Page 21 of Till Cupid Do Us Part

Bradley, the newest hire at the Frosty Mug, scurries off the moment I notice him. He’s freshly eighteen and nervous literally all the time. Niko gives him a hard time, but I think he’s just trying to teach him good habits. His tardiness has disappeared altogether recently.

I make a point of slurping loudly with the pink swirly straw while staring down my boyfriend. The mint swirls around in my mouth and burns at my throat in a good way before warming my belly despite the cold bite of the slush.

“Are you going to name the baby Daiquiri? Maybe Mint? Ooh, what about Swirly Straw?” Jill teases, subtly leaning in to grab my drink.

With my elbow, I shove her away and tuck my drink into my chest. “You don’t steal things from pregnant women.”

“What if I’m doing it for a good cause?”

“My doctor said we’re both in perfect health. I can have as many of these as I want.”

“That’s not completely true, Ivy,” Niko pipes up.

I stare at him, deadpan. “Don’t you have work to do? Why are you eavesdropping on my conversation?”

The man slouched over the bar shifts to lift a brow at me. I blink at him, leaning forward as I stare to silently express how little I care for being gawked at.

Niko snaps his fingers in front of him. It buys him a few points back.

“Don’t look at my woman. Drink your beer,” he orders gruffly.

Jill shakes her fist and hurrahs. “You tell him, Niko.”

Bradley passes me a giant bowl of ketchup and mayo that he’s mixed into a light red consistency the way I love. He eyes Niko curiously, as if trying to read into his every move.

“No, you don’t have to be that possessive over a woman, Bradley. Niko takes it to the extreme sometimes,” I tell him, taking a shot in the dark as to what he’s thinking about. “And not every woman likes a possessive man.”

Jill leaves me alone about my drink choices and dives into this new topic. She leans an elbow to the bar and nods. “Sometimes a girl wants a man to stand up for her and lay apublic claim, but other times, she may want to be the one to beat some ass. Differentiating between the two types of women is a learned skill.”

“Sounds complicated,” Brad notes.

Niko wipes the bar with a wet cloth. “It is. You gotta be okay with takin’ a few drinks to the face while learnin’ what kind of guy you want to be. The laid-back type or the makin’ a claim no matter the consequence kind.”

“And how many drinks have you taken? Since you just haveallthis experience with women,” I jab, the crease between my brows near painful.

The mess of hormones in my body has taken a toll on me, but Niko’s been so damn good about it all. He takes every snap and spout of anger on the chin and holds me while I cry and apologize for it all afterward. I’m so ready to be done with this pregnancy. Nine months is too long. We should be able to press the fast-forward button at any point.

Someone should invent a way to make it happen. And by someone, I mean anyone but me.

I blow out a frustrated breath and slump over the bar. It’s Jill’s hand that rubs up and down my back. Niko’s is far too big to be the one touching me right now.

“If this is what I’m missing with being pregnant, I’m glad that I’m going to be child-free forever,” she says.

Tears well in my eyes, making them burn. My chest caves with a loud sob. “I’m so terrible that I’ve made you never want to have kids?”

“What? No! That’s not what I meant!” She reels backward, abandoning my back.

I look at the distance between us and cry so hard I can’t see through the tears. It’s never-ending. There’s no reason to cry, yet I feel like she just punched me in the tit and ran away, yelling about how horrendous I am. My arms fall to my thighs as sobsrack through me. I keep my head down and eyes squeezed shut as heavy footsteps come my way.

“Oh, don’t turn that glare on me! I didn’t mean to upset her,” Jill argues.

“Still fuckin’ did.”

I spin on my stool and open my arms for Niko before I know he’s even remotely close to me. My huge belly feels like it’s hanging down between my legs as he bends low enough to hug me tight.

“And you can’t even lift me anymore! Everything is wrong,” I sob when he’s forced to hold me at this awkward angle.

He runs his hands through my hair and presses kisses to my cheeks and forehead. Tears spill from my eyes at a terrifying pace. There’s only so many he can wipe away before more come.

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