“So happy that you decided to come home.” I set her down and take her hand in mine. “How was school today?”
“It was good, but Daddy, have you seen Miss Katelyn’s house?”
“I have. It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“Yep, a crab walked right onto the patio last night and scared Miss Katelyn with its pinchers.”
“Oh no. What did Mr. Harrison do?”
“He laughed. I did, too, because it was funny.”
“I bet it was.” We don’t even make it to the house when Whiskey comes outside with her arms full of towels and toys.
“Get in,” she hollers at us. “I need to get to the beach.” Evelyn and I do as she says because the wrath of a pregnant woman is no fun for anyone.
3
Jamie
I think I’m going to miss being pregnant. I’m not going to miss the swollen feet, my weak bladder or my overheated body, but I’m going to miss the back rubs that Ajay randomly gives me. I’m going to miss the way his hands caress my stomach, the way he’s always aware of where I am in the room and how he knows exactly what I need.
My eyes are on him as he drives down the highway toward the beach. There’s an unearthly glow about him. Everyone says that mother’s glow when they’re pregnant, never mentioning the father, but as I look at Ajay, I see it. Impending fatherhood looks good on him, sexy even.
Since this morning, my back has been killing me. My mom said it was a sign of labor, however, at my doctor’s appointment earlier in the week, she said I was still closed. Even though it’s a heavy task, I hoist my feet up and set them on the glovebox. The relief is almost instant.
Ajay laughs. “Are you okay?”
“I’m good,” I tell him. Since we’ve gotten back together, I’ve tried to avoid using the word ‘fine’ when he asks how I’m doing. I read somewhere that the word is misleading to both parties and leaves your partner or significant other to think negatively. “Do you like my toes?” They wiggle, showing off their freshly painted pink color.
“I do.” Ajay reaches for my hand, bringing it to his lips. He holds my hand to this mouth for a long moment, which allows me to ogle my hot husband. Damn, how did I get so lucky? “Did Evelyn paint them for you?”
“I did, Daddy,” she yells from the backseat. “Mommy did my nails.” Ajay looks into the rearview mirror and smiles, leading me to believe she’s holding her hand up for him to see.
“I thought you were going to try and go with Dana this weekend?”
“She’s busy,” I tell him. “Said she had plans but would check in with me when she got back.”
“Back from where?”
I shrug. “Didn’t ask.”
“Do you know if she’s seeing someone?” Ajay asks, which I find odd. He’s not one to pry into people’s business, especially one of his bandmates. He’s said before that the media is intrusive enough so if they want him to know something, they’ll tell him.
“She hasn’t mentioned anything, why?”
Ajay sighs, “Elle hired someone to handle publicity, which reminds me of something I need to ask, but first,” he pauses, “Hendrix said some stuff about a media outlet post that reported Dana has a boyfriend and how a retraction needs to be issued. She became super quiet and they sort of had a standoff. Keane says he’s seen her around our area at the grocery store and says she’s seeing someone.”
“She hasn’t mentioned anything to me and before you even go there, no, I’m not going to ask her. If she wants me to know — which she may not because if she’s keepin
g it from Hendrix, she may not want you to know — she’ll tell me.”
“Yeah.”
“What’s this other thing you have to talk to me about?”
“Zoey, our new publicity person, asked if we want to sell the baby pics to People as some exclusive thing. She said they’d pay good money.”
I’m not even going to lie, I’ve seen those issues with the newborns on the covers and I’ve been jealous. Of course, I’ve wished that I was the mom on the front, being looked at adoringly by her husband, with their perfect little baby nestled in between them. But now that I can be, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. Is it an invasion of the baby’s privacy? Many celebrities these days hide their children from prying eyes, which I completely understand. Nothing irks me more than some photographer taking pictures of Evelyn. Of course, she loves it. She thinks it’s the best thing ever and even becomes upset if she’s not smiling for the camera. I’ve told her that she needs to look away, to pretend she can’t see them, but she thinks the attention is fun. Ajay says she’ll change her outlook once she’s older and they’re following her everywhere and documenting her every move.