Page 48 of Bound by Love
Once she was dressed, Brie checked on Hope and saw that she was just beginning to wake. Picking her up, she sat down in the nursing chair, wanting to feed her before Mary arrived.
As Brie rocked slowly and Hope suckled, she hummed a lullaby. Nursing was her favorite time of the day. Having that intimate connection with her daughter, a stolen moment between just the two of them, was something she deeply cherished.
By the time Mary knocked on the door, Hope was already asleep again in the bassinet Brie had placed next to the couch. She wanted Hope close, so she could give Mary her full attention without needing to check on the baby.
She went to answer the door, wondering what had Mary concerned enough to stop by. She hoped it wasn’t anything serious.
“Surprise!”
Brie just about jumped out of her skin, then began laughing as Lea, Candy, and Autumn shook cheerleading pompoms, shouting, “Hope, Hope, Hope…”
“It’s your After Baby Baby Shower!” Lea cried.
“Oh, my goodness, you guys almost gave me a heart attack,” Brie cried, giggling as she ushered them inside. Mary followed behind them with a heavy bag. “What, no pompoms?” Brie teased.
“Not my thing, Stinky Cheese.”
Mary went to the kitchen to unload her bag while the other girls headed straight to the bassinet. “Oh, my gosh, she’s so dang cute,” Lea cooed.
Brie looked at Autumn in surprise. “I can’t believe you came from Denver for this.”
“Shh…we haven’t said anything yet, but Tono came with me to scope out the housing situation. He’s considering moving back here.”
“With you?”
She blushed. “That’s the plan.”
“Whoo-ee!” Lea cried. “That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”
Hope made a noise from the bassinet and Lea instantly covered her mouth. “Sorry, Brie,” she whispered.
“I’ve found that newborns sleep a lot,” Brie said, laughing. “And it’s hard to wake this little one after she’s been fed.”
Lea stared at Brie’s boobs. “Wow, girl, yours are looking almost as impressive as mine these days.”
Brie looked down at her breasts and grinned. “Yeah, I must admit, it’s a nice perk of breastfeeding.”
Candy looked at her own smaller ones and joked, “Maybe I should look into it.”
“No way, girl,” Mary called from the kitchen. “You know how Captain feels about your nips.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” She giggled, blushing a deep shade of pink.
Brie started toward the kitchen to see if she could help, but Mary stopped her. “Don’t come any closer.”
“But, I—”
“Look, Stinky Cheese, I didn’t go to all this trouble for nothing. You just head on back there and stay there.”
Lea came up beside Brie. “Mary, what can I do to help?”
“You could start by making the drinks.”
“What about us?” Candy and Autumn asked.
“You guys can set out the food.”
Brie shook her head. “I can’t believe you guys did this.”
