Girl Crush

by Stephie Walls

“You needed to feel that reaction. Everything else is easy. It’s all just details.”

  Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, but I didn’t know if they were happy or sad, maybe a combination of both. The ending of a portion of my life in favor of starting another.

  “What about you? Are you going to be okay with all of this?” I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear the words just the same.

  He rolled over on top of me and settled his weight between my thighs. The pad of his thumb brushed my eyebrow as he stared intently into the core of who I was. His gaze went past my eyes and into a part of me no one else had ever dared to touch. “I’m over-the-moon happy, babe.”

  Collier proceeded to caress my face and kissed my neck. Soon, my shirt and leggings were gone, along with what little lingerie I’d had on. I hadn’t figured out how he’d gotten naked at the same time, but there we were, two people who loved each other, connected in the most intimate way possible. His hips rolled into mine, and I met him stroke for stroke in a leisurely expression of love. Somehow, the rest would work out, but today, I got to enjoy my fiancé over and over without interruption.

  Oddly, I hadn’t been the one who’d had a difficult time keeping her mouth shut. Collier almost slipped just about every time we were with any of our friends. I’d made him agree not to share our news until after I’d made it past the first trimester. I was older, and there were more risks. I didn’t want to have to break that news, too, so he had agreed to wait. Except that every time I turned around, he was gawking at a dad with a baby, or commenting on how cute a family was. And when he cut off pool time, our friends thought he was certifiably insane.

  “They’re going to know something’s up…or think we hate them, West. You can’t cut off the pool. They all live in our backyard.”

  “Giselle, you said yourself that Ronnie has suspicions, and she and I both commented on the fact your body had already changed some. I know you don’t want to hear this, but your tummy is a little rounded. It wouldn’t be noticeable except you’re normally flat as can be. You have better abs than most men I know. And they’ve softened a good bit.”

  I swatted him across the belly, the sound of my fingers hitting his bare skin made it sound harsher than it was. “Did you seriously just tell me I’d already gotten fat?”

  His arms circled around me and dragged me into his chest. The laugh that rumbled through his body shook me with him. “No, babe. I’m just saying your friends will notice. And if you don’t want questions, we need to eliminate chances for them to ask until you’re ready to answer.”

  “Then I guess we need to tell them because I’m not willing to hurt their feelings.”

  “Done.” He let me go and reached for his cell phone on the counter.

  I grabbed at his forearm. “What? You’re just going to call them and tell them?”

  “No. I was going to text them in a group message.”

  My jaw dropped—I was appalled. And he laughed. “You can’t tell our friends we’re pregnant in a text message, Collier!”

  “Elle. I’m going to ask them to come over so we can tell them all at once.”

  I loved the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled and laughed at the same time. My heart soared when his face lit up with excitement, and I loved nothing more than to be the reason for his happiness.

  With me tucked into his side, he held me with one hand and used the other to send out a group invite to our clan. It appeared Saturday was the day we would come out of hiding. And I’d be just shy of twelve weeks.

  He set the phone down and leaned against the counter, never letting me go. Face to face, he looked me in the eye, and I waited for whatever he wanted to say. “I know we haven’t talked much about a wedding, but I want you to have my last name before our baby gets here.”

  “Collier, are you kidding me? I’m already struggling to fit into anything I own. I’d look like a whale in a wedding dress.”

  “Why does it have to be a traditional gown? Or an elaborate party? Is that really important to you?”

  I hadn’t thought about it. “I don’t know. I just figured it would be something you’d make a big deal out of.” I couldn’t tell if I was hurt or excited. I’d assumed we’d have a big wedding to satisfy Collier’s business and social obligations, but now that I thought about it, other than the occasional dinner, West didn’t do social functions outside of our group. And he never brought work home with him. Beck was his only family, and my parents had moved out of town years ago.

  “All assumptions aside…if you could do what you wanted, what would it be?”

