Jenn watched me closely for a moment before speaking again. “So … adoption, huh?”
I nodded, still shoveling away at the ice cream. “Looks like it,” I replied. “It’s for the best. Could you imagine me as a mom? That poor kid.”
“I don’t know, I think you could be a great mother.”
“Someday,” I protested. “Not now. For God’s sake, I don’t even have a job and my financial river is about to run dry. This couldn’t be a worse time for me to become a mother.”
“Well, we have your back no matter what. You know that.”
“I do, but don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You should be more worried about Kinsley. I know I am. Something is seriously wrong with that girl.”
Jenn’s expression shifted swiftly and I could see that she was worried, too. “It’s the whole Aaron thing,” she said. “And the whole cheerleading thing, and her parents. So really, it’s everything.”
I frowned. “What’s going on with cheerleading and her parents? I don’t know anything because she doesn’t talk to me. You’re the one she confides in.”
“It’s not that she doesn’t trust you,” she said. “It’s just that we were so close already before you moved in. It takes her a while to open up and she doesn’t like to admit to imperfection.”
That’s for damn sure. Kinsley is a type A personality to the core. Perfection is what she strives for, and anything less than that makes her feel like a failure. That girl is way too hard on herself.
“Well,” Jenn continued, “you know why Aaron dumped her don’t you?”
I shook my head.
“He told her he was bored. She was too perfect and too ordered and he wanted spontaneity.”
“That asshole! He wasn’t exactly Mr. Interesting himself.”
“You can say that again,” Jenn scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Honestly, I think he found someone else, but I never told Kinsley my theory. Anyway, ever since the breakup, she’s been so dead set on controlling everything. It’s like the breakup made her zany little case of OCD even worse.”
“If she feels in control, then the pain isn’t as bad,” I murmured, leaving the spoon inside the empty ice cream carton. “I get that.”
“Yeah, except now other things are starting to fall apart for her and she can’t deal. Her parents are splitting up, and there’s a new head coach for the cheer squad this year. She’s a real bitch and she’s been riding Kins about her weight.”
I scowled. “She’s a perfect size eight, what’s the problem?”
“Apparently size eight is too large,” she said sarcastically. “She’s been telling her it could jeopardize her spot on the squad if she doesn’t lose at least twenty pounds. This is Kinsley’s last chance at the regional and state competitions, and she’s determined to get there.”
“Twenty pounds? That’s insane!”
Jenn nodded in agreement. “I know, and I told Kinsley that. She said she wasn’t going to do anything unhealthy, but I’m worried about her, too. She isn’t really talking to me much these days either. She’s been so moody, hot and cold, I don’t even know what to say to her.”
“Maybe she just needs space,” I offered.
“If it were you we were talking about, I’d agree, but this is Kinsley. It’s not like her at all.”
“People change. Just give her time and space to deal with all of the changes in her life and I’m sure she’ll snap out of it.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she answered reluctantly. “Now come on,” she added, lifting the newspaper I’d laid on the counter between us, “let’s find you a job!”
“Rise and shine, princess.”
I opened one bleary eye and peered through the strands of hair that’d fallen into my face. Finding Chase on the other side of the platinum strands, I groaned and snapped my eye shut again.
My voice was muffled as I buried my face in the pillow. “Go. Away.”
“No can do,” he replied, snatching the blanket away from me, causing me to curl into a tight ball. “You have job hunting to do before class today.”
“Job hunting later,” I grumbled. “Sleep now.”
“It’s eight-thirty and I have to get to work. Now are you going to get up, or am I going to have to physically remove you from the bed?”
I rolled onto my back and forced my eyes open. “I hate you so much.”
Grinning, Chase sat on the edge of the mattress and pushed my hair back, kissing my cheek. “No you don’t. You better get used to this, people with day jobs have to wake up before noon. Now eat your eggs before they get cold.”
I sat up slowly to find a plate sitting on the nightstand. “You made me eggs,” I said. “I take it back, I don’t hate you.”
He laughed in that hearty way of his that I was coming to love. “I have to leave for work in a few minutes, but I wanted to wish you good luck on your first day of job hunting.”
Reaching for the plate, I snagged a piece of bacon and took a big bite.
“Don’t forget your juice.” He inclined his head toward the glass I hadn’t seen beside my plate.
I scowled at the glass. “That is not juice. It’s green. Juice is not green.”
He smirked. “It is when there’s kale in it. Come on, it’s good. I used the juicer and sweetened it with grapes so you can hardly even taste the veggies.”
I took the glass and eyed it suspiciously before sniffing its contents. “And we’re back to hate.”
Chase leaned closer and gave me a stern look that only made me want to jump into his lap and grind my hips against his. “Kale is full of iron, which pregnant women need more of. We don’t want you getting anemic. You need your energy if you’re going to start a new job. Drink up, princess.”
Watching him over the rim, I took a careful sip. Surprisingly, the juice wasn’t all that bad. “There, I’m drinking it. Happy now?”
Chase leaned in and took my lips with his, the kiss slow, thorough and lingering. “I am now,” he said huskily as he pulled away. “I’ll see you this afternoon. Go out there and kick some ass.”
