Page 59 of Rebel Heart
Ivy laughed. “Your arms are already full of things for Rosie, Lily, and Jack. Auntie Jules is getting plenty of shopping done.”
Technically, she wasn’t lying.
It was the first time in a long while that Ivy and I both had off from work, no Westwood family celebration to attend, and the desire to get out to spend time together. For the past few months, Ivy hadn’t been feeling the best with the early part of her pregnancy—it had been wrought with nausea and morning sickness—so she did little more than anything that was absolutely necessary.
And now that we were at the mall for what felt like our first trip here in ages, I wanted to take full advantage. But it seemed my sister was going to make me stick to buying for the nieces and nephew I already had.
I took what I’d selected for the kids, crossed the store, and joined my sister at the very back, where she was looking at the gender-neutral newborn items. She was clutching one item in her hand.
“What did you find?” I asked.
She held up the outfit. “I was thinking about this for coming home from the hospital.”
“Ah, it’s so tiny. And adorable. I love it.”
“Me, too. Okay. This is it. This is all I’m getting.”
I cocked a brow. “Are you sure about that? Looks like you’ve got a few other items slung over your arm.”
Like she’d completely forgotten, Ivy looked down at her arm and sighed. “At this point, Marco and I intend to have the sex of this baby be a surprise, but I can’t deny that there’re so many adorable things here. Would it be wrong to pick up a few items and just keep them in case?”
Grinning at her, I shook my head. “Not at all. Besides, I’m sure you’ll have more than just one baby, so even if it won’t work for this one, it might for the next.”
“Good. But this is it. Nothing else. Because this isn’t what we came here for.” Her eyes slid to the entrance of the store. “After we walk out of here, you can’t let me make any additional stops until we do what we came here to do.”
I didn’t think Ivy was going to need me to keep her ontrack. The reality was that the biggest reason we’d made this trip to the mall was so that my sister could get herself some clothes, especially for work.
Ivy hadn’t gained a ton of weight yet with the pregnancy, and she wasn’t very big. If anything, she was at the stage where it wasn’t quite so obvious that she was pregnant. But her figure had changed a bit. And since she typically wore pencil skirts, form-fitting dresses, and tailored pants to work at The Westwood Hotel, her current attire mixed with her changing body left her feeling more and more uncomfortable. So, she needed to pick up a few new pieces to get through the next couple of weeks and months.
“Deal.”
Ivy and I finished up in the store with all the best children’s clothing I’d ever seen, and we made our way through the mall to a few stores she liked getting her clothes from. Ivy wasn’t quite at the point where she wanted maternity clothing, so she hoped she’d just be able to size up on some of her usual styles at her favorite stores and call it a day.
Nearly two hours later, my sister felt satisfied with her purchases, believing she had enough to hold her over for a while. But neither of us was ready to be done. So, we strolled around the mall for a bit longer. Ivy was content sitting in the dressing room, eating snacks she brought with her, while I tried on dresses I didn’t need. It was like we’d transported ourselves to ten years ago, when life was so much simpler, and we’d spend our weekends shopping without all the responsibilities. I loved it. And in the end,I ended up buying a new pair of sandals and a white summer dress that I had nowhere to wear just yet.
As we made our way to the exit, Ivy asked, “Do you want to grab dinner on the way home?”
I smiled. “I love that food is back on the menu for you.”
My sister giggled. “Oh, you have no idea. After feeling like I was going to vomit all the time and after nearly every meal for weeks, I’m taking full advantage of this newfound appetite.”
“And Marco won’t be upset if you have dinner without him?”
“Let’s be honest, I’ll probably eat again tonight.”
Laughter spilled out of me, and I linked my arm through hers. “Well, then let’s go feed this baby.”
Ivy and I decided on a restaurant that would be quick—she wasn’t interested in waiting long for food these days—and placed our orders almost immediately after being seated. For a while, we talked about work and family and the newest additions to the Westwood clan. But it wasn’t long before my sister shifted the conversation to a topic she clearly had been thinking about for weeks.
“So, how are you doing?” she asked.
“Me? I’m fine.”
Ivy shot me a look of disbelief. “I want to believe you, but that answer came out just a bit too quickly. I’m serious, Jules. I’ve been thinking about you ever since your birthday, when you shared what happened with you and that guy.”
“His name is Beau.”
“Right. Beau. Whatever. The point is, I’ve been worried.”
