Page 127 of Body Shot

It feels so good to touch her.

Kiss her.

Be with her.

I reach over and put my hand on her stomach.

“Boy or girl?” she whispers against my mouth.

“In a fantasy, I want sons,” I admit, chuckling. “But you know I don’t care. I just want you and the babies to be okay.”

“Babies? Plural?” Her eyes widen.

“You didn’t think we were going to just have one?” I ask, making a face. “I mean, he or she needs siblings. Maybe a couple.”

She frowns. “What if I don’t want to be pregnant multiple times?”

“Surrogate?”

Our eyes meet, and we laugh.

“Whatever you want, my love.” I brush a lock of hair out of her face. “I just want you to be happy.”

“You make me happy. You’re all I want.”

“You have me.”

“Happy Thanksgiving!” Both of us jump as her parents come into the room, beaming.

They obviously ran into Hana in the hallway and got the scoop.

“I’m going to be a grandmother!” Laura says.

And she promptly bursts into tears.

FORTY-SIX

Claudia

The next coupleof weeks are insane.

Anders and I decide to elope.

Not because we’re worried about propriety or anything like that—we just want to. We love each other and are excited about our little growing family, and most of all, he wants me with him in Fort Lauderdale.

We still plan to have a big wedding, but we’re not sure how long it’ll take me to recover after the baby comes so it might not be until next summer.

I’ve also got to deal with some things at work.

I’ve been working remotely from Florida, but I fly back to Philly the week my probationary period ends. Everyone has been great about letting me work from home, and I’m excited about the future, but I’m going to have to make some adjustments once I get further along in my pregnancy.

I told Randy I was coming in today, but I hadn’t expected flowers and hugs and well wishes from everyone. Once I’ve spoken to Brad and Dana and Roger, Randy and Glen call meinto the conference room. I’d told them we had to talk, but if I’m honest, I don’t know exactly what to say.

I’m too new for any ultimatums, but I also have to put my health—and that of my baby’s—first.

Anders and I are getting so excited about our little bundle of joy.

Neither of us wanted a baby at this stage of our lives, but now that it’s here, we’re excited. We’re house hunting and starting to make plans for the summer. His parents are going to fly in, and my parents will come down as well, so we’re going to need multiple guest rooms.

---