Page 103 of More Than Words

“Isobel doesn’t even know I told you at this point. I just needed to confide in someone.”

“Aw, bro, I’m so touched you chose me,” he said sarcastically, and I flipped him off.

“Maybe once she’s in her second trimester. She’s had a few miscarriages before, so I’d hate for something to happen after we start telling people for real.”

“You know Ma—and Pops for that matter—are gonna ask if you want the ring.”

“I know.” Taking a deep breath, I scrubbed my hand over my face. “I don’t know if Is ever wants to get married again. Her ex was a dumbass who left some scars.”

“Don’t wait too long. Pops has been having good days lately. Might be somethin’ that’d be good for him to focus on. He’d like knowin’ grandma’s ring had found someone who deserved it.”

Nodding, I sighed. “Once we know the baby is healthy, I’ll bring her over to meet everybody. I’m sure Pen will want to meet her, too.”

“Pen will be fuckin’ stoked to get a cousin. I’ll make sure she’s here when you guys are ready.”

The only problem was that I wasn’t sure how ready Isobel was to be an official part of my family.

Time seemed to disappear over the next few months. Isobel was out of town half the time, and I was busy trying to train Sam’s replacement after he’d taken a promotion in the Chicago office. He’d been with me so long I’d almost forgotten he was around the same age I was when I’d gotten my first big promotion. Ten years later, I’d been recruited by Vivid, and it’d changed my life. Now I felt like I was always meant to be here.

Even though I felt guilty as fuck that I’d accidentally hired Andrea out from under Isobel, she was a lifesaver. She was organized and had a good eye for detail. It was almost criminal she’d been stuck as an office administrator for the last two years.

“Is there anything else you need me to be doing while you’re gone?”

Several people from the office would fly to Minneapolis today to attend Chase and Evan’s engagement party. I’d come into the office to make sure my emails were caught up before we left.

Isobel was asked to be a bridesmaid, but I was worried about the timing. She was due in late March and the wedding was tentatively scheduled for Valentine’s Day. Her OB had said as long as everything was going well, it wouldn’t be a problem to attend, but considering she was still puking her guts out every morning with no end in sight, I wasn’t so optimistic.

“Nah, I think we’re set.”

“How’s she doing?” Andrea asked, and I didn’t have to guess who she was talking about. With how much time she spent in my office, it was hard to hide Isobel’s pregnancy from her for more than a few weeks. Since I had a couch in my office, Isobel had taken naps in here more than once over our lunch break, so she could make it through to the end of the day.

“Still has trouble with the morning sickness, but I think her energy is finally coming back.”

“Has she tried ginger chews? A few of my clients when I was an au pair swore by them.”

“She hasn’t. I’ll pick some up for her. We’re willing to try anything at this point. She’s miserable.”

“Is there anything else I can do while you’re gone? I don’t want you to think I’m slacking off since you’ll be gone.”

“You’re doing great. Give yourself some time to rest over the weekend. I’m sure the next few weeks will be stressful. We’ve got some submissions to sort through.”

She nodded and then fled my office. I quickly finished packing my bags so I could meet Isobel at her place to head to the airport.

ISOBEL

Minneapolis

The flight from Boston had been rough. I’d purposefully booked our seats close to the bathroom, splurging to get seats in first class. Typically, I never sat in first class unless the airline upgraded me because of my newly earned travel status, but I’d felt so terrible lately, it was worth it to have the extra space.

“You feeling better now?” Adrian asked, glancing over at me in the passenger seat of our rental car. His hand flexed on my knee and a rush of warmth spread through me.

“A bit. Brushing my teeth and washing my face at the airport helped. Thank you for those ginger chews. They’ve been a game changer. But I really want to take a shower and lay down once we check in.”

I was definitely at my least sexy—throwing up constantly, losing weight, other parts expanding, exhausted all the time. He’d been a saint, though. When I was in town, he took care of me. Often letting me crash in his office when I was so exhausted the words on my laptop blurred, making sure I got home every night safely and stocking foods he knew I could eat in my office and at both of our places.

The one thing I felt guilty about was we hadn’t been intimate in almost a month. My libido was returning, but I was self-conscious that he didn’t find me attractive anymore. I didn’t want him to feel obligated to because of the baby, but part of me wanted him to initiate things, even if I ended up turning him down. I knew it was fucked up, but with how terrible I’d been feeling, I just wanted to be wanted.

“Whatever you need, babe. I can always go by myself tonight if you’re not feeling up to it. Chase and Evan would understand.”

---