42. Trevor
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
TREVOR
T ossing another pink giraffe in the cart, I smile at the eye roll Willa sends my way.
“Yeah, because five isn’t an excessive number of pink giraffes for a newborn to have…” Her sarcasm is clear, but the fake scowl gives way to a cute little smirk.
“You’re right. Let’s balance it out with some pink elephants.” I wink, and she pushes the cart past me.
Last night, I suggested we spend our Saturday morning looking at baby clothes and nursery items now that we know we’re having a girl.
Willa’s transitioning her home studio to make room for the baby, and we’ve cleared enough space to decorate.
After being stuck in the house for the last few weeks, she eagerly jumped at the opportunity to run errands.
I haven’t seen her wince at the steadily growing crowd once.
Reaching for the shelf, I snag an elephant.
“Tre, you’re going to spoil her.”
“Good. Then she’ll grow up knowing she deserves to be spoiled.” I dodge another eye roll by dropping a kiss on her forehead. “A lesson her mama still needs to learn.”
“Oh, and you think you’re the one who’s going to teach me?”
“All part of my master plan.” I cover Willa’s hand on the shopping cart, and she spreads her fingers, letting mine fill the space in between. We round the corner and face a wall full of diapers. “Do you think it’s too early to start stocking up?”
A puff of air wheezes past her lips as she settles into a pout. “I don’t even know. I’ve read every single baby book in the house and still have no idea what I’m doing.”
“I mean, you’re not supposed to know everything, Gem,” I tease.
“Sounds fake.” She laughs, but the smile falls from her face. “I don’t know the first thing about babies. Hell, I don’t even know how to be a good mom.”
“Whoa. Hey. Nope.” I angle the cart to the side and turn her to face me. “We’re not doing that.”
“It’s true! You’ve seen what I grew up with. What if I’m just like her?”
“You won’t be.”
“I might…”
I tug her toward me. “You won’t, and the fact that you’re worried about it now shows you won’t. You know what it was like to grow up in that environment. You overcame it. I have no doubts you’ll do everything in your power to give our daughter all the love and support in the world.”
“I don’t even know how to change a diaper, Tre.” Tears well in Willa’s eyes, and I wrap my arms around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“Good thing they have classes for that. We can sign up for one when we get home.”
“I should probably call my therapist…”
“That’s a good idea.” I nod. She looks up at me and sniffles, smiling a little when I wipe the wetness from her cheeks. “Just to help you feel a little more confident in yourself. You’ve got this, sweetheart. We ’ ve got this, and you don’t have to figure everything out on your own anymore.”
Willa snuggles into me and sighs. “It still feels like I do.”
“Well, you don’t.” I stroke her back, hoping to ease her mind. “You have me now. And Ash and Hunter, and your therapist. Sam. Even the girls at the studio have your back. We’re all here for you, and we’re all cheering you on.”
She props her chin on my chest to look up at me, and despite the red-rimmed eyes, she smiles. “I have you.”
Wholly . Entirely . If only you knew . “You have me.” I smile back and nod.
She tips on her toes and graces me with a peck on the lips, then turns back to the cart. “Let’s go. I’m starving.”
Hand in hand, we stroll across the parking lot toward the red-brick Lunch-a-Bunch building. I pull Willa in close to steal a kiss before we reach the door.
“What was that for?”
Shrugging, I smile at the flushing on her neck. “Just wanted to.”
Her reaction to me when I surprise her with the most basic acts of affection is extremely adorable. I know she’s not used to being treated well in relationships, but that I’m the one who gets to show her how it feels to be cherished—the fact that she lets me—means the world.
“ There they are ,” Hunter calls across the parking lot. “My two favorite people.”
Willa pulls away like she just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar, but I hold her at the waist to keep her close.
I know her past makes her hesitant with me in public, but she won’t get used to the idea of us together unless she moves past the discomfort.
She sends me a small grin, as if apologizing for the impulse to hide, and I pull her closer.
“Favorite?” she asks Hunter.
“Yeah. You two are looking at the newest LA Frost season ticket holder.”
“Nice,” I say, raising a fist to his. “Let me in on one of those games.”
“I haven’t purchased them yet …” Ashlie rolls her eyes and hip checks Hunter.
“But you will. You’re just mad you have to sit through every hockey game with me, and I have them to thank.” He turns to us with a smart-ass smirk on his face. “Thanks for boning before New Year’s. I owe you one.”
“ Ugh ! You’re so annoying.” Ashlie pushes his shoulder and takes a step toward us, yelping when she’s pulled back by Hunter’s hand around her waist.
“That’s not what you were saying this morning…” Hunter wraps his arms around her from behind and snuggles into her neck, inducing a round of giggles from the both of them.
“Ew. I didn’t need that visual.” Willa grimaces.
Ashlie throws a glare at her sister. “ Okay , little Ms. Oops, I’m Pregnant. You two owe me a pair of shoes for not being able to keep it in your pants.”
Hunter laughs and leads the way to the door.
It’s only a few minutes before we’re seated at a booth against the large picture window.
The powder blue and sage green walls are lined with plants and macramé tapestries.
Willa snuggles into my side while she looks over the menu.
The smirk that settles across my face while I watch her feels like a reflex at this point.
Whenever I see her, even if it’s only the milliseconds between blinking, I grin.
I can’t help it. She’s chiseled out a spot in the middle of my heart, and I’m so in love with her I can’t do anything but smile about it.
Ashlie clears her throat, and Hunter snickers, snapping me out of my daze.
They laugh like they heard every single one of my thoughts.
My cheeks flush. I don’t care about them knowing.
I’d shout this from the rooftops if it felt like the right time.
But Willa’s a delicate diamond, strategically placed on a pressure-sensitive platform.
If I don’t carefully swap the gem with those three little words at the same exact time, it’ll all be gone in a puff of smoke, with lasers and alarms blaring.
“So, the baby’s good?” Hunter asks, his eyebrows dipping.
“Yep,” I say. “Everything looked good at the appointment a couple days ago. That’s actually why we invited you two to lunch…”
Willa’s eyes meet mine, and we share a smile. Without breaking eye contact with me, she says, “We’re having a girl.”
“Woo!” Ashlie shimmies in her seat with a victory dance, holding her upturned palm in Hunter’s face. “Pay up, Hunt.”
Hunter sighs as he leans to the side for his wallet. “Man, I really thought it was a boy.”
“You two had a bet on my kid?” I chuckle, shaking my head at the money exchange happening in front of me. Hunter slaps a twenty-dollar bill in Ashlie’s hand. My eyes grow wide when he slides another twenty across the table to Willa. “ You had a bet going on our kid? When was this?”
Willa shrugs and pockets the money with a smirk. “Mama was bored on bed rest.”
“Good luck, bruh. Willa and Willa Jr. are gonna give you a run for your money.”
“Oh, I know.” I wink at my love, eliciting a playful side-eye from her. “I’m looking forward to it.”