Page 92 of Seven of Hearts

Logan had delivered me and a pile of boxes to the cottage this morning, then drove around the bay to Will and Kristin’s house to work since we didn’t have Wi-Fi set up yet.

The third bedroom in the cottage was going to be his office. I really wanted to get it done before the baby came. But looking around the house, the pile of boxes, and the completely empty nursery...It was going to be a marathon.

I braced my hands on the kitchen counter and let out a breath. “I’m slowing down. I promise. It’s just the excitement of being in the house for the first time and Gio and Ellie being out of school. I always have an energy burst when I get a day off. It’ll fade.”

“You have that big cup of water with you, right?” he asked.

I eyed the massive insulated tumbler that was bigger than my head. “Yep.”

“And the bag of snacks you brought?”

“Yes, Daddy,” I quipped. “Are you done practicing for when there’s a child here?”

Logan sighed. “I’ll be back over at lunch time to help you test.Pleasetake it easy,” he begged.

“I can test my sugar levels,” I said as I eyed my purse and the little pouch that sat on top that held my blood glucose meter and the test strips.

We both knew it was a lie. I had tried to do it by myself first thing this morning and couldn’t. Logan had to prick my finger and administer the insulin...again.

“I’ll still come over because I want to see you,” he said.

Logan’s discreet reassurance that he’d be there if I couldn’t do it myself meant the world to me. I hated feeling inadequate. I wanted him to look at me and know I could handle anything.

Anything except a stupid needle and a few drops of blood.

“I gotta jump on a call,” Logan said. “I just wanted to check on you.”

“Okay,” I said as I picked out a much, much lighter box of hand towels from the stack. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

“If you need anything, the Pelhams are next door. Steve might be on duty, but Erica should be home. Her car was there when I left. Just take the path through the trees.”

“I’ll be fine, but I will keep that in mind, you overprotective ogre.”

Logan chuckled. “See you soon, honeybee.”

I ended the call and couldn’t help that stupid smile on my face.

Things felt . . . good. They feltright.

Instead of tackling the dish towels and washcloths, I waddled into the nursery and looked around.

The bassinet lived under a sun-drenched window. It was the first thing we had brought into the house. I closed my eyes and imagined the crib. The changing table. The cardboard books and stacking blocks. The endless mountains of stuffed animals. Little trucks and cars scattered about.

Like he knew he was home, the baby took a tumble in my belly.

“You awake, little man?” I said as I smoothed my hand over the spot where he was bouncing about.

There was another kick. They were getting stronger and stronger each day. It was a strange sensation to feel him moving and growing inside of me. The first few times I had watched my belly warp and shift as he readjusted in there had freaked me out. Now, it was just like he was bored and saying hello.

“Daddy will be here in a bit,” I said, resting one hand on top of my bump and trailing the other along the edge of the bassinet. “You always jump around when you hear his voice. You’re like a little kangaroo.”

The thought made me laugh.

Maybe I should do a Winnie-the-Pooh theme for the nursery. It seemed fitting.

Honeybees and kangaroos. Woodland critters. Piles of storybooks. Our little cottage, safely tucked away in the woods.

I’d run it by Logan, but I didn’t think he’d have a problem with it.

---