“I don’t like this at all,” he growls, looking concerned enough to make me want to panic. “What’s to keep Aidan from just removing her from their care? He has that authority now. If she ever gets well enough to make such a request to him, then you’re fucked, buddy. Aidan will never be able to say no to her. I know we’re all friends, but this goes beyond that. You need to put me back in the position of co-guardian.”
I drop my head into my hands, picturing my other friend’s earnest face as he asked for my trust. Was I a fool to grant that? At this point, I am torn between loyalty and self-preservation. “You know I’d like nothing better than to put the whole thing in your lap,” I begin, “but I made a promise to Aidan.” When Max starts to argue, I hold up a hand to silence him. “I know you’re right, and we should be exercising caution. I also believe that Aidan would tell me before he allowed her to leave the facility’s care. I don’t think we’re in any immediate danger so I would like to give him what he’s asked me for. At least for now. If something changes, then I’ll let you know immediately. We’ll do whatever needs to be done at that point.”
“I’ve never been a fan of the watch and see approach,” he says reluctantly. “Would you at least question Aidan about what’s going on with her when you speak to him again? I’d feel better knowing that we’re not missing anything major right now.”
I incline my head in agreement, thinking to myself that I’d rather have a prostate exam, but he’s right, of course. “I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”
“Good enough.” He’s still frowning as he walks toward the door.
“Don’t forget what I said about Rose,” I toss out and want to laugh as his shoulder twitches. It’s petty, but I feel a tad better. He’s ensured that thoughts of Cassie will fill my mind this afternoon so I might as well give him something of his own to obsess over. And they say women have the market cornered on being vindictive.
Lia
“There is no way I’m letting you go in there.” Rose shudders as I stop in the doorway of a maternity store in the mall. “They have nothing but different colored muumuus in here.” Looking up and down the hallways, she asks desperately, “Where are the cool mommy-to-be stores? This place is like, ‘mommy has already given up.’”
We’re both still laughing when a sales associate spots us standing just inside the doorway. “Could I help you ladies find something?” she asks brightly.
“Um yeah,” Rose says, “where are your non-polyester maternity clothes?”
“Pardon me?” The sales associate looks from me to Rose in confusion.
Rose grabs a purple dress off a nearby rack and waves it in the air. “I’m not letting my friend walk around looking like Barney’s wife. I mean, come on; all this dress is missing is that big green circle on the stomach.” I can’t imagine Rose ever watching the children’s show Barney, so I wonder how she could possibly have this knowledge. I have to admit though, she’s kind of right about the dress now that I really look at it.
“We have some pull-on jeans with an elastic waistband in the back of the store,” the sales associate stutters, looking as if she’s ready to bolt.
Rose appears close to passing out by this point. I’m starting to think Lucian wouldn’t have been such a bad shopping partner after all. “Let’s get out of here.” She grabs my arm and drags me back out into the mall. “I’m not letting that happen to you. You’re pregnant, not someone’s grandma. Come on, there’s a Nordstrom on the next floor. We’ll just buy bigger sizes.” Before I know what’s happening, Rose has me in a dressing room in her preferred store with clothing hanging from every available surface. She holds up a pair of soft, relaxed-fit jeans first. “These are a cotton-spandex blend so they have a lot of give in the waist. I got two sizes bigger as we can always have them tacked in if needed.” I slide my skirt down my legs, letting it pool around my feet. “Holy shit balls. What are you wearing?” she shrieks from behind me.
I look down and cringe as I see Lucian’s modified boxer shorts. “My panties are too tight,” I say defensively. “It was either these or nothing at all.”
“And you picked the first option?” She shakes her head. “When in doubt, go commando. Never mind,” she waves away my protests, “we’ll get some new underwear next.”
“I’m not getting a bigger sized thong,” I warn her, just knowing where this is going. I can’t picture myself going through my pregnancy with a string in my crack. Isn’t this the one time in life that women should be able to consider their comfort first and foremost?
