Page 39 of Keeping Promises

I wrap my lips around the straw and taste the smoothie. At first, it’s freezing on my teeth, and I shiver, but then the tartness of whatever fruit is in here makes my taste buds explode.

“This is delicious, thank you. Shall we?” I extend my hand to the front door.

Hadley reaches into her bag and pulls out a stack of papers. “Okay, so I printed off this checklist as sort of a guide. It’s still rather overwhelming, but I figure it’s a start, although I don’t know what half these things are.” Her eyes widen as she looks over the list.

I grab a cart and rest my elbows on it. “Figure we’ll have this, just in case. It’s always famous last words walking into a store and saying you don’t need one, and next thing you know, your hands are full and you can’t see shit in front of you.”

She laughs, and it’s like magic to my ears. “That makes a lot of sense. I can’t tell you how many times Lexi and I went into Target and fell into the trap of going in for two things and $200 later, you’re walking out and not with what you originally went in there for.”

It’s hard to believe that Lexi Baker, the master of all lists, would fall into that trap, but I think there’s something in that big red circular logo that hypnotizes you when you walk in there.

Hadley leads us over to a desk that says “Registry” in bold purple letters.

“Hi, welcome to Baby Emporium. How can I help you guys today?”

I enjoy a few sips of my smoothie while Hadley introduces herself and tells the salesgirl we need to register.

The girl claps her hands enthusiastically, startling both Hadley and me, and we share a look at her excitement. “Well, first of all, congrats. Do you know what you’re having?”

“No, not yet, but we find out soon.”

“Okay, I just need to get some information, and then I’ll set you up with a registry gun and send you guys off.”Wow, she sounds like she’s shipping us off to war or something.

Ten minutes later, the salesgirl is printing off some paperwork, and we are “officially registered,” ready to start adding things to the list.

“Oh, this is going to be fun. I feel like I’m playing an arcade game.” I hold the registry gun thing up as if I were a cop entering a crime scene, checking for the perp, and shoot, even adding a “pew pew” sound effect.

Hadley shakes her head, taking the gun from my hand. “How about I just hold that for now, and you hold the checklist.”

My shoulders slump. “Yes, Mom.”

She giggles and playfully shoves my arm before walking ahead of me. My eyes can’t help but dip down to her ass. Her now noticeable bump has also accentuated her curves.

I quickly divert my attention down to my smoothie cup when she smiles over her shoulder at me as if she knew what I was doing.

“What’s first on the list?” I glance down, and the first up is feeding. That also happens to be the first section behind the registry desk—how convenient.

“Breastfeed, definitely breastfeed. I’ve read the milk does wonders for the baby.”

“You know if it’s a boy, it might start his obsession with tits early.” While I can’t see her face, I know she just gave me an eye roll. “I mean, who wouldn’t want to be up close and personal with your tits.” I know I would. They’ve gotten more prominent, and every time they’re on display, even though I don’t think she tries to show them off on purpose—it’s more just that they’re, well,there—they make my mouth water.

I’m pretty sure she mutters, “Pig,” under her breath. I abandon the cart and join her at her side as she scans away on items. She lets out a long breath.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” She tries to steady her features and turn her attention back to the items in front of us, but I’m not letting it go that easily.

“Spill it, Kincaid. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours.” I run my knuckles over her temple tenderly.

“It’s just a little overwhelming.”

“Hey, we don’t need to do this all today. We’ve got time.”

She shakes her head. “No, it’s not that. When I think about all the changes my body is going through andwillgo through, it’s all a bit overwhelming.”

That’s very true. It’s a lot to take in, and it’s not even my body. I can’t imagine how she feels on the inside.

I take the registry gun and grab her now free hand and lace my fingers with hers. “You tell me what to shoot, and I’ll shoot. And I promise to behave.”

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