Page 104 of My Three Hometown Firefighters
Apparently, a girls’ day with my bestie is the perfect time.
“And why did we need to dress up to do this?” I ask, climbing out of the car, which gets me way more out of breath than should be legal for such a simple task.
Thanks a lot…We need to pick a name for Little Miss.
Hadley waves her hands in front of her as we walk toward her front door. “Oh, you know. Estrogen. Women’s empowerment. All that stuff.”
What?Maybe it’s just my pregnancy brain, but that didn’t make a lick of sense.
I generally feel like a massive whale, but in this dress, I feel pretty. Maybe I don’t mind this whole dressing-up idea after all.
Hadley opens the door, stepping inside. I follow behind, freezing when I see the yellow decorations filling the space and all of the people shouting, “Surprise!”
My hands fly to my face. “Oh my god,” I mumble as the tears start to fall. “You threw me a baby shower?”
Hadley pulls me in for a hug. “I wasn’t trying to make you cry.”
“I’m pregnant, Hads. An eyelash falling out makes me cry.”
She laughs, stepping back.
“Mom,” I croak out, tears still streaming down my cheeks.Good thing I kept my makeup minimal.
She wraps her arms around me. “Look at you, my sweet girl,” she says, resting her hand on my bump.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I say, trying to rein in my emotions.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she says, grabbing my hand and leading me into the living room.
I walk around giving hugs to Gram, Martha, Maggie, and Evelyn. It’s a small group, but it’s perfect.
All my favorite ladies are right here. I look down at my bump.That means you, too, little one.
We’ve played a bunch of silly games that will have my muscles aching tomorrow from how much I’ve laughed. And I ate way too much of the delicious food Maggie and my mom made.
I already have a pile of things beside me that the ladies have given me. Evelyn keeps handing me presents to open from a seemingly never-ending supply of them.
I pull the tissue paper out of a bag. Inside is a bunch of breastfeeding and pumping supplies. I pull out a tub of nipple butter that makes me giggle.
“Oh, that’s from me, hun,” Gram says. “Gotta take care of those ta-tas.”
“Gram,” I say, shaking my head.
Hadley laughs at my side. Evelyn hands me the next box. I peel off the pale-yellow paper, prying it open. Inside is a gorgeous hand-knitted blanket in a rainbow of colors. Slowly, I pull it out of the box.
I turn to look at my mom. I don’t need to see a tag to know this gift is from her.
“It looks just like my blanket when I was little,” I say as the first tear falls, or the first tear right now, I guess.
There are tears flying all over the place where I’m concerned.Hormones.
She nods, tears pooling in her own eyes. “Gram made you yours when you were little.” They both share a heartfelt look before Mom looks back at me. “I thought it was my turn to make one for your little girl.”
Mom and Gram might be feisty and outspoken, but they also have huge hearts. They’re only related because my mom married my dad, but those two are so similar. Most people think my mom is her daughter.
I loved my rainbow blanket more than anything growing up. Knowing that my daughter will have the same thing fills my heart with so much happiness.
With the blanket draped over my lap, I pull Mom in for a hug. “Thank you,” I whisper as I continue to cry. “This means so much to me.”
