Page 48 of Peach

“Oh, not tonight,” Ava says. “The babysitter isn’t available after nine.”

They all laughed. Haisley felt a little better. Thesewomen trusted their men to make it home, and she had to trust Peach. They were right. Peach was capable. He had skills she couldn't even imagine.

Ava left first, then Ingrid. Rory only stayed a few minutes more, and Jessica left after that. It was just her and Mel, but it wasn’t awkward. These women were great, and she realized she hadn’t had any friends who were this good in ages, if ever.

“Are you sure you’re okay upstairs?” Haisley asked.

“Totally. There’s a bathroom up there, and I’ll probably get up five or six times in the night.”

“Oh wow. That much?”

“Maybe not, but it feels like it.”

“That’s something I’m not looking forward to.”

Mel chuckled. “There are some annoying things, but overall, it’s not bad.”

“Do you like it?”

Mel shrugged. "Before I got pregnant, I had to struggle to put on weight. So, this much weight on my body feels strange. I've worked hard to gain enough weight to support the baby. I want a healthy child, so I've done what I can to make sure I gain the pounds."

“I don’t think I’ll have that problem.”

“No, it’s a weird problem. Being underweight can be dangerous.”

“The baby is healthy, though, right?”

“As far as we know, it is. I’ve had scans done, and they’d drawn blood, and it seems healthy. Now I just have to come out on the other side and be okay.”

Haisley took Mel’s hand and squeezed. “I’m here for whatever you need.”

“Thank you. Having this group around has helped so much. So many women tell me I’m lucky to be so skinny,but I’ve seriously been hospitalized because I can’t keep weight on.”

"You know, weight is weaponized. Everyone is either too skinny or fat. It doesn't matter what you look like, someone will try to shame you for it."

“Ain’t that the truth. Thank you for understanding.”

"Hey, I hope after the baby is born, you don't have the same issues. I mean, what are you age-wise?"

Mel laughed. "I'm not old, but I'm not super young."

“Well, however long you’ve lived with this, you don’t need to keep living with it. I hope you get a break.”

"Thank you." Mel couldn't stifle her next yawn, and Haisley knew they needed to get to bed. With her baby due soon, Mel needed all the rest she could get.

"I'll see you in the morning. My phone will ring through if you need anything, so call if you do," Haisley said.

“Thank you. I appreciate this.”

Haisley said goodnight, not telling Mel that she was the one who was appreciative. Having close friends was something she never really expected. She had support like she’d never had before. Having Peach in her life was just icing on the cake.

Chapter 32

Peach didn’t move,almost didn’t breathe as they waited for the patrol to pass. They needed to sneak into the compound and take out the one guy. Bombing the place would be easier, but it was too risky. Civilians would be killed if they dropped anything on this place.

“Ready?” Wild asked over coms.

“Ready,” Peach said before moving out of the shadows. They raced across the expanse and into the door that would lead them into the rooms where the man spent his time.

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