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“I’m sure they hold you in the same regard as you hold them. They’d prefer a strip show from you,” I assured them.
“Not me,” Sara said. “This belly isn’t sexy.”
“But it’s beautiful.” Grace reached over and rubbed it like Sara was a Buddha.
Sara shrugged. “At least it doesn’t stop him from …you know.”
Both Beth and me gaped. “You still have sex?” Beth asked.
“Oh yes. I hear it can induce labor and I’m so ready.”
“How?” I asked. It seemed to me that the baby would be in the way.
“We find a way,” Sara said with a wink.
“Doggie style,” Beth offered.
“Yes. And there are other ways.”
How many ways, I wanted to ask, but it was bad enough to be big and poor. They didn’t need to know I was a virgin, too.
“What’s next, Morgan?” Beth asked me, and again I was glad for a change in subject.
“More food.”
“Yay,” Sara said. “Binge eating is a pregnant woman’s equivalent to a bar crawl.”
We all stood and I led them toward our next culinary adventure.
As we made it to the street, Beth pulled me aside. “Thank you for all of this, Morgan.”
“Of course. I just hope it’s nice enough for you.”
“Oh honey, it is. I’m just so happy to spend the night before I marry the most wonderful man with the most wonderful group of friends.” She gave me a hug. “Now, what’s for dessert?”
“I know a place that sells shots served in shot glasses made from cookie dough, and other baked yum yums.”
“Show me the way,” Beth said, linking her arm in mine as we walked up the sidewalk.
Later that evening, I ordered us an SUV that took us to the townhome Ben was living in.
“He’s not here, is he?” Beth whispered to me as we pulled up.
“He said he’d stay somewhere else,” I assured her. The home had been owned by the McAdams family, but Ben and Beth had to sell it when their dad’s empire started to crash. Fortunately, Ash had bought and given it to Beth, who then gave it an ungrateful Ben. I had no idea where he was, or even if he’d remember to stay away so we could finish our ladies’ night out.
“I know it’s bad to not want him here, but — ”
“No one blames you for not wanting him around. He’s not himself anymore,” I said to Beth.
Once inside, I pulled out more finger foods and nonalcoholic drinks that I’d left there earlier in the day. At the knock at the door, I told the ladies to all gather in the living room.
I opened the door to let in the team of ladies and men. “Welcome to spa night,” I said to my guests. “You can have massages, facials, mani-pedi, the works.”
“Oh, I want a foot massage,” Sara chimed in right away.
“I want the works,” Beth said, her smile so bright it made me feel like I’d made the right decision. It had been hard to go to Ash and tell him I wanted to offer a full-service spa night, but I didn’t have the money to cover an at-home spa visit myself. He was very gracious as he said he’d pay for whatever I wanted to give Beth. I appreciated his generosity, even as I envied that the money he’d spend would be barely a drop in the bucket for him, and probably a year’s income for me.
I pushed away my own insecurities and joined in the fun with the ladies.
“You sure know how to throw a party,” Sara said, sighing as one of the masseuses kneaded her foot.
“We’ll be so relaxed and pretty for tomorrow,” Grace said. “Oh, speaking of which. Here’s my present. It’s for the honeymoon.” Grace handed Beth a box.
Beth opened it and laughed. Inside was a beautiful teddy.
“There’s a slit at the bottom, in case he’s in too much of a hurry to get it off you.”
Beth blushed. “And these?” She pulled out a bunch of condoms.
This time Grace blushed. “Hunter and I have decided we don’t need them.”
“Because you’re on the pill?” Sara asked.
Grace shook her head.
“Oh!” Sara’s eyes watered.
“Do you have anything to report yet?” Beth asked.
“Not yet. Soon, I hope.”
I watched my best friend Beth, looking so happy with her soon-to-be sisters-in-law. I was grateful that they’d accepted me into their group. They were all in a different social class than I was, but when it came to how they treated me, we were all the same. I wiped my own tear away at how lucky I was to have them in my life. I might not ever get my fairy tale, but it was hard to complain with friends like the Raven wives.
7
Kade — Saturday
There was a part of me that was concerned by how eager I was to see Morgan again. She wasn’t the first woman I’d ever been attracted to, but she was the first who seemed to haunt me. That was disconcerting. At the same time, I was feeling alive for the first time in a long while. I hadn’t ever looked forward to anything as much as I was looking forward to seeing her again at the wedding.
