14. Bertie #2
Sammy might not be hers biologically, but you wouldn’t know it from the way they interact together.
“The park is right around the corner. Do you want to go on the swing set?” She snaps her seatbelt in place. “Do you remember the swing? You liked it before.”
He utters some sort of gibberish that I think is baby speak for, “Yep, I love it.”
A few minutes later she pulls into the gravel lot nearest the playground section of the park. I don’t see how Sammy can see anything from his position in his car seat facing the rear, but he squeals in delight like he knows exactly where we are.
“Do you mind holding my coffee? I need to get the stroller.”
“Not at all.” I grab both the drinks and meet her at the back of minivan. “This does have a lot of room.” I can’t help but taken in the spacious trunk.
She huffs a laugh. “Don’t let Daire hear you say that.
He’ll have you walking off a dealer’s lot today with one.
Honestly, they need to hire him to be their spokesperson.
This man had a sports car before this, and I never heard him talk about it the way he does this thing.
” She pats the bumper. “It’s pretty great, but don’t tell him I said that. ”
Yanking the stroller from the back, she pushes some sort of buttons on the side, and it pops right up.
“That looks so easy!” I gasp. “I was watching reviews and most of them looked like a giant pain in the butt.”
“This one is great,” she agrees, planting her hands on her hips. “I’ll text you the link.”
I plop her coffee in the cupholder as she goes around to grab Sammy from the seat. He squeals in delight, yanking on her hair.
“Watch those fists, little man. You’re strong.
” She carefully extracts her hair, wincing.
She settles him in the seat and straps him in.
“I don’t know why I did that,” she mutters.
“I’m going to be taking him out in a minute.
” She shakes her head. “Do you think mom brain is a thing even if you weren’t pregnant? ”
“Probably.” I settle my free hand on my bump. “Makes sense to me.”
We follow the path into the park and hang a left toward the kids play area.
At the swings, Rosie unsnaps Sammy from the stroller, and he immediately reaches up for her to grab with a goofy smile on his face. Something in my heart squeezes at his obvious love and trust. I hope my baby looks at me the same way one day.
Sammy’s legs kick happily as she attempts to strap him into the swing. “Silly boy,” she laughs. “I can’t get you in here if you don’t stop wiggling.”
He giggles in response and she manages to get his flailing limbs through the slots. Glancing over her shoulder to me, she says, “Having a kid is a constant workout.”
“Ush, ush!” Sammy demands, chubby fists grabbing onto his seat.
Rosie picks up her coffee and moves behind him. “Don’t worry, buddy. I’ve got you.”
She gives him a gentle push and he screams in laughter. A smile breaks out on Rosie’s face. Her eyes crinkle at the corners. “I love that sound.”
I rub my hand over my stomach, thinking of all the things I have to look forward to. First words and steps and giggles. I don’t think I’m completely crazy for being scared, but maybe I’ve been freaking out more than necessary.
“How’s the wedding planning going?”
Even though Rosie and Daire are already legally married, they didn’t have an actual wedding, so they’ve been planning one for September. I’m trying not to think about the fact that I’ll be at my most pregnant then.
“Pretty good. There are way more decisions to make than I thought, especially with an accelerated timeline, but it’s all coming together.”
Her life has changed drastically in less than a year, but she’s thriving in a way she didn’t before. There’s nothing quite like seeing your best friend happy and in love.
“Up! Up!” Sammy demands, stretching his arms to the sky.
“You want to get up?” she asks, slowing the swing to a stop. “That was quick.”
She lifts him out and sets him onto the ground. He toddles over to a large plastic tick-tack-toe board and begins playing with the letters.
“I hope this tires him out enough for a good long nap,” she sighs.
“Is he still teething?”
Her whole-body shudders with a sigh. “Yes, and because of it he’s decided to boycott all sleep it seems. I gave him some medicine before we left the house, so he seems to be feeling better.”
Sammy looks over his shoulder at us. “Mama.”
Rosie bends down beside him. “You want Mama to help?” He stumbles into her arms, hugging her and smashing his face into her chest. She laughs, squeezing him tight.
I see so much love between the two of them.
It has my throat closing, wondering how my parents could possibly be so indifferent to me.
