Chapter Thirty-Six
KATIE
“I don’t think I can hide this bump anymore,” I tell Everleigh over the phone. “Hell, I already need more maternity clothes.”
“I’m shocked no one at work has noticed. Your face is puffy, and you’re exhausted all the time.”
“Wow, thank you.” I groan. “Remind me again why we’re friends?”
“Because I tell you the truth and don’t sugarcoat shit,” she replies, and I can hear the smile in her tone.
“Okay, fair enough. I’m gonna tell them today. Plus, I need to let my manager know about taking maternity leave and the possibility of delivering early.”
“Fifty bucks they already know. Better pay up if I’m right too.”
“And I’m hanging up now.”
“Alright but don’t forget about our plans tomorrow evening,” she says, reminding me about our girls’ date to plan Gemma’s baby shower.
“I’ll be there,” I sing-song.
“’Kay, love you. Bye!”
I hang up and look down at my baggy shirt.
I’m almost out of flowy tops I can hide underneath, and at seventeen weeks, it’s obvious I’ve gained some weight.
After I told our friends last month we were expecting twins, I’ve kept the news hush-hush at work.
But since we’ll be learning the genders in a few weeks, it’s time they know the good news.
“Hey, Missy. Stop in on your lunch break. I gotta tell you something really quick,” I say on the way to my boss’s office.
“Ooh…juicy gossip, I hope.”
I smirk. “See ya in a bit.”
My heart hammers in my chest as I knock on the door, and Dana waves me in. I don’t know why I’m so nervous, but instead of tiptoeing around it, I just blurt out the words.
“I’m pregnant, so just letting you know I may need to go on leave in a few months.”
Her eyes widen with a smile. “Congrats, Katie! That’s wonderful. I didn’t even know you were seeing someone…”
I blush. Though it’s not been a secret, we haven’t blasted the news either. I guess not as many people saw us together at the grand opening holding hands like I thought. “Yeah, Noah and I’ve been together for a while now.”
“You deserve it. And I’ll do whatever I can to help make sure you have the time off you need.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. I’ll likely go early since it’s twins.”
She nearly shrieks. “Holy…I guess double congrats are in order then.”
I laugh with a shrug. “Yeah, we were pretty shocked too.”
After a few minutes, I excuse myself and go back to my office, where Missy anxiously waits.
“It’s not your lunch break yet.”
“I told Monica to cover for me because I couldn’t wait.”
As I shake my head, I walk behind my desk and decide to show her instead. Placing my hands over my belly, I tighten the fabric of my shirt and show off my bump.
“Shut your mouth!” she exclaims, jumping to her feet. “You’re pregnant?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“I knew you were getting dick’ed! Totally called it.” She does a fist bump in the air. “Apparently a little too well…”
“Oh my God, you’re obnoxious.” I snicker, sitting down.
“Do you know what you’re having?”
“Twins.” I snort.
She smacks my desk. “You’re lying.”
“Nope. Not sure about the genders yet. Soon, though.”
“Dare I ask who the father is?” She arches her brow. “I mean, I’ve heard rumors but…”
I relax my shoulders and proudly tell her. “Noah Reid.”
Missy’s smile widens, and it’s obvious she already knew. “No wonder you’ve been so happy these past few months.”
“It’s been amazing,” I agree. “Never been happier.”
She tells me how happy and excited she is for us, and I feel lighter for the rest of my shift. Now, everyone knows.
After work, I pick up Owen from my mother’s.
Now that school’s out for the summer, I drop him off at her house or Loretta’s in the morning.
Since basketball season is over and I wanted him to stay busy and active, he signed up for baseball.
So they take him to practice and youth group.
Loretta has temporary guardianship of Anthony until Brittany’s trial, so Owen’s getting to play with him as well.
Though Owen doesn’t know the full story of why Anthony’s living with Loretta, the time will come eventually, and I’ll have to figure out how to have that conversation.
“How was your day, sweetie?” I ask when he jumps in the back seat.
“Fine.”
“Anything excitin’ happen?”
He shrugs. “Not really.”
“How was practice today?” I question as I drive us home.
“Good.”
Lord, it must take a witch’s brew to get more than one-word answers from him.
I look at him through the rearview mirror and ask, “What do you want for dinner?”
“I don’t care.”
“Noah found a new movie to stream he thought you’d like.
Could make some popcorn and snuggle up with blankets,” I say enthusiastically, hoping he’ll budge.
