***
“Lina?” I opened the front door a few inches to reveal my confidant and closest friend, whose anxious expression from last night was wiped away and replaced with that peppy smile that almost always greeted me. Surprised to see her wearing something that was not her usual barn attire, I stepped back to let her through the threshold. “What are you doing here?”
Her face brightened as her eyes scanned the main living area. “I can’t believe that in all the months you’ve been here, I still haven’t seen your house.”
I chuckled. “Not many people ever come over.” Jack was private about his space, always suggesting we go elsewhere to meet people. This was his safe place. “But you’re welcome anytime.” I gestured to her getup, light-blue bell-bottom jeans with brown booties and a black, scoop-neck top. “What’s the occasion?”
“Uhm, happy birthday!” she exclaimed like it was obvious and threw her arms around me. I let out a soft laugh and loosened up. I didn’t remember ever telling Lina when my birthday was, but I guessed that she found it on a form or something when filing my employment paperwork.
Hugging her back before she pulled away, I reveled in the gracious feeling that came over me. I hadn’t had a good friend in so long. While Lina and I were still in our early stages of friendship, my confiding in her last night felt like a huge stepping stone for us. I had her to thank for pushing me to spill my feelings and finally allow someone besides Jack past my stone barrier.
“Okay, go get dressed because we’re going shopping!” She squealed like a teenager.
“Wait, shopping? Don’t we have work today?”
Granted, Jack had already played—and won—his game that morning, insisting I watch on the sidelines. As I got further along in my pregnancy, Jack became more insistent about keeping me away from handling horses, nervous about an accident that could hurt me or the baby. I trusted myself, and I was sure that nothing would happen, but it kept his feelings at ease and allowed me to ogle his incredible skills on the field.
Lina shook her head. “Nope. I took care of everything at the barn this morning becauseyou–” she pointed to me as if I were in trouble, “–deserve a day off. And a birthday shopping trip.”
Holding in my smile was inevitable. I was eternally grateful to Lina.
“Now, go upstairs and change. I’m going to stare at this fantasy of a living room.”
I laughed as I started up the stairs. Shopping seven months into my pregnancy seemed frivolous, since whatever I bought wouldn’t be wearable in two more months, and I wasn’t sure how I would look postpartum. Still, Lina’s insistence and thoughtfulness pushed any rational thoughts away. She was right. It was my birthday, and I deserved a day of something mindless and enjoyable.
Staring into the mirror in the mid-length blue dress that accentuated my bump gave me a rush of butterflies. Mybabywas in there. Waiting to come out. Waiting to call memama. A shiver followed down my spine. I was ready for this.
“That dress is dangerous, Maggie Hennicke,” a husky voice said from behind me. I glanced above my shoulder in the mirror to find Jack standing in the doorway leading to our bathroom. His eyes fixed on the curves of my body as he slowly walked up behind me. The closer he got, the more excited my skin became to feel his fingertips run across it, to feel his warmth and fire.
“It’s my new favorite.”
“Yeah, no kidding. I want to see you in this every day.” His mouth came closer to my ear as his massive hands shaped my hips. “And out of it.”
I blushed.
Jack looked delectable in his freshly showered look. He smelled like leather, and his blonde locks were still damp. His t-shirt and jeans hugged his body in all the right places. Just looking at him made my insides tingle.
We made eye contact in the mirror after he placed a kiss on my shoulder. The skin his lips touched burned with an ache I knew would have to wait until tonight to be soothed.
“Lina wants to take me shopping.” I tried to waive the jitters my voice suggested.
“Oh, yeah?”
I nodded.
“Well, have fun, beautiful.” He placed another kiss on my shoulder.
“We will.” I turned in his arms to place a soft peck on his lips.
He kissed me back, taking my bottom lip between his. “Oh, and happy birthday, baby.”
* * * *
Lina and I drove the short thirty minutes to downtown Sheridan to a newly built shopping center with loads of familiar stores. Since I wasn’t entirely educated on where to buy maternity clothes, and my trips into the city were limited, most of my wardrobe for the last few months was from Target or Amazon.
Pregnancy suited me in the most perfect and unlikely way. I didn’t walk as fast, so I took in the views around me. I was becoming more in touch with my body and learning to put it first. I had a family to fight for. My life had a purpose that wasn’t just my passions. It was filled with people teaching me, caring for me, and loving me. This moment in time was only one example.
“So, where do we start?” Lina pulled her gray SUV into a parking spot near a strip of boutiques and turned off the ignition. Her phone pinged, causing her to pull it from her back pocket. She rolled her eyes and stuffed it away before turning back to me with her perky expression.
