Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 345(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
I was thirty-five weeks pregnant, we had a shiny new alarm system that some man Titus called Woody had set up, my love had finally stopped working from home and had actually gone into the garage for the day, and Diana was currently ordering her sister to play ball with her.
Titus and I had managed a few more kisses, each one better than the last—but things hadn’t progressed further. It was impossible for anything racier than that to happen when Ariel was following me around like a little duckling.
Things were calm. Things were good. I was happier than I’d ever been in my life.
Then someone knocked on the door and both of my children froze, their heads twisting in unison to look at me. I stared at the front door, my palms clammy.
“Noel, it’s me,” Heather called cheerfully. “I come bearing gifts!”
“It’s Gran,” Ariel breathed, the tension going out of her.
“Gran!” Diana yelled, dashing toward the door.
I reached it just as she did, and we swung it open together.
“Got some baby stuff,” Heather announced, lifting up a bag. “And some big girl stuff,” she added, lifting the bag in her other hand.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I admonished, backing up so she could come inside.
I locked the door behind her. I didn’t ever leave it unlocked, not even when the guys were home. I knew it was a pain in the neck for them, especially when they were working outside, but they never complained. Not once.
“I couldn’t help myself,” she said breezily as she sauntered over to the couch. “Ariel, I think you’ve grown about two feet since I saw you three days ago.”
“I did not,” Ariel argued, grinning.
I put a hand on my chest as my heart gave a heavy thump. I didn’t think I’d ever take one of Ariel’s smiles for granted again, not after the days we’d spent without them.
“Well, I hope that what I got you still fits because, I dunno.” She squinted at Ariel. “You look bigger.”
She pulled out two nightgowns, passing them to each of the girls. Then little pairs of overalls. Then T-shirts. Sweatshirts. And finally, two miniature pairs of leggings. She grinned over at me.
“I figured they might want to be in on some legging action, too,” she joked, gesturing at my legs.
I had three pairs. Two black and one dark red. I’d had to buy maternity leggings, because no way was my belly going to fit into the regular sizing, but I loved them. They were soft and stretchy and felt like freedom. Titus loved them, too. Whenever I wore them, he’d come up behind me and flip up whatever long shirt I was wearing and groan as he squeezed one, or both, of my butt cheeks in his hands. At first I’d laughed, but the longer we went with little physical contact beyond normal affection… well, I’d begun to groan a little, too.
“And for baby,” Heather announced, pulling out a little gray sleeper with a matching blanket and hat. “I saw this and thought it’s good for a girl or a boy.”
“It’s so cute,” Ariel said as I reached for the tiny outfit.
“I got a white set, too,” Heather said, smiling.
“I love them.” I smiled back. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” She nodded. “I also left a big box of newborn diapers on the front porch.”
“Two in diapers is going to be so fun,” I joked, glancing at Diana. She had one of her new shirts halfway on, but she hadn’t bothered taking off the shirt she’d been wearing originally.
“I bet this one potty trains soon,” Heather replied, pulling Diana over so she could help her take both shirts off and put the new one back on. “So, I was thinking—how would you two like to come over to Gran’s for a while this afternoon?”
Ariel’s gaze shot to me. She may have stopped following me to the toilet, but she hadn’t been farther than a room away.
“Asa and Eloise are coming over in a little bit to play outside,” Heather added nonchalantly. “So, I thought you guys might like to come, too.”
“I go,” Diana said brightly. “Mama, I go?”
“Sure, baby,” I replied, my eyes still on Ariel.
Me and Heather had talked about this before. I’d told her that the next time she had the kids over, she could come ask Ariel and Diana. We weren’t pushing Ariel to gain back a little independence, but I wanted to give her the opportunity.
“Okay,” Ariel said, glancing between us.
“Awesome,” Heather said excitedly, slapping her hands down on her thighs. “Want to bring anything with you?”
“Binkie,” Diana crowed. We’d finally started keeping her pacifier in her bed, only to be used when she was napping, going to bed… or riding in the car. Even if the ride to Heather’s was only about five minutes long, she wasn’t going to miss that opportunity. I snickered.