Page 23 of Unexpectingly Happily Ever After

I narrow my eyes at him. “But you’re going to have to stay home at night with the kids while I’m gone.”

″Maybe I want to,” J.B. says with an adorable sheepish grin on his face. “I miss out on a lot, and a couple of days of daddy time might be fun.”

I don’t bother to mask my laughter.

“I talked to Cooper tonight,” J.B. continues, ignoring my derision. “He says it can work. We’re training Miles as assistant manager, and it’ll be a good test for him to be on his own for a weekend. We thought maybe Tenley could come work for Saturday in case there’s any problems. It’s only for a couple of days, right?”

″Brit wants to leave Thursday, come home Sunday night.”

″I can do that.” He meets my incredulous gaze. “I can.”

″I know you can.” I relent with a soft sigh. “And it’s not that I don’t think you could. It’s just that…“I glance down at my hands kneading the blanket. “I think I feel guilty. Thinking about how I kind of want to go makes me feel horrible! How could I want to leave the kids? They’re all I wanted for so long and to think getting on a plane without them–”

J.B.’s laughter stops my rant. “It’s not bad that you want to go away with your friends. You’re with the kids all the time. A break will do you good.”

″But it’saway.”

″Away can be good because you’d come back. It’s not like it’s forever.”

″What if it is?” I whisper, giving voice to my deepest fear. “What if something happens?”

He reaches across the bed for me. “You’re nuts,” he whispers as his strong arms wrap around me.

″But things happen,” I persist. “Things happenin Las Vegas.”

″Don’t even go there.” His voice is strong and sure and reassuring. “You’re not one to live your life in fear. Go and celebrate Brit. Drink a lot, stay away from good-looking men and have fun.”

″What about not good-looking men?” I ask as I pull away.

″What would you want with an ugly man in Vegas when you can have a good-looking man here?”

I shrug. “Fair point. Are you sure?”

″Do you want me to pack for you?”

″You wouldn’t have a clue how to begin.” I kiss him, my lips lingering against his. “You’re good for me.”

″I know. Sorry to bring up the baby thing now. Try not to think about it now. There’s no rush. We can talk about it when you’re back.”

″There’s no rush?” I flop back onto the pillows and recite from memory. “A woman’s prime period of fertility occurs between the years of twenty-two and twenty-eight, with each year decreasing the chance of a happy and healthy conception.”

J.B. grimaces. “Is that from that book you were reading when you got pregnant?”

I nod. “A Young Woman’s Guide to the Joy of Impending Motherhood. She wrote another one.” I show him the dog-eared book on my nightstand, A Young Woman’s Guide to Raising Obedient Children.

J.B. bursts out laughing. “A lot of good that book has been.”

Chapter Eight

Friendships with other mothers should be cultivated to ensure a proper network of support.

A Young Woman’s Guide to Raising Obedient Children

Dr. Francine Pascal Reid, (1943)

Brit is smug when I tell her I can go to Las Vegas with her. “I knew you’d come around,” she chortles. “Morgan told me yesterday that she was in, and I was just waiting for you to come to your senses.”

″The logistics took some work,” I admit.

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