  Oddly, I wasn’t that girl who dreamed of spending one hundred thousand dollars on a wedding. Even with my first one, I hadn’t really cared. I had wanted it to be nice, but we certainly didn’t go over the top. “It doesn’t matter. As long as you’re there, the rest is just icing on the cake.”

  “Would you be open to doing it this weekend?” His eyebrows rose, and I knew it was what he wanted.

  “How would we get a wedding together in that short period of time, West?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Of course, but this is a wedding, not a bonfire at the beach.” I had no reason to doubt he would do anything short of spectacular, but it seemed odd that the groom would plan the event.

  “We’ll do it here. Our friends won’t know. Get a dress you think is appropriate and leave the rest to me. Oh, and tell your boss you won’t be in next week.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  His lips met my neck just behind my ear at that spot that drove me wild. The heat of his words on my skin sent bumps pebbling across my skin. “Of course you can.” The vibration from his throat caused me to shudder in a sensual way.

  West knew how to get what he wanted from me, and this was it. But before I gave in, I’d get what I wanted. It didn’t take long for him to persuade me without my shorts on and his jeans unzipped and hanging just below his ass. The way he took me on the counter was powerful and just short of rough. When he finally brought me release, followed by his own, I agreed to let him plan our special day. I just hadn’t been prepared for him to keep it all a secret. And realized thirty minutes too late another opportunity had passed for me to get the keys to his car.

  “Hey, whore.” Ronnie had been trying to catch me by phone for days, but I’d successfully managed to avoid her and pacified her with the occasional text message. She’d know instantly if I lied to her, and I couldn’t risk her asking questions. She’d finally caught me and showed up just before lunch on Friday.

  “What are you doing here?” Shit. Shit. Shit. I couldn’t keep anything from her. She’d know just by looking at me that I didn’t have just one secret but two. That was the problem with having a friend who knows you better than you knew yourself. And then there was the whole eye twitch thing she swore by.

  “Playing detective.” Her smirk reached her eyes, and they glimmered with mischief.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I tried to play coy, act like I had no clue what she referred to. At this rate, she’d have every bit of intel I had to offer in a matter of minutes. It was a good thing no one had ever given me a key to Fort Knox.

  “What are you hiding, Gizzy?”

  “I hate you.”

  “You love me. Spill it.”

  Again, I tried unsuccessfully. “I really don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Giselle…” She drew my name out like my mother used to do when I was a child, and I instantly reverted to my adolescence.

  Sticking my tongue out at her did nothing other than confirm her suspicion.

  Ronnie tilted her head to the side, raised her eyebrows, folded her arms under her perfectly perfect tits, and waited.

  I looked down at the paperwork on my desk as though something on the pages pertained to me and required my attention. The words might as well have been in a foreign language. I didn’t speak legal mumbo jumbo.

  “You and I both know
Stearns and Wilkes pays you to look pretty, so quit trying to pretend you have a clue what’s on that contract and stick it in an envelope for whoever is picking it up.”

  I’d already told her I hated her and stuck my tongue out. All that was left was the fuck you stare, and I gave it with all my might. To which she laughed.

  “I can sit here all day, Gizzy. I have nothing but time, and you have no willpower.”

  “You’re going to get me in so much trouble. Why can’t you just let this go?”

  “It’s not who I am.” Ronnie leaned back in the chair she’d sat her happy ass in and crossed her long legs, settling in to wait.

  “Ugh, fine.”

  “You cave way too easily, Giz.”

  The truth was I had been dying to talk to her anyhow. Now I could blame peer pressure for my slip. Sort of. “There’s something going on tomorrow when you guys come to the house.”

  She sat back up, suddenly more interested than she had been while badgering me to tell her what I was hiding. “What kind of something?”

  “Can’t you just let it go? This is Collier’s thing, and I don’t want to spoil it. And honestly, I don’t know much. He’s kept it a secret from me, too. And after this conversation, I know why.”

  “Just tell me what it is, I don’t have to have details.”