“I’ll try,” I said, attempting to sound more confident than I felt.
Chase stood and left, his cute little butt tantalizing me from beneath his khakis. Once he was gone, I finished eating and forced myself to leave the bed. Kinsley had already gone to her first class, and Christian was downstairs with Luke and Jenn, so I had the entire bedroom and bathroom to myself as I got ready for my first day of job hunting. After showering and blow-drying my hair, I chose my outfit with care. Settling on a black Donna Karan suit that I’d never worn, and a crisp, white blouse, I flat-ironed my hair and applied my make-up. I barely managed to button the pants or the blouse, which was a depressing reminder of all the changes that were happening to my body. Willing the top button of my blouse to stay closed over my oversized boobs, I left the apartment.
The morning was mild, warm and sunny, which I took as a good sign. I was determined now, more than ever, to prove to my dad that I was actually good for more than spending his money.
By the end of the day, I’d filled out six applications and scheduled three interviews for later in the week. I made it back to the apartment just in time for my classes. I was tired and hungry, but proud of myself.
This independence thing wasn’t going to be so hard.
Three weeks later, I still didn’t have a job. Who knew getting employment could be so hard?
“They want me to have experience,” I griped to Chase. We were sprawled across his bed, filling out the mountains of paperwork we were given by the adoption agency we’d chosen to handle placing Blob in a good home. “How the hell am I supposed to gain experience if no one will give me a job so I can get some?”
Chase paused and set his paperwork aside, taking one of my feet and settling it in his lap. I sighed as he started rubbing, slowly and deeply, his thumbs applying the perfect amount of pressure to the arch of my foot.
“You’re doing great,” he said. “Don’t w
orry, you’ll find something. Jobs are scarce right now, but the right one for you is out there somewhere.”
Frowning at the paperwork in my lap, I absently chewed on my pen. “They want to know if we want an open adoption,” I mumbled around the pen.
“What’s that mean?” he asked, continuing to rub my foot.
“According to this, if we choose an open adoption, we get to meet the birth parents in person. We can even choose to give them our addresses so they can send us updates about Blob, and pictures and stuff.”
Chase found a tender spot near the ball of my foot and applied gentle pressure. “How do you feel about that?”
“I don’t know, it seems like it would be harder that way, you know?”
“The easy way isn’t always the best way,” he countered. “People look good on paper, but you can’t get a true sense for who they are until you meet and get to know someone face to face.”
“God, I hate it when you’re right.”
“I’d think you’d be used to it by now.”
Dislodging my foot from his hold, I aimed a kick at his chest. “Smart ass.”
Catching my foot, he moved it aside before reaching for the other one. A perfectly applied stroke near my heel made me docile as a kitten. “Admit it, you love me.”
I stared up at him, my pen pressed to the paper and creating a rapidly spreading ink blotch. Chase’s eyes widened as silence passed between us and his joke became something else entirely. He cleared his throat and lowered his gaze back down to my bare foot.
“Chloe—”
“Oh my God!” I cried, almost leaping a mile in the air when my stomach quivered. I felt as if something was jabbing me from the inside.
Chase jumped up, worry already lining his face. “Chloe, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“Oh my God! Oh my God!” I cried, pressing a hand to the little bump that had started to show in my middle over the last few weeks. “Something’s wrong with Blob.”
“What?” Chase grabbed my arm, his eyes searching me for any sign of distress or injury. “Are you in pain?”
I shook my head, but then the weird feeling happened again and I yelped. “There it is again!” I screamed. “Call 911, or something!”
“First you have to tell me what’s wrong so I know what to tell them. What’s the matter?”
I gestured toward my stomach wildly, leaping to my feet. “There was this weird feeling! Like something slithering around in there!”
Chase’s worry turned into shock, and then amusement. “A slithering feeling, huh?” He came forward and pressed his hand to my belly. “Hold still.”
I obeyed and stared down to where his hand rested on my middle. My heart raced as I thought of all the things that could be wrong with the baby. “I did everything right,” I insisted. “I’ve been taking my vitamins, and eating good and drinking that nasty kale juice … no alcohol, no caffeine … I didn’t do this, did I? There it is again! What is it?”
Chase’s eyes were wide with awe as he stared up at me. “Sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong. This is perfectly normal.”
I blinked back the tears that had been building up and breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Really?”
He nodded, smiling as he cupped my face in his hand and pulled me toward him. “Blob is just saying hello to you, that’s all. His first little kick.”
“That’s what it feels like?” I wondered aloud. “I had no idea. Oh, there it is again. Wow, he’s a busybody isn’t he?”
Chase knelt in front of me and pulled up my shirt, exposing the little bump and putting both hands over it. “That is the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt,” he whispered.
I stared down at them both: Chase kneeling in front of me and the little life making its presence known inside of me. “Once you get used to it, it feels less like an alien life form is going to burst out of your belly button, and more like a little butterfly beating its wings in there.”
Chase chuckled, pressing a kiss just below my belly button. I trembled at the light caress of his lips.