It’s not like I’ve been sitting by my phone waiting to hear from either of them, but deep down I had expected something by now, but it’s as if I told them I was pregnant and I ceased to exist. “I’m going to have your baby shower invites ready soon,” Rosie says, interrupting my thoughts.
“Is there anyone you do or don’t want me to invite? ”
I press my lips together and swallow down my emotions. “Don’t invite my parents.”
She hesitates. “Are you sure?”
“Yep.”
“I’m really sorry, Bertie.”
If anyone gets it, it’s her. Her parents aren’t nearly as indifferent as mine, but she’s from a wealthy family too so she knows how they operate.
“Don’t be.”
I need to do my best to move past it. Dwelling on it is getting me nowhere.
“I don’t know why it got to me so badly.”
She smooths her fingers through Sammy’s blond hair wearing a wistful expression. “You might’ve expected them to not be happy about it, but deep down you had hoped they’d prove you wrong.”
My mouth pops open.
She’s hit the nail on the head.
“You’re right,” I admit. “I didn’t even realize it until you said it.”
She shrugs. “Our subconscious is a powerful thing.”
My brain keeps tumbling over her words as we hang out at the park. By the time she drops me off at Luke’s I honestly feel loads better about the entire situation.
Luke’s truck is back in the driveway, but his mom’s is still gone.
She works a lot of long hours at the diner. It’s easy to see where Luke gets his work ethic from.
I pass the closed bathroom door on the way to the bedroom. I felt cute when I put on my workout clothes earlier, but now I’m tired of having the tight material against my body. I ease the door shut behind me and yank the bra off over my head.
Oh, sweet relief.
Yanking a sweatshirt off the hanger, I turn for the dresser to grab some cotton shorts.
“Oh, fuck.”
A squeal rips out of me, and I look up to find that the door obviously didn’t latch. I gape, my mouth opening and closing like a fish.
“I’m sorry,” Luke blurts, eyes glued to my breasts.
His Adam’s apple bobs. “Fuck. I—” He looks up at the ceiling, hands on his hips.
His tanned arms and chest are on full display, along with the ink on his left arm.
I wet my lips as my eyes drift down further to the tiny towel wrapped around his waist. My mouth falls open when I take in his obviously hard dick tenting the towel.
Heat pools low in my body. “I didn’t hear you come home,” he says, speaking to the ceiling.
“And then the door was open. I didn’t mean to—”
I don’t hear what he says after that because I’m too busy ogling him like I’ve never seen a bare-chested man before. Water clings to the light dusting of hair there. My sweatshirt hangs limply in my hands; hands I desperately want to put on him.
I do my best to ignore my attraction to Luke. We were figuring things out before I got pregnant, but I know Luke, and he’d stick by my side as a boyfriend and more just because of the baby, and I won’t let him make that sacrifice.
Luke lowers his eyes carefully from the ceiling and they dart right back up when he finds that I still haven’t made a move to put a shirt on.
“Bertie…” His Adam’s apple bobs with a swallow.
Put your dang shirt on! I silently scold myself, but I can’t seem to get my arms to move, and then, practically all on their own, the words, “Touch me. Please,” comes out of my mouth.
This time Luke’s eyes drop back down and hold mine. “You want me to touch you?”
I bite my lip, but it doesn’t fully quiet the whimper that comes out of me. “Yes.”
I swear I must’ve lost my damn mind. Not that I don’t actually want him to touch me, but I’ve done everything I can to keep him at a distance, and suddenly all my defenses are dropping.
Luke closes the door behind him and takes two steps that bring him right in front of me.
I close my eyes, inhaling his clean scent. God, he smells good. Something fresh and woodsy and all him.
The feel of his thumb and forefinger on my chin has my eyes drifting back open. His are such a vivid blue that I feel like I could drown in them. Such a cliché, but it’s the truth.
“What do you need?”
There’s something about the way that he asks it, like all he wants is to take care of me, that has honesty pouring from my mouth. “I need to come.”
I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy or just being so close to him day in and day out that has had me so worked up. I haven’t even been able to take care of things myself because I’ve been paranoid about someone coming home.
He cups my cheeks, his thumbs rubbing softly against my skin. “That’s what my girl needs? She needs to come?” I nod and he lowers his mouth to my ear. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll take care of you.”
A shiver runs down my spine, heat pooling in my belly.
“As long as you’re sure that’s what you want.”