Page 79 of 5+Us Makes Seven

“More like a rough month,” she said.

“Come on. Let me help you up.”

There was a lot Natasha needed help with. Getting up was one of them. Up out of a chair, or up out of the bed. Up from a toilet seat or help out of a bath if she wanted to take one. She couldn’t stand for long periods of time because her ankles would swell and ache. But her inability to get up by herself was one of the main reasons why I worried so much about her while I was at work.

It was also one of the reasons why I was going to wait on her hand and foot this entire weekend.

“What should I wear for this spa day?” Natasha asked.

“Anything that makes you feel comfortable,” I said.

“What all is happening? I mean, what do you have planned?”

“Now why would I ruin the surprise like that?” I asked.

“Because you love me?”

“Well that’s a given.”

I bent down and kissed her lips before she waddled into the closet. I gave her the space she needed to get ready, then was there to help her down the steps. We walked out to the car and I helped her in, making sure she didn’t trip and fall against her stomach. Then the two of us drove into town and pulled into the highest-rated spa San Francisco had to offer.

“Oh, my gosh.”

“You like it?” I asked.

“Carter. This is where all the celebrities go. Why in the world would you bring me here?” she asked.

“Do… you don’t like it?”

“I look like a beached whale. With shingles! What if I run into Hugh Jackman? Or Tom Hiddleston? Or Eddie Redmayne!”

“Got a thing for accents, I see.”

“I’m serious,” she said. “I look too rough to be in a place like this.”

“Nonsense,” I said. “See that team standing at the door?”

I watched Natasha look up at all the friendly faces smiling and waving at us.

“Yeah?”

“They’ve cleared their entire day just for you,” I said. “Which means if they’ve cleared their entire day…?”

“Then no Tom Hiddleston?” she asked.

“Exactly. Now come on. It’s time you had a chance to relax.”

I shut off the car and walked around to help Natasha out. We walked up to the team of professionals who were already beginning to dote on her. There was a hairstylist who knew exactly what he wanted to do with her hair and a nail professional who was walking her through all sorts of contemporary designs. There was a masseuse that was asking her questions on aromatherapy and the places on her body that hurt the most and there was a man trying to touch her face so he could get a good look at her pores.

I’d booked out the entire staff for the entire day so she could relax any way she wanted.

Our first stop was the massage. She was getting a prenatal massage and I was going to have a nice athletic stretch. The moans and groans coming from Natasha told me she was enjoying things, and the aromatherapy was a nice touch. The peppermint in the room was very soothing, and I could tell by the way Natasha’s voice got breathy when she spoke that she was as relaxed as she could be.

I booked her an hour and a half massage before she moved onto anything else.

Next was the facial. I held her hand throughout the entire thing as the specialist treated her face, her neck, her shoulders, and the front of her chest. He massaged her hands while the treatments were sitting on her face and kept telling her how beautiful she looked without all the makeup most women wear into these things.

And I had to agree with him.

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