Suddenly, the door to his room swung open, and Christian and Kinsley stood on the other side, peering in worriedly. When they saw Chase on his knees in front of me, and my shirt pulled up to expose my belly, they faltered. Christian covered his eyes and Kinsley gasped.
“Oh man, our bad,” Christian said, backpedalling away from the door with his eyes averted. “We didn’t know you guys were …”
“We heard screaming,” Kinsley added, “and thought something was wrong.”
“It’s okay, guys,” I said, waving them into the room. “Nothing is wrong, and we weren’t doing that. I just freaked out for a second but everything’s okay. Blob just kicked for the first time!”
“Really? That’s amazing!” Kinsley squealed, her dark eyes wide as she came into the room and pressed her hand to my stomach.
“Wait, he’ll probably do it again in a second,” Chase said, making room for Kinsley’s hand on my belly.
“Well, now it’s a threesome,” I said wryly as they both continued groping my stomach and waiting for something to happen.
“Oh, there it is!” Kinsley cried excitedly as Blob kicked again. “Christian, get over here, you have to feel this.”
Christian leaned against the doorframe and watched us from the hall. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Seriously, dude, this is so cool,” Kinsley said. “Come on!”
“Might as well make it an all-out orgy,” I muttered, waving Christian into the room.
He came in reluctantly, his hands deep in his pockets as he approached. He reached out slowly, finding a spot just above Kinsley’s hand. We must have stood there at least five minutes just waiting for something to happen.
“Maybe he’s tired now, guys,” I said when the sixth minute passed without another kick. “He’s not a performing monkey, you know.”
“Shh!” Kinsley admonished. “It’ll happen, just give it a minute!”
“My uterus, my rules,” I groused, “now get off.”
“Wait, there it is again!” Chase said. “Whoa, that was a big one.”
“Wow, that was pretty cool,” Christian remarked.
“What the hell is going on in here?”
All four of our heads swiveled toward the door where Luke and Jenn were standing and watching us, confusion creasing their foreheads. I smiled sheepishly and jerked my shirt down, forcing everyone to pull their hands away.
“Things have been weird around here since we moved out,” Jenn mumbled. With a shake of her head, she turned and headed back toward the stairs.
Chapter 9
“How about this couple? He’s an army captain, and she’s a nurse. They’re stationed at Fort Hood.”
Glancing up at Jenn from across the kitchen table, I mulled over the proposed couple. After turning in our paperwork with the adoption agency, Chase and I had come home with binders full of information sheets on families, couples, and even a few single people, who were looking to adopt.
“Well, having a nurse for a mother would be good,” I said. “If Blob gets hurt or sick, she’ll know what to do. An army dad would know what to do in the case of a zombie apocalypse or something.”
“We’ll put them in the maybe pile then,” Jenn said, removing the sheet from binder and setting it on top of the other family we’d set aside. “Family three-seventy-two, meet family three-sixty-nine, your competition.”
Kinsley shuffled through the stack we’d given her, her cheer skirt making a perfect circle on the floor around her. Looking at her now, I could see that she’d lost at least ten pounds. It didn’t look bad on her, but I was still worried. She seemed to be in a good mood today, though, so I didn’t want to upset that.
“Shouldn’t Chase be helping you with this?” she asked.
“I told him to go home for the weekend,” I replied, flipping past a family who listed ‘basket weaving’ as one of their hobbies. I could practically hear baby Blob yawning at the thought. “He hasn�
��t been in two weeks and his mom needs him more than I do. Besides, I think we need a break from each other. I mean, I’m pregnant, not handicapped. He’s driving me nuts telling me what I should eat and making me juice and bringing me eggs.”
Jenn rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I totally hate it when a guy acts like he cares about me.”
“You know what I mean,” I countered, reciprocating the eye roll. “I don’t hate it. Actually, I like it. A lot.”
Kinsley grinned. “Maybe you even love it … and him?”
I shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant about it as I paused on the next page of potential parents. “Maybe,” I said. The truth was, my insides were a storm of emotions. It was hard to sort them out and focus on any one at one time. Now I understood what pregnant women meant about being hormonal. I felt like my emotional meter was all over the place and could turn on a dime at the slightest provocation.
“What’s this?” Jenn teased. “Chloe, in love?”
“It’s the baby,” I argued with a shrug. “It’s making me so emotional and irrational.”
“You’re like a real woman now or something,” Kinsley quipped. “Ooh, this family looks promising. They’re both doctors.”
“Two doctors in the family means they probably work too much,” I replied. “I won’t put Blob through what my dad put me through. Pass.”
Kinsley went back to her stack. “Anyway, I think you and Chase make a cute couple. It’s okay to admit it if you love him, you know. You guys are going through this huge thing together and it’s only going to bring you closer together.”
“Yeah, but if it wasn’t for Blob, we probably wouldn’t even be a couple,” I argued.
“And if I’d never started dating Dain, Luke would have never started acting like a jealous ass, and I would never have known how he felt about me. I would never have realized that I felt the same way. Things happen for a reason, Chloe.”
“You know I’ve never really believed that. I’m a cynic, and with good reason, especially when it comes to relationships. Chase is amazing, but he’s far from perfect.”
Brat Page 13