She looks slightly disappointed, but gamely says, “I’m sure we can find you something that will be way better than what you’re wearing. Those probably look amazing on Lucian, but…”
“He looks good in everything.” I give a sappy smile.
“I know, bitch, you don’t have to rub it in,” she jokes as I pull on the jeans.
“Ohhh, these are wonderful,” I moan in bliss. They are baggy in the waist but feel like a pair of well-worn pajamas. I turn in the mirror and look at my butt, noting with relief that it doesn’t look any bigger than it did. “Let’s just get more of these,” I suggest hopefully, only for her to shoot down that idea with a shake of her head.
“We will get a few more pairs, but you don’t want to look as if you wear the same thing everyday, do you?”
I can’t help but giggle at her question. “Did you never notice in the time we were living together that I didn’t have very many clothes? A few pair of jeans IS variety to me.”
“But you’re with one of the hottest guys in the state now. He also happens to be big shit around here. You might have occasion to socialize with him, so don’t you want to have something nice to wear? We won’t buy a lot since you’ll possibly go up a few more sizes before the baby is born, but let’s get enough for you to mix and match.”
“Okay,” I agree, knowing she has a point. Even when casually dressed, Lucian always looks impeccable. I don’t want to be the sloppy girlfriend only wearing jeans, even if they are nice ones.
Rose blows through the store like a professional personal shopper. I cover my ears when she hands the sales associate Lucian’s credit card. I feel so bad over the amount that I try to put things back. I know money is no object for him, and that one of his suits probably cost as much as everything I’ve picked out, but it’s his money. Even if we were married, I would still feel guilty about spending something I didn’t earn.
“Oh, take that look off your face,” Rose scolds as she gathers up some of my bags. “If you need to justify the cost, remember you’re carrying his baby. You didn’t put it in there by yourself. Think of this as dressing your stomach. He should pay for that, right?”
“Er…I guess,” I say, feeling slightly better at her reasoning. I mean, would I feel bad about letting him purchase clothes for the baby? Of course, not. Rose straightens her black pencil skirt and brushes at non-existent lint on her sleeveless cashmere top. She has a cardigan wrapped elegantly around her neck and the ever-present set of pearls lying against her throat. Even after hours of shopping, not a single hair has escaped her chiffon. I, on the other hand, spent half of my time in the dressing room trying to push the limp hair out of my face. “Hey, why don’t we pick out a new outfit for you now,” I suggest, thinking she should be getting something out of this trip.
Rose hands me Lucian’s credit card before looking uneasily around her. The whole thing seems strange since she had no trouble at all shopping for me. “Oh, I…don’t really need anything.”
“Ah, come on,” I wheedle, “this is purely for fun. Let’s get you something…different than you normally wear.”
I pick up a pair of black, leather pants and wiggle my brows. “Now if anyone could pull this look off it would be you.” I mean every word, too. Rose has a body and the confidence to make a sack look sexy. Instead of smiling, she looks slightly sick at my suggestion. Okay, so maybe she has something against leather. I move on and point to a green top, with a plun
ging neckline, accented in tiny rhinestones. “This color would really pop next to your red hair,” I say, holding it up for her to see.
She seems almost afraid as she stutters, “I just received my wardrobe for the upcoming season. I can’t purchase anything else. Everything is perfectly matched.”
This whole conversation is beginning to feel surreal. She looks almost afraid of the clothing that surrounds us. For a split second though, I see something that resembles longing in her eyes as she takes the top from my hand and places it back on the rack. “It would be beautiful on you,” I say softly, not wanting to upset her further. There are things I don’t understand about Rose and this is one of them. Sometimes she shuts down over the most innocent of topics. Buying clothes for herself, it appears, is a trigger for her. For all of my whining in the dressing room, I wasn’t afraid of trying something new. I was just overwhelmed because shopping for the sake of it has never been something I’ve had the resources to do. Growing up, I was generally outfitted from thrift stores. I learned that you can wear a pair of jeans every day without drawing too much attention. That is why I tend to gravitate toward them even now. Never buy anything for daily wear that will stand out.
