Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
GEORGIA
Georgia
You guys
I’m freaking out
Presley
Is everything okay?
Joey
What’s wrong?
Joey
Is it the baby?
What? Why would you think that?
Rylee
Because you’re freaking out
The baby is fine
Grant and I are going on a date
Our first date
Presley
You guys haven’t gone out yet?
Rylee
Wait, Amy said she saw you at the Emporium?
Joey
And I know Sam told me y’all were at the barn together
I mean, yes, we’ve gone out
But that was like getting to know each other because we’re having a baby together
This is a real date
Joey
So none of those were real dates and now you’re freaking out?
Yes!
Keep up!
Rylee
Oooh! You’re freaking out because you like him
Rylee
Like, like like him
Presley
Of course she does
Joey
We knew that based on the fact that she told us about him after they slept together
Presley
But also, isn’t dating getting to know someone?
Presley
How is this your first date?
Rylee
Yeah, isn’t that why you date?
We’ve been discussing the baby
This is the two of us
You know, with feelings
Rylee
God, I love this so much for you
Rylee
It’s about damn time you found someone!
Joey
And you’re nervous as hell
Which is why I’m freaking out!
Rylee
You’ve never been like this with any guy, and I kind of love it for you, babe
Georgia
I’m regretting texting you
Rylee
It’s going to be fine
Joey
I’m with Rylee
Joey
It’s going to be fine
Joey
Grant clearly likes you, so you have nothing to worry about
My worry is that I’m in my second trimester and my belly is starting to pop and I don’t like how I look in anything I own
Presley
When do you want us to come over?
Presley
I have a few cute dresses I can bring
Joey
And your boots will do
Okay, I take back what I said
I’m glad I texted you
Rylee
Can we tell you we’re excited without you freaking out?
Joey
We still need to meet this guy
Presley
Make sure he’s good enough for our girl
Okay, fine
You can tell me here, but no mentioning it when you come over
Rylee
Good, because we’re really excited for you
Joey
Yeah, you’ve never talked about any guy
Presley
So we’re excited to meet him
Presley
Give him the third degree
There will be no questioning of Grant whatsoever or you’re banned from coming over
Presley
You’re no fun
Promise me
Rylee
Fine, I promise
Good
Be here in two hours
Feel free to bring the kids if no one can watch them
Joey
We’ll be there
Setting down my phone, I turn on some music to help calm my nerves. There’s nothing like having friends that have known you your entire life to make you feel loved. Even when they’re ridiculous and want to grill the father of your baby that you’re going on a first date with.
Yeah, still sounds weird to my ears.
I rub a hand over my burgeoning belly. It’s wild that one day my stomach was flat and now there’s the tiniest of bumps.
Not wanting to sit and worry about the date, I start to get ready.
I take a long, luxurious shower. The kind where you shave everything and even do a body scrub—because you can.
I’m not going to lie; I hope this date leads to more because as much time as Grant and I have spent together at the Emporium over the last few weeks, it’s all seemed pretty platonic since that night back in April.
And God, these hormones have really started kicking in because all I want to do is jump the man.
Who could blame me when he looks as good as he does every single day? No man should fill out a baseball shirt the way Grant Prescott does.
As I curl the last strand of hair, my front door bursts open.
“Hey, Georgia,” Joey calls out. “Where are you?”
I smile as I wrap my robe tighter around myself and walk into the living room, all of the girls standing in my entryway.
“Hi, Aunt Georgia,” Max says, wrapping his arms around me.
“Hey, buddy.” I lift him in my arms and give him a peck on the cheek.
“You look really pretty,” he says.
“Thanks. I’m going out with a friend tonight.”
“Mommy says we’re getting pancakes with Dad.”
I smile at him, glancing behind him to see Joey grinning. It didn’t take much for Max to start calling Sam “Dad” and he loves him.
“That sounds like a great night.”
Joey turns on the TV and takes Max from me. “Why don’t you watch some cartoons while we help Aunt Georgia, okay?”
“Okay.”
Rylee and Presley are behind her, each of them carrying dresses as they follow us back to my room.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Joey says. “But I thinks the green dress will be the most comfortable for you. It’s not a maternity dress, but it’s nice and flowy so you’ll feel good.”
She pushes it into my arms as I take a look at it. The sleeveless dress has a smocked chest and flows out from the bust with an empire waist.
“Pair it with your white cowboy boots and you’ll drive Grant crazy tonight,” Joey says.
“I’ll go try it on.”
I grab the dress and head into the bathroom.
I’m still getting used to the fact that my clothes aren’t fitting like they usually do.
And before I know it, I’m going to have to go shopping for an entire new wardrobe.
Joey and Presley might have some leftover maternity clothes for me to borrow, but at least having a work uniform of jeans and flannel shirts means I don’t spend a lot on clothes.
It’s also why I panicked about the date tonight. Nothing I own feels right.
“Where is Grant taking you?” Presley calls through the door.
“We’re going to Land and Sea,” I say.
“Ooh. He’s whipping out the big guns for tonight,” Joey says. “Sam took me there for dinner last week.”
“How’d you like it?”
It’s Pinecrest’s nicest restaurant—a combination of steak and seafood—and it’s one of the few places in town I’ve never been.
“It was incredible. Not that you can drink, but they had some great cocktails. I think you’ll really like it.”
“Grant did research it,” I say. “He wanted to make sure there was something I could eat.”
“You’ll eventually know what you can and can’t eat,” Presley says.
“I don’t miss those days,” Joey says. “I remember the first time I had a turkey sandwich after Max was born. It was the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”
“I freaked out over pancakes that first day, but luckily, nothing has made me sick.” I laugh.
I hear their laughter as I straighten out the dress and turn to look at myself in the mirror.
Ohh.
It does look really good. Gone is my usual uniform of jeans and flannel shirt with battered cowboy hat. The green brings out my eyes, and with my hair and makeup done for once, I look good. No.
I look sexy.
Stepping out into my room, I grin as all of their jaws drop.
“Damn, Georgia.” Joey whistles. “You really need to get out of your jeans more often.”
“Hey now.” I point at her.
“Yeah, but you are one hot mama in this,” Rylee says.
Presley nods in agreement. “If Grant doesn’t take you home, he’s lost his mind.”
“Seriously,” Joey says. “I’m surprised you’ve been able to resist Grant for this long once you hit your second trimester. Those hormones kicked in for me, and damn, all you want to do is get laid.”
“Okay, okay.” But I’m smiling at them.
It helps to settle my nerves. It’s weird to be going on a date with the guy you’re having a baby with. Grant and I are doing things all out of order.
But I don’t care. Because he’s here and we’re doing this.
“Here. We got you this to wear,” Joey says.
She pulls a gold chain out of a small black bag. A cowboy boot dangles from the end.
“Where’d you get this?” I ask, fingering the charm.
“From a small boutique online…Charms by Chloe, I think? We wanted to give you something for the baby, and I found this and knew it would be perfect for you,” Joey explains.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“We wanted to let you know that you and the baby aren’t alone,” Presley says.
Tears well in my eyes. “Please don’t make me cry.”
It’s the smallest of things, but the reminder that I have a family—even if not blood related—is what I needed tonight. No matter how things go with Grant, I have these women with me.
It’s all I ever needed.
But maybe there’s some room to add Grant, and Luke, into my found family.
The doorbell rings and my nerves go back to swarming.
I’ve never been so nervous and excited before a date.