He’s been in a mood for the past two months, and I don’t know why he won’t talk to me about his feelings.
I won’t push him, but I want him to know he can open up to me.
“Maybe.” He shrugs again, staring out the window.
By the time I pull into the garage, I give up on getting him to talk. As soon as we walk inside, he rushes to his room, and I remind him to take a shower since he’s all sweaty. Instead of responding, he slams his bedroom door.
“Hey,” Noah says, coming from our room. “What’s that about?”
I inhale sharply. “Who the hell knows.”
Noah wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a kiss.
“He used to be so clingy and loved hanging out with me. Now it’s like he doesn’t want anything to do with me at all.” I pout.
“Give him time. He’s still adapting to all these changes. Plus, he’s almost eleven and probably going through preteen hormonal changes.”
“Well, I wasn’t ready for this yet. It seems way too early.”
“Want me to talk to him?” Noah offers.
“You’re sweet, but somehow, I think that might make it worse. Maybe it’s best we just let him know we’re here if he wants to chat and let him come to us whenever he needs to.”
“Sounds like a solid plan.”
Since finding out we’re pregnant, we’ve tried to include Owen in all the excitement and house planning, but he hasn’t seemed interested. I know a lot of changes are happening at once, but I hoped he’d come around by now and would want to be a part of it.
The following morning, I stay in bed later than usual and catch up on sleep.
So I can have a peaceful morning to myself, Noah takes Owen to the new house with him.
I hope they’ll be able to bond or at least have a conversation that consists of more than one-word answers.
Noah’s trying so hard not to overstep his boundaries while still wanting to be the role model Owen craves.
I never seriously dated anyone after Gabe, so I didn’t know what to expect when I finally did. I hadn’t anticipated that Owen would feel like Noah was trying to replace his dad. I can’t help but feel guilty about not only adding a man to our lives but also two siblings.
Everleigh
You should come shop for some maternity clothes before the end of my shift. Then we can go to the Coffee Palace together!
I read her text after inhaling a big bowl of pasta and feel more bloated than ever.
Katie
Hope you have extra, extra, extra large. I look like a whale.
Everleigh
We have everything from petite to whale size
Katie
Har har. Fine, I’ll come around four.
Everleigh
Perfect!
After a shower, I squeeze into a pair of maternity shorts that won’t last another week. It’s almost the middle of July and hot as hell, so I’m extra miserable. Finding a shirt that doesn’t squeeze my belly or my breasts is another annoying task.
Once I finally find something that doesn’t show off everything and doesn’t suffocate me, I put a headband in my hair to keep it off my face. It’s not long enough for a ponytail without loose strays falling, so I opt for the next best thing.
When I’m satisfied with my makeup, I grab my purse, slip on my shoes, and drive to Everleigh’s boutique, Ever After. After my nap, I was bored, so I got ready and arrived thirty minutes early.
“Katie!” she squeals the moment I walk through the doors. “You look so cute!”
She rushes over and hugs me. “If cute means swollen and chubby, then thank you.”
“You’re being silly. This baby bump is adorable!” She rubs her palms over the fabric of my shirt. “Any kicking?”
“Not right now. Usually only when I’m exhausted and trying to sleep,” I muse. It’s too early to feel any kicking, but things seem to be happening sooner since this is my second pregnancy.
“Your belly popped since the last time I saw you,” she says as we walk around.
“Sure did. Though I don’t look huge yet, I feel huge.”
“Well, you aren’t twenty years old having a baby. You’re thirty-two having twins. Your body isn’t gonna respond to pregnancy the same way,” she says.
“Well, aren’t you the expert,” I tease.
“I’m around a lot of pregnant women.” She shrugs. “Plus, with Gemma’s daily updates, I feel like I’ve gone through her pregnancy myself.”
We both laugh as I search through the maternity racks. “You better hurry up if you want our kids to be around the same age.”
“I haven’t found a man worthy of being the father to my baby. I’m getting old, though, so maybe I should host a bachelor auction.”
I snort. “Highest bidder gets to rent out your uterus?”
“Ha! No, it’d be the best applicant. Must have a good job, not living with his mother or ex-girlfriend…”
I arch a brow, wondering if she’s already experienced these circumstances.
She continues, “Must have his own vehicle and be somewhat mentally stable.”
“Somewhat? Sounds like you have some high standards,” I taunt, chuckling at her list. “Though if you’re gonna go through the work of having an auction, you might as well make sure you’re getting the best out there.”