Almost as if the whole incident had never happened, Rose smiles brightly, saying, “Let’s go grab a coffee. My treat.”
I stand blinking for a moment, trying to process her rapid-fire change of subject. When my stomach growls, the decision is made. I follow her from the store to her car, where we stow my purchases. We decide to go to the coffee shop near the school since I left my car there. As we make the trip across town, Rose chats breezily as if she hadn’t been close to some kind of freak-out at the mall. I’m beginning to wonder if anyone in my life is well and truly normal.
Chapter Ten
Lucian
“I’m waddling, aren’t I?” I freeze as Lia asks me the type of question that no man in his right mind would answer. We are walking up the sidewalk outside Lia’s OB/GYN. Today is our next ultrasound appointment and it’s very possible that we will find out the baby’s sex.
As if sensing I am no longer following her, Lia turns around, giving me a questioning look. “Don’t worry,” she finally huffs out, “I didn’t really expect a reply, so you’re safe.” I attempt to hide the look of relief on my face as she lets me off the hook. As her pregnancy has become more noticeable, Lia began pointing out her rapidly expanding stomach. It might bother her, but I fucking love it. I find it sexy as hell that my child is growing inside her. I have a hard time believing she has any hang-ups about her body considering I can’t keep my hands off her. She cries at the drop of a hat now though, so I always try to be careful about what I say, even when joking. It kills me to see tears glisten in those beautiful eyes. Just a few nights ago, she started crying while we were having dinner at Leo’s because he sent us a surprise dessert to the table. Poor Leo, when he came out a few minutes later to find her sobbing, he’d damn near joined her. I’d silently handed him the extra napkin from the table since Lia was already using both hers and mine.
We’ve barely settled in the waiting room when Lia’s name is called. Once again, it’s the ultrasound technician named Brittany. “How are we doing today?” she asks as we silently follow her into the dimly lit room. “Today, we’ll be doing the abdominal ultrasound since your pregnancy should have advanced enough to give us clear images.”
“Thank fu—” Lia squeezes my hand painfully before I can complete the curse word that has Brittany’s eyes widening. “Ful…we’re really thankful for that, right, baby?” Lia smirks at my quick recovery and even Brittany’s lips twitch.
Lia rolls up her shirt and slides her pants down below her hips as Brittany instructs, then covers her stomach in a clear gel. Brittany uses a handheld wand—that looks nothing like a penis this time—and begins sliding it over Lia’s stomach. I’m completely riveted, when she says, “Okay, there is the baby’s heartbeat.” I see the image on the screen that looks like tiny butterfly wings fluttering before she moves away again and starts taking measurements. “You measure at twenty weeks and four days which puts you about a week ahead of schedule.”
“So my due date was wrong last time?” Lia asks, looking confused.
“Oh no, that probably won’t change. Your baby is just a little ahead on growth. Look at those cheeks; you’ve got a little chunky monkey in there.” Brittany laughs and I feel my balls draw up into my fucking throat. Hasn’t she worked around pregnant women long enough to know that you never call anything even remotely attached to their body chunky? Dear God, Lia is probably going to come up off this bed and kill the twit.
Just as I thought, Lia asks sharply, “Are you calling my baby fat?”
Brittany seems to have caught on to the scent of danger because she gives Lia a wary look before quickly shaking her head. “Oh no, of course not. Your baby is just healthy.” I wince because I don’t see that answer going over much better. Brittany though, is luckily smarter than I’ve given her credit, because she launches into a quick subject change. “Who wants to know the sex of the baby?”
That does the trick; Lia forgets all about her fat baby rage and now resembles an eager puppy. “Can you really tell?” She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “We want to know, right, Luc?”
“We do,” I agree, feeling my throat tighten. This is really happening again and even though I’m not particularly religious, I thank God for giving me another chance to be a father.
