Page 152 of Whispered Sins

He nodded and made the necessary turn before it was too late. I hopped out of the car and stood in the long line of morning commuters. I tapped my foot impatiently, feeling a mix of anxiousness and excitement bubbling in me.

When it was my turn to order, I ordered an herbal tea. The same tea I had taken to Brooklyn all those months ago when I would drive Heart into the city for work. It felt like a lifetime ago, if I were being honest. When things were better. When things were right.

I held the cup in my hands, its warmth seeping into my skin as we approached the Brooklyn Bridge. The tea brought me back to all those long car rides as we really got to know each other.

I solely concentrated on the heat on my hands and the smell of the flowers because it was all I could to not lose my nerve.

My phone buzzed. I slipped it out of my jacket pocket. It was a text from Brody:Go get her back, bro.

I smiled down at my phone before returning it to my pocket. I hoped more than anything that I could.

Chapter 53

Addison

“Do you need anything while I’m out?” asked Monica. She applied a nude shade of lipstick to her lips as she stood in front of the small floor-length mirror next to my closet.

She looked fantastic in a cream skirt and a flouncy silk blouse that was tucked into her waistband, revealing her petite figure. I looked down at my flannel pajamas and sports bra that did their best to contain my body that was growing at a rapid pace.

I couldn’t help but feel a little envious of her. She wasn’t a ball of emotions, or an actual ball of a human, for that matter. She got to work her dream job and leave the apartment as she wished. It felt unfair that she would have to stay holed up in here with me.

I sighed as I thought about how different I looked and how different life looked.

“Hey,” said Monica, walking over to the bed and plopping down next to me. “What’s wrong?”

“I feel like a whale. I look like a whale. I’m only two days into being on house arrest, and I’m already going crazy,” I said, lying back in the bed dramatically.

I knew I was being dramatic and emotional and all “woe is me,” but I couldn’t help it. My hormones were playing a game of which one could make me break down first, and seemingly, they were all winning.

“Hey now,” said Monica as she put her arm around me. “You do not look like a whale. You put other pregnant women to shame. You’re weeks away from delivering a beautiful baby. What did you expect? To look like Heidi Klum?”

“Ha!” I laughed sarcastically. “She looked hot even pregnant.”

“So do you. Look, I know this isn’t how you imagined pregnancy to be.”

“Or life…” I rolled my eyes.

“But, you’re kicking ass. You have a job that lets you stay home in your pajamas. People would kill for that.”

I nodded. Leave it to Monica to try to make me see the bright side of things when I could only see the shaded areas.

I should feel lucky that I even had a job at all, let alone one that I could do from the comfort of my home. And one that followed my doctor’s orders of resting as much as possible for the health of the baby.

“I feel so selfish,” I said softly, my eyes welling up with tears.

“What? Why?”

“Because I’m complaining about all the things that I should be grateful for. I should be thinking about the baby and how to keep him or her healthy as they come into this world. I’m already a bad mom.”

“Oh, hush,” said Monica, squeezing me tight. “Your hormones are playing tricks on you. I won’t hear any more of it.”

She released me from her hug and stood up quickly.

“Get up,” she said, or more so demanded.

I groaned.

“Now.”

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