Chapter 5
ELLIE
Standing in only my towel in front of my full-length mirror, I worked up the courage to look at myself completely naked.
Dropping it to the floor, every flaw and imperfection stared right back at me. My hips were wider than I’d like. My stomach was just a little too paunchy. And my thighs…still just as thick as they were growing up.
I tried to eat right. I exercised every morning, and nothing really ever took the thickness out of my body. I wasn’t really fat, but I definitely wasn’t a size six like I’d always wanted to be.
The only feature I could say I really had going for me was my boobs. Every man liked big boobs, and I had those in spades. Not that I liked them. I’d prefer something smaller so I didn’t feel like I was carrying around boulders on my chest twenty-four seven.
No matter how many times I told myself that looks didn’t matter, I couldn’t help but compare myself to my friends.
Josie was skinny and beautiful, full of life and energy.
Caroline, the beautiful nurse who was so freaking smart and made scrubs look like a fashion accessory.
And then there was Delaney. She was my nerdy friend, and she made it look good.
And then there was me. Yes, I had nice blonde hair. My face was decent, if not a little pudgy, and I knew how to dress to flatter my figure. But I could see underneath all of that. And I didn’t like any of it.
“This is ridiculous,” I muttered, grabbing underwear and a bra from my top drawer.
No matter how many times I looked at myself in the mirror and tried to tell myself I was beautiful, all I saw were the flaws. It was no wonder a man like Liam didn’t want me. Bailey was ten times as beautiful as me, and she always had been.
After tossing on some lounge clothes, I grabbed my laptop and headed out to my living room, snuggling under a blanket on my cozy couch. Yes, it was warm outside, but I never felt right unless I was snuggled under a blanket.
I scrolled through social media, checked my email, and then spent the better part of an hour watching funny cat videos for pure entertainment. I could have gotten some actual work done for my shop, but it was Sunday, and I didn’t feel like spending my whole weekend working.
When the doorbell rang, I glanced at the clock, smirking as I got up to answer. There was only one person it could be on a Sunday morning at this hour. Swinging the door open, I took the coffee out of Delaney’s hand, stepping out of the way for her to come in.
“Thanks,” I said, taking a sip of the delicious brew.
“God, it’s cold outside this morning,” she said, hurrying past me.
“It’s sixty degrees,” I said, peeking at the outdoor thermostat before shutting the door.
“I know, and that’s about thirty degrees colder than I want it to be,” she said, hustling over to my couch and stealing my blanket like she did all the time.
“Did you ever consider living somewhere warmer? Like Florida or the Bahamas?”
“God no. Can you imagine living that far south? It’s like an entirely different world. They don’t have mountains. There are no beautiful falls like here. And they have alligators in like every freaking body of water!”
Sitting down at the other end of the couch, I tugged on the blanket just enough to cover my feet. “I’m pretty sure they have waterfalls somewhere in the state.”
“Right, but not like Murky Falls.”
“Then you can’t complain about the cold. You chose to live here.”
“Hey, when I moved here, it was not with the intention to be cold. I was running.”
I rolled my eyes at her definition of running. “You were not running.”
“I beg to differ. I was bored, pointed to a spot on the map, and came here.”
“That’s called bad decision-making.”
“Well, I’m not turning back now. I told myself that when I moved here, it would be my forever home.”
“Not that I don’t appreciate the fact that you trekked through the mountains to arrive in our town, but it doesn’t have to be a permanent move if you don’t want it to be.”
“Trying to get rid of me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.
“Nope. Just giving you options.”
The bell rang again, but this time, I didn’t get up. “It’s open!” I called out, knowing it was Josie.
The door swung open, but it wasn’t just Josie who walked through the door. Her hunk of a man was with her, and as much as I loved to stare into his pretty eyes, I did not need a man in my house this early in the morning.
“JR, did you come to make us breakfast?” I asked, batting my eyelashes at him.
“Are you sure you want me to leave you here with them?” he asked Josie, not bothering to lower his voice.
“It’s them or Sawyer,” she grinned. “What do you think?”
“You could just stay home with me.”
“But then how would I tell them all about the things you did to me last night?”
I blushed hard, even though I was used to Josie being so forward now that she was with JR. She was just trying to rile him up, but what usually happened was the opposite of what she hoped for.
“Do you want to give them a demonstration?” he asked. “There are no cop cars outside, but we could find some other way—”
“Alright, alright!” she cried out, slapping a hand over his mouth. “Fine, you win. Just…go so I can have some girl time.”
I chuckled behind my coffee as JR tugged her against him, laying an indecent kiss on her lips before stomping out of the house.
“He seems to be extra grumpy this morning,” Delaney grinned.
“He didn’t want to get out of bed. He had a late night at the bar.”
“Then why didn’t you come over on your own?”
“That’s a good question,” she sighed, taking one of the other seats. “Ooh, is that for me?” she asked Delaney when she saw the third cup on the table.
“No one else is coming,” she answered.
Josie sipped from the cup, sighing as she wrapped her hands around it. “Don’t tell JR I’ve started drinking coffee.”
“Why have you?” I asked. It was weird. She was a die-hard tea drinker. In fact, she never wanted coffee unless it was a dire situation. For her to switch to coffee was just—
“Oh. My. God,” I muttered, sitting up in my seat. “You’re pregnant!”
She went bright red, looking anywhere but at either of us.
“Wait, is she right?” Delaney asked. “You have a bun in the oven?”