Brittany taps a few times on her keyboard, enlarging an area on the screen, then says in a voice like a game show host, “Lia and Lucian, you’re having a girl.”
Lia is full on sobbing now, and I’m staring at the screen in some kind of trance. A girl? I mean, it’s not as if I didn’t know that it had to be one or the other, but I think in my mind, I’d assumed it was a boy. Suddenly, I can easily imagine a mini-version of Lia coming into this world, and I feel moisture gathering in my eyes as well. I rub Lia’s back gently as she leans her head against my shoulder. “Did you hear her, Luc?” she chokes out.
“I heard, baby, and I couldn’t be happier,” I say as I drop a kiss against her temple. “If I could wish for anything, it would be two of you. I never thought that was even possible until now.”
Lia’s tears, which had started to lessen, return with full force at my statement. It was completely true, but maybe I should have kept it to myself until Brittany found another box of tissues.
After what seems like hours, but is much less, we have our pictures and are back in the Range Rover. Lia falls limply against the seat and says, “Whew, that was intense.”
“No shit,” I deadpan, causing her to let loose with a fit of laughter. I think we both needed the comic relief.
“Are you disappointed it’s not a boy?” she asks as she looks down at her hands.
Taken aback by her question, I stare at her bent head for a moment before leaning across the console and putting one hand on the nape of her neck and the other on the swell of her stomach. “Not at all, baby. I was surprised because I don’t think I had let myself believe one way or the other. You and this baby are my miracles and the only thing I feel is utterly and completely blessed.”
“Luc?” she says lovingly.
“What, baby?” I answer, expecting at the least a declaration of her love.
“I’m so hungry. Could you stop at McDonald’s and buy a couple of cheeseburgers to tide me over until we meet Debra and Ray for dinner?”
I give a snort of surprise before patting her thigh. She’s eating for two now and our baby must have quite an appetite because a small meal before the main one has gotten to be the norm for her. “Of course, babe. Just hold tight. I also need to swing by Aidan’s to pick up the Kenson contracts. He was supposed to leave them out for me before leaving for the weekend.” When she gives me a worried look, I quickly add, “I’ll pick up your food first and you can eat it there, okay?”
Lia gives me a dazzling smile that lets me know I’m her hero or,
in this case, her Ronald McDonald. “Thank you, honey.”
Thankfully, McDonald’s isn’t crowded and within twenty minutes, Lia is munching on a cheeseburger in Aidan’s kitchen while I flip through the signed contract. It’s taken months and a lot of negotiations, but Kenson will soon be a part of Quinn Software. Aidan worked his ass off on the deal and he’ll be well rewarded for it.
Lia gives a groan of bliss as she finishes her food and takes a sip of her drink. “Feeling better?” I smirk as she lets out a delicate burp.
Her cheeks bloom pink as she mumbles, “Excuse me. I didn’t mean for that to happen.”
“It’s quite all right, sweetheart. Sam does it all the time.” She sticks her tongue out at me before picking up her trash and putting it away. I look at my watch. “We’d better get going before we’re late.” We’re just steps away from the front door when I hear keys turning in the lock. I’m momentarily surprised because I thought Aidan would be long gone by now since he’d taken today off. Maybe he’d forgotten something and had to come back.
I see his familiar face as the door opens. He steps to the side and ushers someone ahead of him. I brace myself for an awkward run-in with Monique or some other one-night stand. When the woman turns toward me, my world screeches abruptly to a halt. “Oh my God,” I hiss, feeling like I’m in the middle of a bad dream.
Aidan looks up at the sound of my voice, blanching when he sees me gaping at him. “Luc. What’re you doing here?” I am incapable of answering him as I continue to stare at the woman beside him. Her hair is pulled tightly away from her face in a ponytail. She’s pale and doesn’t appear to be wearing any makeup. She’s also thinner than usual—almost waif-like.
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