Page 84 of Falling in Love with Two

“I think so, too,” I agree.

“My brother also has a heart of gold. I don’t want to see him get hurt.”

“Ronnie, if I’m being honest, I have no idea what I’m doing. I’ve never been in any type of relationship that you would consider healthy. And I really never thought I’d be a mom.”

She laughs. “I’ve never been in a relationship in general, so I get it.”

“I have no intention of hurting Dylan. It’s not that we are even in a relationship. He’s great, but I need to figure out my own shit before I drag him into it.”

“Just do me a favor,” she says.

“What’s that?”

“Don’t shut Dylan out. I get needing to figure things out. But I also know my brother. It will kill him if you don’t let him in. He’s super helpful and will do whatever he can to make you feel better. Just don’t shut him out of your life.”

I swig my coffee. “Honestly, Ronnie. Dyl is the only person I’ve ever really let in at all. I’m not very good at it, but I’m trying.”

She smiles. “That’s all I ask. He really has the biggest heart. But enough about the sappy shit. Let’s go back and forth naming things that annoy us about Dylan.”

I hold up my mug to cheers. “That’s more like it.”

twenty-seven

The Most Polite Man Whore Ever

Leah

Two weeks later…

11 weeks pregnant

“Hey, how was your day?” Dylan asks as I walk through the door and throw my bag on the floor.

I don’t respond with anything other than an obnoxiously loud sigh.

“That bad, huh?” He says.

“Something like that,” I mumble. “I’m going to go change.”

Hopefully, I can change my attitude too.

I’m barely through the door of my bedroom before I’m practically ripping off my jeans. I don’t know if they shrunk in the wash or what, but they’ve been digging into me all day. Once they’re off, I feel like I can finally breathe.

Next comes the bra because along with morning sickness, boob pain has stepped onto the scene.

Pregnancy is fun.

I throw on an oversized t-shirt, but when I try to slide on my cotton shorts, I find that they dig into me almost as much as the jeans did.

How the hell am I gaining weight when I’m still throwing up practically everything I eat?

Frustrated, I yell for Dylan to get his attention.

I hear him hurrying down the hall. Peeking his head in, he says, “Leah, are you okay?”

“Would you be offended if I started walking around here with no pants?” I huff.

When he looks confused, I add, “My pants are getting too tight, and they dig into my stomach. I spent all day caged in my tight jeans, and now, my shorts are revolting against me too. I’m striking against pants in general…if that’s okay with you.”

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