Page 93 of Mismatched

To proceed knocking you up with quints?

I am ashamed to admit how immediately hot that gets me.

Too late. Already knocked up. You’ll have to wait.

He sends me a peach emoji next to a hand, and at first I smile, thinking of our growing baby. Until I remember the most recent BabyBump email said it was now the size of a navel orange. I stare at the message, confused. Until I Google peach hand emoji meaning and my face burns right off.

The doctor said NO sex.

Anton

She didn’t say no sexting . . .

Let’s talk cars again. How about another Toyota?

He sends an eggplant next to a peach, which I don’t have to look up.

Anton, I’m SERIOUS.

Anton

Sorry... terribly attracted to my pregnant wife who I can’t touch. Does it bother you?

I let out a slow breath, resisting the urge to rub my hardening nipples.

It bothers me that you can’t touch me either.

But if you don’t stop, I won’t be able to follow doctor’s orders.

He doesn’t reply for a minute, and I can just picture the satisfied look on his face. It would serve him right if his boss caught him with inappropriate food emojis. I help myself to another of Henry’s donuts, trying to bring my body back under control, until finally, the phone chimes again.

Anton

Toyota is fine. Maybe Honda. How do you feel about EVs?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

“Hey, Anton.” Milo pops his head in my office door. “Are you headed to the two o’clock meeting?”

I glance at my watch, eyes widening. “Uh, yeah. Just give me a sec.”

I close my laptop and sweep it off the desk with a legal pad and a pen, trying not to look as flustered as I feel. I’ve been sitting here, trying to work myself up to tell Carl that Lydia and I are expecting in the spring, which might affect my availability for getting the branch office off the ground. I really should have done it before this meeting.

We enter the conference room and take our usual seats. Me, beside Carl on the end, and Milo right next to me. Before we’re even seated, he’s got his notebook and pen poised and ready. Can’t knock the guy for making himself look good.

Derek Norman is on Carl’s other side, which isn’t a surprise given the nature of this meeting. There isn’t an empty seat in the room. Even the receptionist, Riya, comes in at the last minute and leans against the wall. She is very pregnant, and when I realize there’s nowhere for her to sit, I leap up and give her my chair.

“Thanks, Anton,” she says, looking awkward, but grateful. “That’s really sweet of you.”

I nod, trying to imagine Lydia making it so far along. It still feels hard to envision. She hasn’t had any more bleeding the last five days, and the baby’s heartbeat was strong when we saw Dr. Sharma on Friday, so she was given the all clear to return to work. But I’m having a hard time believing we’re fully out of the woods.

“Thanks for joining us, everyone,” Carl says, wasting no time getting started. I grab my notepad and pen, getting comfortable against the wall. “As I think you all know, Derek and I have been exploring a partnership to broaden Vesper’s services and make ourselves more available to our clientele in Colorado Springs.”

There are murmurs of confirmation and a few enthusiastic claps before Carl goes on.

“I’m thrilled to announce we’ve found a space and are working on developing a team to sync the two offices as cohesively as possible. Spearheading that goal will be Anton Richie, who’s moving into a junior partner role.”

The murmurs turn to shouts of enthusiasm and a chorus of congratulations. I straighten against the wall, making what feels like appropriate gestures and facial expressions, acknowledging the sentiments. But I feel like I’m underwater. I knew Carl was going to make the new branch official today, but I had no idea he was going to do it like this.

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