  “That’s good because other than my dress, I know nothing.”

  Ronnie about knocked the chair in front of my desk over when she shot up out of it. “Your dress? For what?”

  I held her stare but didn’t respond with anything other than a brow raise and cocking my head. Technically, if she guessed on her own, then I hadn’t told her. It was a loophole I willingly used.

  “Oh my God, Giselle!” she shrieked like a banshee, causing me to cringe at the sheer volume of her cry. “We’re coming to your wedding tomorrow?” I continued to watch her and wait for her response to unfold. It would come in layers, one by one they peeled away. “West told us it was a pool party. We’re all coming in swimsuits.” Her chest heaved with exasperation. “I can’t attend a wedding in a bikini.” Her dark eyes roamed the room as she thought out loud.

  It was coming, I was just waiting for her to get there. When her focus settled on me and then dropped to my belly, the lightbulb went off.

  “Shotgun.”

  I scrunched my mouth and nose up to indicate she’d hit the nail on the head.

  “Holy shit, Gizzy. You really are pregnant.”

  My head bobbed slowly confirming her suspicion.

  “You’re getting married and announcing a baby in your backyard…tomorrow. And you let Collier plan this event? What the hell were you thinking?”

  I stood and walked around my desk and took my best friend’s hands that had been flying in the air to animate her statements. “I’m thinking that I love him. And this is what he wanted to do. You know I don’t care about this kind of thing.” I desperately needed her approval. More than anyone, I had to know she was by my side in this. “I want my child to have the same last name as its father…and I want to share that with them. I don’t want to keep running around like a tornado waiting to land. Collier is it for me, and I don’t care if that means meeting him at the courthouse.”

  Still holding my hands, she plopped down into the chair she’d almost toppled over, and her boobs pounced on her impact. “I never thought you’d do it again.” When she looked up at me, her eyes were pooled with tears. And the corners of her mouth slowly tipped up into a grin. “Does he know I’ll kill him if he fucks up?” My best friend winked at me and nothing else mattered.

  Ronnie had been with me through adolescence, puberty, boys, marriage, adultery, divorce, girls, and now Collier. I couldn’t wait to see her with my son or daughter. And for the first time since she started hounding me about the size of my melons, I was excited about where my life was going. Not that I wasn’t before, but there was something keeping me from letting go and free falling, and that hang-up was now gone.

  I leaned against the desk and waited for her to say something more. Her eyes met mine, and she smiled. “What color nail polish are you wearing for the big event?”

  My head dropped back in laughter. “Never a Dulles Moment.”

  “Wait, isn’t that an ugly-ass curry color?”

  “I prefer matte gold.”

  “You are not wearing that on your fingers to your wedding. I don’t care if you get married in a cardboard box. Not going to happen.” She pulled her phone out and started Googling something, likely nail polish choices. This was mission critical. “I’m going to run down to the nail shop.”

  “Ronnie, I can go after work. Just tell me what color you’re thinking.”

  She turned the phone around so I could see the screen. The hibiscus pink was perfect for a wedding, but the writing was too small for me to see.

  “What’s it called?”

  “Getting Nadi on my Honeymoon.” We both burst out laughing, and I couldn’t think of anyone I’d rather have shared this moment with…even if Collier would be mad that Ronnie knew ahead of time.

  “I’ll pick it up tonight on my way home.” I paused before addressing my friend. “V, you know you still have to come in a swimsuit, right? Whatever he has planned, he expects you to think it’s a pool party.”

  “I got it. I got it. But, I am going to encourage all the girls to go shopping tonight. If they don’t heed the warning, that’s on them. I, however, will be camera ready with new digs and perfect hair and makeup.”

  She slung her enormous purse over her shoulder and stood on her outrageously expensive heels. Her eyes had turned bloodshot, and I knew she was fighting tears, again. “I love him for you.” That was the biggest compliment my bitch of a best friend could pay—no one had ever been good enough for me.

