Page 54 of The MC's Surprise
“Where’s Ellie?” I asked as we headed to the car. Vegas lent me his, since he preferred his bike anyway and the weather was nice. I was grateful not to have to hoist my giant pregnant self into my dad’s truck and didn’t argue with him when he offered.
“Preschool. She and Zoey go to the little preschool for half days now. It took some convincing for Butch to agree, he’s always been overprotective, but when he met the preschool teacher and saw how happy Ellie was while playing with kids her own age, he relaxed. It helped that Prez and Maggie were sending Zoey there too.”
I blew out a breath as I slid behind the wheel, rubbing my belly subconsciously when the baby kicked me in the ribs. “Ihaven’t even thought about stuff like pre-k or school. I’m mostly just trying to get through the first few weeks.”
Skylar put her hand on my shoulder, giving me a look full of understanding. “Right now, that’s all you need to think about. It’s not like the preschool is so busy that you have to plan out months in advance. The town isn’t that big. Besides, they only take kids two and older. You’ve got plenty of time. Focus right now on getting through the last few weeks of your pregnancy. How are you feeling?”
“Ugh.”
She laughed at my reply as I headed toward the address Charlotte had given me. I was glad Skylar’s schedule was so flexible working with Butch part time. I couldn’t imagine showing up to this thing alone.
“I get it. I’m betting there’s no way to get comfortable, you’re tired all the time, and you’re eating everything you can lay your hands on.”
I snorted. “For the most part. Haven’t really been hungry today, though. I don’t have a good feeling about this party.”
“Tell me about that,” she urged, curious. “You said the woman who was planning it was a friend of Vegas’s? You two aren’t friends?”
“Not even close,” I grouched. “She’s a jerk. She’s the daytime manager at the casino and took major issue when Vegas hired me without consulting her first. I can tell she wants to make me miserable, but with Vegas nearby, she can’t get away with it often. She always makes comments, though, and none of them are kind. When he told me she was throwing this thing, I wanted to say no. But he looked so damn excited…”
She cocked her head, narrowing her eyes at me. “There’s something else, isn’t there?”
I sighed. I was apparently terrible at hiding my emotions. “I’m like ninety percent sure he was in love with her before Ishowed up. He bent over backward for her whenever she came to talk to him. Even drove forty five minutes just to find a piece of paper for her when she called on the weekend.”
Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wait, seriously? Vegas doesn’t work on weekends unless they’re having an event. He doesn’t like work interfering with his free time.”
I nodded. Mel said the same thing. That didn’t stop him from showing up when Charlotte called. He came back quicker than I’d expected, but he still dropped everything to go to her.
“I honestly can’t tell if this party is another excuse to torment me, or if she’s trying to get on his good side and draw him back to her. They weren’t dating when he asked me out, but I’ve been wondering if I should have asked if he wanted to date her before agreeing. I don’t want him to force himself to be with me just because we’re having a baby.”
“Whoa, hey, I wouldn’t go that far.”
We pulled into the parking lot of the building where the baby shower was being held and I shut off the engine, but didn’t get out of the car right away. I hadn’t spoken my insecurities out loud before and with them all at the surface, I felt a close to tears again. Stupid hormones. I couldn’t wait until I didn’t cry at the drop of a hat anymore.
“Listen, Sierra, I don’t know this woman or her connection to Vegas, but I do know my friend. Vegas isn’t the kind of guy to do something merely out of obligation. He would always help, he’s good like that, but I think if he asked you out, then he’s serious about it. And have you seen the way he looks at you? He’s smitten.”
That was hard to believe, especially when comparing myself to Charlotte. She was gorgeous, thin, always put together. Meanwhile, I was a mess. Why would he pick me over her?
“Has he done anything to make you think he’s not in this?” she asked after a minute.
I shook my head. “No. He’s been one hundred percent supportive, even when he didn't know for sure if the baby was his. But that’s just because of the baby. He even asked me to move in so he could help for the first few weeks. I–”
“He asked you to move in with him? And you still think he’s not that into you?” She smiled, shaking her head. “I’m not going to say your feelings aren’t valid. I’m not sure how I’d feel if I’d known Butch was in love with someone else before we met. But I think you should give him a little more credit. Vegas isn’t impulsive in general. It’s what makes him a good Treasurer and a good business owner. If he’s asking you to move in and making time for you, I would think he’s thought things through and knows this is what he truly wants. Just give him a chance to prove it.”
I had to blow out a breath to stop the barrage of tears trying to escape. This was why I’d wanted to talk to someone about all of it. Skylar knew Vegas better than I did. If she said I could trust him, then I felt a little more secure in my decision to do so.
“As for moving in, I agree with him. You’ll need the help and it’s good bonding time for him too being there in the first few weeks. You don’t have to move in forever, but I think spending those first few weeks together as a little family will help you all bond and recover from the birth.”
I hadn’t thought of it that way. Beyond the impending sleep deprivation, I hadn’t really given any of it much thought. Maybe a part of me was still burying my head in the sand. It also might have something to do with my lack of experience with babies. I had no idea what to expect.
“I’ve never been around babies before,” I admitted. “I don’t know what to expect.”
She tipped her head, her expression thoughtful. “Why not come over to my place after this. Ryder is five months, but that’sstill pretty young. You can get some hands on experience before your little one comes.”
Seemed like a better plan than just waiting and seeing how it would go once the baby was born. I opened my mouth to agree when a loud rapping sound on my window startled me and made me jump. I whipped around to find Charlotte scowling at me from outside my window.
“Are you coming in or what?” she snapped.
I sighed. “Might as well get this over with,” I muttered. I would have much rather had a baby shower with the crew over whatever Charlotte had planned, but I had to remind myself that this was for Vegas. It would be fine as long as he was there.
