Page 99 of Lovesick
Shane let out a little mewl as I got comfortable in the chair, then smacked his lips and settled back to sleep. My heart stirred. Forget romantic love. Being an auntie was way better. I pressed a gentle kiss to his tiny forehead and stared at the oxygen tubing that led to his nose.
“Don’t ever do this again,” I whispered as I ran a finger around the shell of his ear. “Or we’ll have words later.”
My phone dinged with an email alert that I ignored. When ten minutes passed and Bethany and Maverick hadn’t returned, I dug my phone out of my pocket. The wordsPinnable Employmenton the preview screenmade my stomach seize.
“Sweet baby pineapple,” I whispered, frantically putting my password into the phone. Within seconds, I speed-read through the words.
We regret to inform you that we have not chosen you as a candidate...
My phone clicked as I closed it. I set it gently on the side table near the rocking chair, then leaned back. Heat rushed into my eyes all at once. What now? What could possibly go wrongnow?
This entire month had been nothing but obstacle after obstacle after obstacle. What next?Anything else you want to throw at me, universe?I almost yelled. A wordless, bubbling response surged through me. It felt like rage but tasted like bitterness, and I almost let it go. Instead, I pulled it into check. It simmered there beneath the surface.
Seconds later, Bethany stormed back into the room and collapsed against the wall.
“Bethie?”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She sucked in a shuddering breath and a half sob. “I just need to cry for a minute.”
Carefully, I stood. Shane stirred as I put him into the crib, and then I turned to Bethany in concern. I held out my arms. “Can you cry with me?”
She peered at me through her fingers like a lost child, then reached for me. I pulled her into my arms and held her.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I had a baby,” she cried. Tears filled her eyes. “And these hormones are crazy. I feel like a psycho person that swings from one emotion to the next. I drink water all day long and it never feels like enough because I’mso freaking thirstyfrom breastfeeding, and Maverick is driving me bonkers. I’m so tired. He’s tired. We’re all tired from Shane being sick and work and being stressed. I just want my baby to be okay, and I want to be done breastfeeding.”
She gripped my shirt in her fists. For half a second, I expected her to let out a scream. Then she did, right into my shoulder. It was a guttural thing, a cross between a shrill sob and a bellow of rage. A giggle peeped out of me—I couldn’t help it. I pressed my lips together in a poor attempt to hide it, but more giggles escaped me. When she pulled away in shock, she just looked so ridiculous and exhausted and perfect.
Bethie stared at me, eyes swimming, until a half laugh, half sob burst from her. Then she really laughed. Within seconds, both of us were belly laughing as we sank to the floor. The entire moment was so ridiculous it only made me laugh harder.
Minutes later, I sat on the floor, my sides pinching.
Bethany wiped her cheeks off with the back of her hand. “Thanks.” She sniffled. “I think I needed that more than anything.”
“You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah. It’s just ... this is hard. And Maverick is trying to make it better, but he’s just ... just...”
“Protective?”
“Overbearing.”
“Think he’s scared?”
She blinked. “Why would you think that?”
I shrugged. “Just wondering. He looks overwhelmed all the time now. Like he’s been staring too long at the sun and can’t blink the aura away.”
She giggled again. “Me, too, probably.”
“I would describe you as more closely aligned with mama-zombie.”
A rueful sigh escaped her. “Definitely. I’m sorry. I just needed to escape for a moment and get away from Mav. Does that make me an awful wife?”
“No. I think that makes you a real one.”
Six months of intense pregnancy nausea hadn’t done her any favors. She looked downright haggard now, and I wanted to fix it all for her. Was this what Leslie, Grace, and Stella were saying at book club? Maverick and Bethany always seemed to have the perfect romance, but it wasn’t actuallyperfect.This was real-life romance at work. Bethie and Mav would pull back together—they always did.