“Either that or I’m going to a sperm bank. Then I can be as picky as I want without having to deal with a man’s bullshit.”
Everleigh chooses at least a dozen items for me to try on. I end up buying three tops and bottoms even though I’ll be lucky if they fit me for more than six weeks.
“Hey, Gemma,” Everleigh greets.
“Are you having a shopping day without me?” she scolds.
Gemma’s been working part-time at the boutique ever since Jerry retired, but she’s down to only once a week since the gym opened.
“No, I stopped in early before Everleigh and I met for coffee. I’m out of cute things to wear,” I explain.
“Well, we do have the best maternity clothes. Also, I’m insulted y’all planned a coffee date on the one night I work.” She pouts with her hands on her hips.
“It’s a coffee date to plan your baby shower,” Everleigh tells her. “So that means you can’t be there.”
“Aw…you guys! I can’t wait to see what you two come up with!” Gemma beams.
“It’ll be nothing if you keep whining about it,” Everleigh teases.
“Don’t worry, we have the date already set and the venue reserved. Just need to plan the little things,” I reassure her.
“Okay, well don’t forget that I love, like really love cake.”
“There will most definitely be plenty of that.” I smirk.
After checking out and saying our goodbyes, I drop off my bags at my car and grab my binder of notes. Then we walk to the Coffee Palace and find a cozy spot in the corner.
“Alright, before we dive in, I have to ask…” I say, sipping on my chai tea latte. “Are you seriously considering letting Archer move in with you? A guy you’ve never met before?”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m at the boutique all the time anyway, and he’ll be working at the gym, so it’s not like we’ll be around each other that much. Tyler said he’s a good guy and very protective. Sounds like someone I need in my life anyway.”
“Gemma says he comes with a lot of baggage. Hope you’re prepared for what’s to come after he’s served his time.”
“Well, not any more prepared than you or Gemma were,” she says with a casual shrug.
“Gemma and I both had a history with the guys we ended up with. You’ve never spoken to Archer.”
“No, but it’d only be temporary. If he wasn’t Tyler’s friend, then I would think twice about allowing it, but he needs help just like Tyler and Noah did.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.”
It’s not that I don’t trust her instincts, but neither of us knows Archer.
“Tyler told me why he’s in prison,” Everleigh states. “And it’s not what you think.”
“All I know is that he went to prison for killing his sister’s abusive boyfriend. His lawyers were able to prove self-defense, which helped him get a shorter sentence,” I say.
“His sister actually shot her boyfriend, and he took the fall. Fabricated the evidence so his fingerprints were on the gun instead of hers.”
My brows shoot up. “Wait, really?”
“He walked in right after she shot him and didn’t think twice about it. A few weeks later, she found out she was pregnant.”
“Oh my God. That’s…crazy.”
“I know. So even though he’s rough around the edges, he’s a decent guy. Anyone who would do that for their family has to be,” Everleigh says.
“Well, just please be careful. I know the damaged kind is just your type,” I tease with a smirk.
“Damaged, mommy issues, tragic past…sign me up.” She waggles her brows, and I burst out laughing.
“I think you have your own issues, girl. I should be warning him instead,” I tease.
“Probably should.” She winks. “But anywho, let’s plan this baby shower.”
Everleigh looks over my notes. “Cupcakes, streamers, and a male stripper.”
I snort. “That’s not what it says. Nice try, though.”
“No, but it should,” she grumbles.
After we chat for a couple of hours and plan everything from the food to the games and guest list, I head home. I’m exhausted but excited to see my boys.
“Hey,” I greet Noah as soon as I find him in the kitchen alone, loading plates into the dishwasher. “Well, if that isn’t the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“There’s my beautiful baby mama.”
I arch a brow. “Excuse me?”
He smirks, pulling me against his chest. “Wanted to hear what it sounded like. Sixteen-year-old me is still shocked you’re having my babies.”
Wrapping my arms around his waist, I smirk. “Me too, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Noah tilts my chin up and presses his lips to mine.
“Owen crashed already. So I guess that gives us some alone time…”
I giggle. “You must’ve kept him busy today.”
“We worked hard. I think he had fun, though.”
“Good, I’m glad to hear that after how moody he’s been lately.”
“We chatted a little, and I mainly just listened,” he explains.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I pull him down for another kiss. “Wanna come to bed with your baby mama?”
“Fuck yes.” He growls, biting my bottom lip. “I’ll meet you in there after I finish up in here.”
He smacks my ass as I walk away.
“Don’t bother wearing clothes either.”