Josie broke out in a smile, then nodded happily. I jumped up from my seat, screaming and bouncing as I pulled her up and hugged her. Delaney joined in, squealing just as loudly as me.
“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it!” Delaney cried out. “When did you find out?”
“A few days ago!”
It took a good five minutes to break up the jumping and screaming fest we had going on, and when we finally sat down, none of us could actually contain the excitement.
“Have you told him yet?”
“Why do you think he drove me here?” she smirked. “I have a feeling life is going to be very different for the next nine months. Expect lots of drop-in visits so I can escape him.”
“I still can’t believe it,” I sighed. “So, what does this mean for you guys? Are you going to stay where you are or—”
“JR’s already on it,” she said, rolling her eyes. “The minute I told him, he said the house we were in was no place to raise a baby. Which, I get. It’s a rental. He wants something permanent.”
“Where is he looking?”
“That’s just it. He won’t tell me! It’s like I don’t even have a choice in the matter.”
“Ooh! Do we get to plan the baby shower?” I asked, already thinking ahead.
“I guess, but isn’t that like…not until closer to the baby coming?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start planning now,” Delaney grinned.
“It can’t take that long to plan a baby shower,” Josie said, looking a little nervous now that we were talking about it.
“There’s so much to do. I mean, we have to register you at stores. You have to decide which kind of car seat you like. Test strollers, bassinets, and cribs. Are you going to breast or bottle-feed?”
“Okay, okay!” Josie shouted, nearly in a panic.
“I have nine months to figure this out. I don’t need to decide right this minute!
And aren’t all car seats the same? There’s a standard.
You can’t just put the baby in the back window like they used to do.
And does anyone really test strollers? I mean… ”
She was on the verge of hyperventilating, so I quickly changed the subject.
“I think I want to dye my hair black!”
Both of them stopped and stared at me strangely.
“Black?” Delaney said, barely holding back a grimace. “But…I mean, you have such beautiful blonde hair.”
“Yeah, black is so…”
“Drastic?” I said. “Maybe that’s what I need to shake up my life a little. I mean, right now, what do I do but stare at Liam from across the room?”
“And you think dyeing your hair will solve that?” Josie asked carefully.
“Well, I have to do something. I can’t just sit around here, pining after a man who doesn’t and never will want me.”
“I mean, he is married,” Delaney cringed. “It’s not likely he’s going to suddenly change his mind.”
“Right, which is why I need to try something crazy. No more playing it safe or looking just right. I need to live vicariously somehow.”
Delaney grabbed my computer, shooting me a mischievous smile. “Then let’s get you out of your shell.”
“And how do you propose we do that online?”
“Easy. We’re going to set up a dating profile for you.”
My eyes bugged out of my head at the thought. “Um, no,” I said, reaching for the computer, but she instantly tugged it away from me.
“Delaney, I’m serious! You are not doing this!”
I got up and started chasing her, but she darted away from me, giggling as she started on a profile for me.
“I do not want this!” I shouted, nearly snatching the computer out of her hands when Josie came running at me, tackling me onto the couch. “Get off me!”
“Laney, do you hear something?” Josie asked.
“Nope. Not a thing.”
“You heifer!” I shouted, slapping her arm.
“Hey! I’m pregnant. You can’t hit me.”
Shit, I hadn’t thought about that. I wiggled and writhed, but couldn’t get her to move off me.
“Let’s see…How would you describe yourself?” Delaney asked, winking at me as she started typing. “Good girl. Blonde, buxom, and confident. From a small town, but waiting for the right man to come and sweep me off my feet and show me what a good time really means.”
“Do not write that! I’m not buxom!” I shouted, thrusting my hips in the air. Josie just snickered at me, holding her place.
“Girl, no man alive would say no to those breasts. You’ve got ‘em, so use ‘em.”
“Except every man I’ve ever dated!” I retorted, thrusting my hips again, twisting to throw Josie off me, but the bitch just grabbed my hair and brought me with her.
“What are you passionate about?” Delaney continued. “Lingerie,” she snickered.
“You’re making me sound like a slut!”
“What’s your dream bae-cation?”
“What the hell is a bae-cation?” I asked, heaving and out of breath. I had no idea Josie was so fit, and if I could get away with punching her in the boob, I would. But somehow, that didn’t seem right.
“My dream bae-cation is a getaway in the mountains, snowed in where there’s nothing to do but keep each other warm,” Delaney said as she typed.
“Are you freaking kidding me? You’re making me sound like a whore!”
“I’m getting you dates, my friend. What’s a non-negotiable in your life?” she continued.
“Seriously, please don’t do this.”
But she didn’t listen to me. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she typed out God knows what on my profile.
“And now for a picture.”
“Ooh, I have one on my phone!” Josie called out, grabbing my wrists to hold me down. “The one of her at the shop. She’s holding the—”
I gasped, shooting upright. “Don’t you dare!”
“This one?” Delaney laughed, holding the phone out for both of us to see.
I groaned, dropping back into the couch, my mortification complete. “It was just a silly picture!”
“And now it’s going to be a silly profile picture. The guys will love it!”
“The only guys you’re going to attract are horn dogs,” I snapped. “I swear to God, I will disown you if you do this!”
“And upload!” Delaney grinned. “There. Now we just sit back and wait for the dates to start rolling in.”
She turned the computer for me to see. And there I stood, dildo in hand as I pretended to pleasure myself with it.
“My parents will see that,” I groaned.
“I don’t see how. They aren’t likely to go on the site.”
But I knew better. “In this town, I give it until dinnertime.”