He didn’t look convinced but nodded all the same. “Okay. I just thought I would bring it up. I mean … everybody has seen the two of you together around the casino. People are starting to gossip.”
“That will die down when they see how well adjusted we are with our baby. What do you think of Henrirexia for a name?”
He made a face. “I think you should keep trying.”
“Yeah. Your sister said the same thing.”
14
FOURTEEN
Iwas hungry.
Actually, I was always hungry these days. I could understand why being pregnant was used as an excuse to endlessly eat.
I’d been brought up in a house where it was common to count calories. As a child, my mother had done it for us … and made no apologies. As a teenager, I was expected to do it myself.
Treats were just that … a treat once a week or so. Well, except for Zach. He spent hours at the Carter house every week, and they did not police what their children ate. In the Stone house, however, going over two-thousand calories a day was frowned upon.
Watching what I ate had become part of my daily life. It wasn’t something I was bitter about. It just was.
Getting pregnant had changed that. I was hungry all the time. The books I’d read—and the call I’d placed to the doctor’s office—suggested that my caloric intake should be between 2,200 and 2,900 calories a day.
So why did I want to eat an entire cake all by myself for lunch most days?
I was still thinking about that, while glaring at my lunch salad—no cheese or croutons and dressing on the side thank you—when there was a knock on my door. It wasn’t hard to abandon the salad—it wasn’t what I really wanted anyway—so I could see who was darkening my doorstep. I had no idea who it would be because everybody—that’s my mother, my sisters, my brother, my sister-in-law and Rex’s parents—had started dropping in unannounced at regular intervals. It was as if they had a plan to make sure that I didn’t spend too much time alone. I hated it.
The face on the other side of the door wasn’t an altogether unwelcome one, however. “Rex.” I beamed at him. Then I registered the fact that he was laden down with a bunch of bags. “Have you been shopping?”
“Um, yes.” He gave me an odd look, as if he couldn’t believe I’d asked the question. He swept into the suite without being invited and carried the bags—there had to be at least ten of them—to the table. “So, I got some stuff.”
My eyes practically bulged out of my head. “So I see.” Had I given him a shopping list? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. I didn’t remember giving him a list, however.
That was another problem I was grappling with. My memory wasn’t as good as it used to be. From everything I’d read online it was called pregnancy brain. Like … it was a real thing. People became more absentminded and stared into nothing more often when pregnant. I was determined not to let that take over my life.
It wasn’t going all that well so far, though.
“Remind me,” I prodded. “What did I send you after?”
Rex’s stare was long and lingering. “Um … you didn’t send me after anything. I picked all of this up myself. Including…” He trailed off and searched amongst the bags before returning with one. “Lunch for the two of us.” His smile was simple but heartfelt.
I recognized the bag immediately. “Is that what I think it is?” My mouth was already watering.
“If you think it’s your favorite dish from Mon Ami Gabi, then you would be correct.”
I shoved the salad to the side of the table and reached for the bag. “Gimme.”
He was a bit leery when handing it over. “Don’t bite my hand or anything.” His head cocked. “When was the last time you ate?”
“I had an egg white omelet for breakfast,” I replied as I dug through the bag. He’d gone all out. He had more than one dish.
Rex glanced at me, then at the uneaten salad. “Was that going to be your lunch?” He didn’t look happy about the possibility.
I shrugged as I opened the first container. “Oh, it’s the prawns.” I had to stop myself from hugging the container. “I can’t believe you remembered this was my favorite meal.” Suddenly, I realized I was near tears. Over shrimp. What was up with that?
Rex looked as if he wished a hole would open up beneath him so he could disappear from the scene. “You told me a few months ago. It was right before the engagement party.”
“And you remembered?” My stomach let loose a ruthless growl.
