“Okay, you know what?” Celia pipes up again. “It doesn’t matter. Colin, you are required by threat of injury to come over here and do yoga with her after work. Andyou.” She swings her index finger to point at me. “Are required to not only answer the door and let him in, but also to actually do the yoga.”
I open my mouth to protest, but she’s too quick to continue.
“Don’t let her beguiling ass talk you out of making her do the yoga, Colin. I know you still have a thing for her, and I know this whole baby situation makes you even more weak.”
I exhale long and loudly as I fall sideways to lay on the couch.
“I promise I will be there tomorrow at 6:30 sharp,” he says, obviously ignoring her jab about having athingfor me. That’s probably for the best, given that I now know exactly howdeepthatthingruns for him, and given that I have no idea if I have a similarthingyet or if what I’m feeling is just hormones.
“Good,” Celia clips.
“Hey, Elle,” he adds, “I’ll even bring you some food. Whatever you want.”
“Oh, awesome,” I say with utmost snark, “yeah, I’ll be in the mood for anything that can fit in the wholesquare inchof available space for my stomach now that this baby is permanently crushing all of my internal organs. You know… including mybladder. Which is why I’m probably going to pee my pants in front of you while we’re doingyoga. I hope you’re as excited about that as I am.”
“OhGawd.” Celia huffs. “Just pee before he gets here!”
“You don’t understand, Celia!” I point at my ginormous belly. “I have to pee like every five minutes.”
Colin clears his throat. “It’ll be okay, Elle.”
“Yeah, easy foryouto say,” I clip. “It won’t be you peeing on yourself.”
“I mean… if that happens, and it’ll make you feel better about it, I will,” he returns in all seriousness.
That’s thelastthing I expect for smooth, suave, and sexy AF Colin to say. The bizarreness of all this suddenly hits me like a two-by-four to the face, and I burst into hysterical laughter. Which honestly threatens to make me pee on myself right now.
“No… no…” I suck in a gasp as Celia snickers into her palm. “You don’t need to go that far. You can just bring some food. That’ll be great.”
“Okay,” he says, still serious and pleasant. “If you think of something that sounds good, shoot me a text, and I’ll be there at 6:30.”
“Thanks, Colin!” Celia chirps through lingering chuckles.
“You bet. Have fun in the Big Easy, Celia.”
After ending the call, Celia tosses the phone onto the coffee table, which is pushed to one side of the living room, and then flops onto the couch next to me.
She gives my forehead a pat. “Don’t tell him what I’m about to say.”
I blink up at her. “What?”
She purses her full lips and twirls one of her long, black braids around her index finger. “I don’t really hate him anymore.”
I smile at her for a second before letting my gaze drift to the ceiling. “I don’t either.”
Well, Reader. I hate prenatal yoga evenmoretoday. I don’t know if I pulled something when I tumbled onto the rug yesterday, or if pregnancy has really made methatout of shape, but I can barely move today.
Thisache… it almost feels like the flu, except that I have no other flu-like symptoms. Unless you count the extreme fatigue. I can barely sit up, and when I manage to actually right myself, staying that way feels like the ultimate test of stamina and strength. My huge belly is seizing up with what are known as Braxton Hicks contractions, or false labor pains. They’re normal at this stage and not cause for alarm, but theysuck. So unless I want to literally crawl out of my apartment and into a cab, I’m going to have to take the day off.
Picking up my phone, I cringe at the fact that I’m calling Georgia before eight in the morning, but when she answers, it’s clear she doesn’t mind.
“Elle, whatever it is, it’s okay,” she says immediately.
“Oh.” I rub the side of my clenching abdominal muscles. “Well, nothing’s wrong. I’m just in a lot of pain this morning.”
“Take the day off and rest,” she says, again without missing a beat. Perfectly serene and calm like she always is. “Remember, we need that little bun to bake as long as possible. I’ll handle your appointments today, okay?”
“Okay.” I let myself roll backward and flop against the mattress. “I really appreciate it.”
