Page 98 of This Memory
My hand automatically went to my stomach. “I will. Be safe and have fun. Happy shopping!”
She let out a squeal before hanging up.
Laughing, I hit the end button and turned to see Gavin in the entranceway.
“Everything okay?”
I nodded. “It’s better than okay. Evelyn is back to her old self, and this trip was a great idea. I’m glad you suggested it to Denny.”
He walked over, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed my head. “Wait until she finds out she’s going to Hawaii.”
I pouted. “In a way, it’s not really fair. I’m doing all the work. It should bemegoing.”
With a lighthearted chuckle, he kissed my nose. “I agree. Can you imagine telling Evelyn you’re going on a plane ride that far?”
I groaned. “No! She’d totally freak out. After I have the baby, maybe you and I can plan a trip.”
A wicked smile spread across his face. “You and me alone for a few days…”
“A few days? I’m going to be carrying this baby for nine months! I think I deserve at least a week.”
Gavin tossed his head back in laughter. “Seven days it is.”
Gavin
New Year’s Eve was always all hands on deck, even in Moose Village. It was one of the holidays that you knew you were working. And with the small police force that we had, we were all okay with it. Mayor Browning always brought in dinner for us at city hall. We swung by when we got the chance, each of us rotating in shifts to eat. Someone was always there to chat and get us anything we needed. Most of the time it was the mayor himself. He even had Batter Up Bakery make special desserts for each of us as a thank you, just for doing our jobs. We never expected it, but it was nice, nonetheless.
“How’s Brystol feeling?” Declan asked as we stood back and watched the crowds gathering at The Green for the fireworks display.
“She’s doing good. Her morning sickness has settled down a lot, which is awesome. She’s craving the oddest foods, though. The other night, she wished we had a Thai restaurant in town. Then said no when I asked if she’s ever evenhadThai food.”
Declan laughed.
“I bought a plant for her counter at the toy store, and she walked by it yesterday and said the dirt smelled good enough to eat. I had to call Mom on that one, asked her if that was normal. She just laughed. Come to think of it, she never answered me.”
Clapping me on the back, Declan said, “It’s normal. It must be about something they’re lacking while pregnant, because one of the guys I served with said his wife craved dirt. Like, legit, she wanted to eat dirt.”
I slowly shook my head. “Jesus, what do the babiesdoto them?”
Declan shrugged. “Don’t know. What Idoknow is, a man could never, ever be pregnant. We wouldn’t be able to handle it all.”
“I’ll agree with you on that one. She has the cutest baby bump, though. We’ve talked about heading to Boston and meeting up with Lauryn, Cadie’s friend. She told Brystol she would take her to some maternity shops.”
“When do you find out the sex?”
“I think they scheduled it for when she’s almost twenty-one weeks. It was Evelyn and Denny’s only free time, what with court cases and such. I tell ya, I don’t know how they’re going to do it when the baby comes. They go to Boston every other week, I swear. Sometimes they’re up there for a few weeks at a time, depending on the case that’s being tried.”
“Maybe they’ll cut back once the baby arrives.”
I nodded. “Maybe.”
Declan glanced around. “I didn’t see Brystol with the girls. Is she skipping the fireworks?”
“Yeah,” I said, as I homed in on a few kids who looked like they could be up to something. Their parents must havethought the same thing because whatever they were about to do, several adults interrupted.
“What was going on over there?” Declan asked as we started to make our way around the perimeter of The Green.
“Looked like some kids were about to have their own fireworks show, but their parents put a stop to it.”