  No one.

  20

  Collier had been all kinds of secretive Friday night, and Saturday morning, he shipped me off to a spa for a couple of hours of pampering. I took my new bottle of OPI with me and enjoyed the royal treatment—manicure, pedicure, massage, hair, and makeup. As the girl finished setting my face with some mist to hold her work in place, my nerves set in. Or maybe it was morning sickness. Whichever it was sent me flying to the bathroom to empty my stomach. I wiped my mouth and dreaded looking in the mirror for fear of what my retching had done to the paint on my face. To my surprise, every bit of it held, including the mascara when my eyes watered. The only thing that needed a touch-up was my lips. This girl was good.

  She fixed my lipstick and seemed as pleased as I was. I’d opted for a more casual up-do and added fresh flowers to make it special. But with the natural appearance of my makeup, the high ponytail with large curls fit perfectly. I hadn’t wanted to break the bank on a dress I’d wear once, especially not one only donned poolside. But the one I’d found caught my attention and hid my rounding belly with an empire waist while accentuating my ta-tas. The spaghetti straps were perfect for the location, and the material was light and flowy. Organza with a gauze-like overlay that gathered in the center just beneath the dropped V-neck. The skirt skimmed the tops of my toes, and I’d opted to go barefoot. And instead of lingerie underneath, I chose a white strapless bikini to be able to enjoy the sun with my friends. Although I probably should have cleared that part with Collier.

  By the time I got home, cars had filled our driveway, most of which I recognized, and one or two I didn’t. I parked in the garage, but when I went inside, Ronnie stood waiting for me in the kitchen. She whisked me away to a bedroom facing the front yard and held me captive.

  “What are we doing back here?”

  She opened the closet to reveal the plastic my dress hung in. “You need to change clothes. Your friends are out back.”

  I closed the door behind me to ensure no one walking by got a peek at the goods. “Did you get the swimsuit, too?”

  “I grabbed everything that was with the dress. It’s in the bottom of the garment bag.”

  “How long do I have?” Clearly,
Ronnie had been brought in on the plan since she’d been given the task of getting me dressed.

  “As long as you want. Collier just told me to let him know when you’re ready.”

  I started to strip out of my shirt and shorts. “Who all is here?”

  “All the girls, his friends, and the catering staff, minister, and photographer.”

  Just as my shorts hit the floor, V gasped, and I realized she hadn’t mentioned music. “What about music? Please tell me there will be music.”

  But I’d lost my best friend’s attention. She’d taken two steps to get next to me, and her hand now rested just below my belly button on my bare skin. My hands dropped to my side, and I pushed my hips toward her just slightly.

  “Gizzy, there’s a baby in there…like for real.” Her eyes met mine, and the wonder dancing in her black irises brought a soft smile to my lips.

  My response was barely a whisper. “Now you see why none of this really matters. I mean, it does, but it’s pretty insignificant in the long run.”

  Her hand left my tummy, and her arms wrapped around my neck. “I’m so happy for you. I can’t wait to meet the little guy.”

  “Or girl.” I needed to remind her that there was a possibility of another gender.

  “Or boy.”

  “Or girl…”

  She laughed, knowing a boy would be disastrous for me. I wouldn’t have a clue how to even change a little boy’s diapers, much less raise one. I would be much better suited for a girl with fancy dresses, cute hair, and nail polish.

  “What if it’s twins?”

  I hated her. “It’s not twins, you whore. Jesus, why would you even say that?”

  “Because Collier is a twin…”

  I didn’t bother to tell her I’d thought the same thing; instead, I explained as though I’d known all along what Collier had told me to ease my mind. “He’s a fraternal twin.”

  “So? That’s still a twin, right?”

  “Yes, but that means it comes from the mother’s side. He wasn’t an embryo that split like identical twins are, he was one of two eggs fertilized at the same time. Meaning his mom was like a superhero egg maker or some shit. Most women only have one at a time.”