Page 30 of Love You Too

The question lands like a stone at my feet. Not because I don’t realize there are options but because I’ve spent so much time thinking them through. And even though I haven’t admitted it even in my mind, I know the answer to his question. “Yeah. I am. I want to do this, be a mom. This feels like an…opportunity, and I’m not sure when it might present itself again. So, yeah. It feels right.”

Dash looks like he’s trying to suppress a grin, but he fails miserably. “Well, then I’m psyched. And damn excited to be your baby’s uncle.”

I hold up a hand. “Please don’t say anything to the family. I’ll tell them soon, but I need to find the right time.”

He makes a motion of zipping his lips and locking them, throwing the key over his shoulder. It reminds me of the games we played when we were kids. “It’s in the vault. Now, how can I help?”

I blink back inconvenient tears and steady my voice. “I need a guy perspective. If it were you and an ex-girlfriend dropped this baby dad news on you, how would you feel? Would you think she was trying to trap you to get you back.”

His eyes go wide and his brow crinkles. “Is that what goes on in that smart brain of yours? No, I wouldn’t think she was trying to trap me. And I’d be really happy if she was the right person.”

“He’s not gonna feel like that. He’s the same guy, a flirt who’s very into being a pro hockey star, trust me.”

Dash shrugs. “You should give yourself more credit. The guy was nuts about you.”

“Right up until he dumped me.”

“Stop it.” He shoves my tire swing, sending me into the air. When I return, I drag my feet to stop.

“You won’t know until you talk to him, but from a guy perspective, I gotta say you’re a catch, and I’d feel like I was the lucky one.”

“You’re biased because you like me.”

“I do. Now, how else can I help?” Dash launches his swing.

“I want to go shopping.”

“You…what?”

“You heard me.”

“I did, and I’m pretty sure you know that you picked the wrong sibling if you want fashion advice.”

“I picked the right sibling. You don’t have to give me advice. Just stand there and distract me while I distract myself with a little retail therapy. Please. Dash, I called you because I knew you’d be supportive without telling me what to do. This is all kind of overwhelming. I didn’t have a plan for this.”

He pats me on the cheek. “You’re in heavy denial, Ms. Type A Planner. This all must scare the living shit out of you. Okay, you can count on me for whatever, and I know you’ll be a great mom.”

“Thanks.” I feel the pinpricks of tears at the corners of my eyes and push them down.

“So, I’m off the hook for the shopping, then?”

I shake my head. “Come on, Dash. Help me calm my nerves with some nice, impractical designer jeans that will no longer fit me in six months. It’s the only thing I can think of that’s more out of character for me than getting knocked up, so I want to do it.”

He nods, smile never dimming. “I have a better idea.”

“I don’t know about those.”Mallory tries to keep a straightface and then fails. What begins as a giggle turns into a full-fledged laugh.

“You’re laughing at a pregnant lady?” I ask, my eyes going wide as I describe myself that way.

At first, I didn’t love the idea of sharing my news with his fiancée and letting yet another person in on it, but then Dash made the excellent point that Mallory has the best fashion sense of anyone we know, and she just might have some good “lady advice” too about how to tell Ren I’m pregnant. So here we are.

Standing in front of a full-length mirror in a bespoke denim shop, I model a pair of beige leather pants. Yes, this is what my pregnant brain decided makes the most sense for me, even though I normally wear either pantsuits or jeans. The leather is tight, and I’ve accented the pants with a wide belt complete with a heavy buckle shaped like a star.

“Oh, you’d better believe I’m laughing at you.” She holds up a black maxi dress in front of me and tilts her head, considering it.

“You don’t like the pants?”

She pushes the dress into my hands. “I love the pants, but they’re only going to fit you for about another month. Then what?”

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