Page 125 of Ruthless Lullaby

"Well, have you seen those things move? They're like two caterpillars having a party on his forehead."

I'm wheezing now. "Oh my God, stop it! You're killing me."

“No, seriously! That smolder is to die for.” Betty flashes a mischievous grin. "Now spill, girlfriend. I want all the juicy details about life with your brooding bad boy."

"Oh boy," I say, wiping tears of laughter from my eyes. "Where do I even start?"

"How about at the beginning?"

"Alright, then… all is good."

"That’s a nice summary." Betty gives me a side-eye. "And how does he feel about the baby?"

“Well,” I force a smile but my hands are suddenly fidgeting nervously in my lap. I know Betty’s about to give me a hard time for keeping my pregnancy a secret from Maron. "Actually, he doesn't know about the baby yet."

Betty’s mouth drops open. "What? You’re entering your third month, girl! How does he not notice?" She glances at my stomach.

“I eat a slice of your carrot cakes every day.” I joke, but Betty doesn’t play along.

“I’m serious, Mindy. Don’t you think he has the right to know?”

I let out a sigh, twirling my dress fabric. "You’re right, he does. I'll tell him soon. I'm just… getting ready for it."

“Ready for what?” Betty’s eyes flash with a mischievous glint. "Ooh, is it going to be a grand romantic gesture with fireworks and champagne?"

“Maybe.” I giggle. “And a crazy sex marathon to celebrate the good news." I wink at Betty, grinning from ear to ear. "Don'tworry, Bets, he’ll know soon enough. Besides, he wants a child anyway. And this baby is a blessing. My chances of getting pregnant naturally were almost non-existent, and yet... this little bundle of joy chose me as its mom." Tears start welling up in my eyes. "Sorry, Bets, it’s just that my hormones are going wild and I’m so damn emotional these days. It's still hard to believe that this is real. This baby is truly a miracle."

“Oh my gosh, Mindy,” Bettymoves in and gives me a bear hug. "Of course, it is a miracle. Which is exactly why you have to tell Maron. Seriously, I don’t understand how he hasn’t noticed. I mean hasn’t your tummy started growing? What do you tell him when you disappear to the bathroom for a puke break?"

I lean back on the sofa and stretch my hands above my head. "Well, I don’t really get nausea anymore. Today was actually the first morning in weeks that I felt crappy."

She furrows her brow. "Like hangover crappy or sick crappy?"

"Just a little cramp while I showered. But I missed you too much to bail on you because of a little belly cramp."

“Aww, stop it!” Betty gasps dramatically and clutches her chest. "You know I miss you too, babe. It's just not the same here without our daily gossip sessions." Her eyes light up, and she leans in conspiratorially. "Speaking of gossip, did you hear the latest scandal in the marketing department?"

I gasp, my interest piqued. "What? No! Spill the beans, girl!"

She grins, clearly relishing the opportunity to share some juicy news with her bestie. "Well, rumor has it that a certainsomeone was caught kissing with a certain someone else in the supply closet."

I nearly choke on my laughter. "No way! Who was it? You can't leave me hanging like that!"

"You know the rules, Mindy. Company policy. I can't reveal my sources. But let's just say it involves a certain redhead and a certain tall, and handsome someone from accounting."

I stare at her. "You and Nate? You’re together?"

“Yep,” she says, beaming. “And the sex is amazing!”

"No way! Are you serious?" I almost jump up in excitement. "Since when? You never even mentioned liking him."

Betty shrugs. "Well, it just happened. We were both working late one night and ended up in the break room at the same time. We started talking and one thing led to another..."

I can't stop smiling. Betty really deserves to be happy, and it sounds like she finally found herself a great date. Nate is a nice guy and I’m sure he will treat her well, unlike her previous boyfriends.

"Anyway, enough of my crazy love life," she says. "Let’s go for some carrot cake, shall we?"

"Sounds like a plan," I reply. "Let me go wash my hands."

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