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I raised a brow at her. “Where did that come from?”
“I don’t know. I had a weird dream. I blame you and your ability to drain every bit of life out of me.”
I walked over to her, cupped her cheek, and leaned down to press a soft kiss to her lips. “Never fear, love. Lola will always know right from wrong. She won’t be one of those spoiled kids we see all around us. She’s too much like her mama to worry about getting lost in the wrong things.” I knelt before her, my hands going to her thighs and squeezing gently.
“She’s going to be three in a few months. Three! Time has gone by so fast. I think I’m just having one of those panic moments moms have when they realize their baby is no longer a baby. She’s growing up on me. I don’t like it.”
Her bottom lip went between her teeth, a nervous habit that I’d been seeing so much lately. There was more going on here. There had to be.
“Talk to me, love. What’s going on in that head of yours?”
Tears pooled in her eyes before she shut them quickly. “I wasn’t sure, but I brought one with me. This morning, I felt a little off so…”
I raised a brow. “You want to try that again, baby? But this time, I need all the words please.”
She took a deep breath, smiled, and pulled a pen that was blue and white from under her leg. When she turned it to face me, I realized it was not a pen. The flashing word ‘pregnant’ had my heart leaping in my chest.
“Pregnant!” I jumped to my feet, pulled her into my arms, and hugged her tight. She was pregnant. It was only a moment later that we were on the floor, her in my lap as I held her. The tears rolling down my face said it all. I’d missed this the first time. I hadn’t been there for every step of pregnancy.
I would be this time.
Nothing would take this joy away from me.
Chapter 8
Shaylee
Four Months Later
It was finally time to announce to our friends and family that I was pregnant. Baby number two would be here in March of next year. I was super excited and of course, scared.
After we’d found out on our trip to Tennessee, holding on to this secret had been the hardest thing to do in my life! We’d told no one. Not our parents, his sister Jessica. No one.
Though to be fair, Danni knew. She was the only one, and that was no fault of my own. She’d taken one look at me in the bathroom at work a few weeks after we’d gotten back; the green tint to my skin gave it away apparently. She’d started bouncing on her toes, and I swear, I’d thought she was going to go into labor with all of the excitement.
I made her promise to keep it a secret. For the time being at least.
I wasn’t ashamed to be pregnant. Not even a little. So James and I weren’t married? I didn’t need a ring or a new last name to let everyone know he was mine and I was his. I just didn’t want to jinx anything by telling everyone the moment it happened.
It could just be that I wanted to mentally prepare for the big news. Or I could just be over-worried and in panic mode, praying nothing bad happened but preparing in case.
Thankfully, our little bundle was perfectly fine. The sonograms we’d had this past week were in frames, ready for the special deliveries. They were in a gift bag along with a T-shirt that said, “Baby Whitman coming Spring of 2025.” There was a card for each person, and every bag had a cake pop in it. We were not only announcing the baby’s arrival, but doing a spontaneous gender reveal.
There was a big meeting at the new office; it was to discuss new clients and for everyone to get a handle on the coming expansion of Whitman Publishing. The building next door had been under renovations for the last few weeks to get it just how they wanted it.
My new office was twice the size of the current one. With a corner dedicated for Lola and the new baby, it also had a private bathroom. That would be a life saver. Danni’s new workspace was just as gorgeous. The open area that was the main lobby on the second floor was divided into three. Danni would share the open space with two others. Three agents in one space and then the old offices would be more of the in-house workers. Management on one side, the agents and publishing gurus on the other. We were also in talks with two more agents. Hopefully this expansion was what we all needed. And the best part of it all, there would be an in-house daycare that any of our employees could utilize. This would hopefully make us all a little more comfortable with working some of the crazy long hours we did.
The expansion had it all. More space, comfort, and a work environment that would put everyone at ease.
Gathering up the gift bags, I scooped up my water bottle and made my way out of the office. The walk down the stairs and across the alley went quickly. I pressed the button for the elevator and waited.
“Oh, Auntie Lee, you’re late. Your niece would like your attention.” Danni’s voice greeted me the moment the doors opened to the new office space. With a huge grin on my face, I moved to the desk and scooped the bundle in pink right out of her mama’s arms.
“Hey, sugar plum.” I pressed a kiss to her temple. The smell of ‘baby’ wafted over me, and I sighed. Baby powder and lotion. I loved it.
“Well, it’s good to see you, too, tramp.”
I snorted out a laugh and moved to hug my best friend. “Sorry, I saw her, and everything else disappeared. How is it going? Are you sleeping?”
