Page 64 of Misery In Me

Gage

Have a good day today, Hermosa.

You haveno idea how good of a day we are going to have today.

Ale

Okay, this stroller is a pain in the ass with how small my trunk is. Totally something I didn’t consider.

Zoe is in her car seat watching me struggle to fit the stroller into the back of my Corolla.

Ale

It won’t fit.

Gage

The front wheel comes off. Maybe you just need to take it off?

I snap a picture of the stroller hanging halfway out of the trunk and send it to him.

Gage’s name and picture pop up on the screen and I hit accept. His face shows up, and he has a smile on his face. “Yeah, there is no way that’s going to fit. I was going to make a joke about making it fit but… there’s no hope for that.”

“It’s fine. I’ll just use the carrier while I’m out.”

“I can bring the truck and swap with you.” He offers, then props the phone up.

He’s busy, and I don’t want him to get in trouble for leaving.

“No, it’s fine,Cariño. We’ll be okay with the carrier for today.” I hear him mumbling something to someone, and then he picks the phone back up.

“Are you opposed to trading it in for a bigger car?” The clicking of a mouse in the background and the mumbled words of someone else barely come through. “Morales says his wife loves her smaller SUV. Or we can just get a full-sized one,” he winks at me and I feel the heat rush to my cheeks.

“Yeah, I’d be good with that. Is that something we can afford?” Thinking about how now we will have another little human in our lives in nine-ish months.

Gage chuckles. “Yeah,Hermosa, we’ll be fine. Your husband has been really smart with money over the years.”

“Okay, well, I’ll let you get back to work. Have a good day,amor.” I crouch next to Zoe and show her Gage on the screen. “Say bye, Daddy. See you later.”

“Bye,Princesa. Be good for Mommy today. I love you.”

Looking at him, he purses his lips in a kiss, and I do the same. “Te amo, Cariño.”

“Love you too, pretty girl. I’ll see you for dinner. Have a good day and for the love of God, eat something.”

“Yes, sir.” I wink and watch his jaw tense, and he smiles, shaking his head.

“See you at home,Hermosa.”

Gage ends the video call and all I can think is,I wonder what I’m going to get for that when he gets home.

Zoe and I make a day of hitting the stores, looking for the perfect way to tell Gage that he’s going to be a daddy again. Sitting in the car after hitting up two different stores. We found the most adorable “Big Sister” outfit, and I got stuff to make a special dinner. Gage loves steak, so I got some rib-eyes to throw on the grill. Then I got all the stuff to make flan.

Okay, so maybe the flan is for me, because it sounds absolutely amazing right now.

The BBQ is goingand I have the steaks on the cutting board, seasoned and ready to go on; the potatoes are done and so are the veggies. All I’m waiting for is the flan to finish setting. Zoe ison the play mat on the floor with some toys, making all sorts of noise. She’s in the outfit and ready for Gage to pick her up when he gets in the house. The garage door opens and I hear his truck backing up into the driveway.

“Daddy’s home,Princesa. Are you ready?”No response.Well, I’m as ready as I can be.

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