smile as she lifts her cup of tea to her lips.
"I enjoy it," Spencer answers, and he doesn't need to look to Joel for confirmation that his husband likes it, too. They're not going to agree on every aspect of how to run the store but for the most part, they tend to me on the same page and that's proven to be immensely helpful. "I know it sounds a bit cheesy but every decision we've made together has turned out to be the best decisions of my life." He looks down at his ring, humming in mild amusement to himself. "This one, the decision to have a baby, it's... Well, like Joel said, we weren't prepared to find each other. We've both suffered terrible loss, and I'd become very accustomed to believing that good things weren't meant to happen to me."
He can tell by the way she's actively trying to keep from flinching, to keep her expression neutral, that she knows. Whether she'd done further research on her own or had read about it in the papers when it had happened, Erin knows what had happened to his family. Still, she keeps her gaze steady and that, combined with a squeeze from Joel's hand, gives him the strength to carry on.
"I-- I'd just truly like to believe that we'll be good fathers," he says with a sheepish laugh, another flush rising to his cheeks. "Having seen what we've seen, having been through what we've been through, some people might think we're just damaged but I think it makes us more aware. We'll only ever want to give any child we have the best, to give him or her a life as free of pain and worry as possible, to share as much love for our baby as we do for each other."
His knee is bouncing again, and Spencer knows it's because he's rambling but there's an ache in his chest because he's realizing all over again how badly he wants this. He wants the first things he sees every morning to be his husband and their child, and he takes a deep breath to call himself before giving Erin a small smile, one that she seems to have no problem returning, and he finds himself feeling so grateful for the understanding in her eyes.
"Not many people can go through something terrible and come out the other side the way you two seem to have," she says, voice gentle, and she nods at their interlocked hands. "Obviously I don't know either of you very well but if you decide it's right, I'd be happy to change that."