“That’s okay. This sort of thing happens all the time, and they’ll still see you if you’re worried.”
Mae groaned. “Oh, god. I haven’t told Stone. How could I be so stupid?”
“It’s okay. Just one thing at a time. It’s probably nothing. I knew I should have come over here and helped more. Hosting everyone is stressful.”
“I’d barely call this hosting,” Mae sighed as she sipped on her drink. The cold liquid effervesced and tickled as it cooled her mouth and throat. The band around her heart loosened at the same time the pain started to fade from her belly.
“Tell me about your pregnancy with Sage.”Take my mind off of my worry,she silently begged.
“Oh, she was a stubborn one. Gave me just about every ache and pain out there. I didn’t really have anyone who cared… right up until Gunner came home to say goodbye to his mom. That man fussed so much over me, you would have thought being pregnant meant I was made out of glass.”
“And you loved every minute of it.”
“I did. He wasn’t even trying to make me feel precious or special, he was just worried and trying to boss me around. But god, I loved it. Even if I sassed him every now and then over some of the ridiculous things he said to me.”
“And soon, it’ll be time to try for baby number two.”
“Yeah.” Lily sighed, looking at the door. “I think we’re going to hold off a little bit more.”
“What? Really?”
Lily nodded. “Keep sipping that ginger ale.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Mae laughed. “Why put off trying?”
“We’ve got the new house to build. And then we want to do a vow renewal with everyone there this time. I think Gunner is sick of getting teased about our Connecticut courthouse elopement. And I just… I’ve already done the ‘get married at nine-months-pregnant’ thing. I want to have a really pretty dress and feel good about myself. Not that a baby bump wouldn’t do that… it’s just…”
“It’s just all hard to time. I get it. You’re allowed to make those plans however you want to. And I’m so excited to do all the fun wedding things! We need to have a proper bachelorette party!!”
“Gia and I have been talking about that already. I keep telling her she needs to come visit so we can plan things, but she’s as stubborn as her brother!”
Mae smiled. “I love that. We’re going to have so much fun. And then we’ll be able to properly celebrate a new baby after all the other celebrations.”
“Exactly.” Lily looked over at her. “How are you feeling? Any better?”
“I don’t think it’s the baby.” She swallowed roughly. “I think it’s just my stomach being fussy. Would it be terribly rude of me to just stay here? You guys can stay as long as you want to. I’m just exhausted.”
Lily nodded. “That’s perfectly fine. We’ve been here for hours. I know Sage is going to konk out soon anyway, so we’ll scoot. Do you want me to get Stone?”
“No, no. He’s having a nice time. I’m sure he’ll come to bed when he’s ready. Just don’t let him overdo anything. I’m sure the guys will remind him, but he needs to be resting, too.”
“I’ll make sure everyone clears out soon, okay? Call me if you need anything.”
Lily left, closing the door softly behind her. Mae pushedherself up off the bed. Standing in the closet, the pain began easing a bit as she unbuttoned her pants.
“Sorry, little bean. Was I squishing you in there? I guess it’s time to start wearing leggings.”
Mae changed into her pajamas, not bothering to pull on pants with her sleep shirt. As she laid in bed, palming the precious secret growing in her belly, she knew her days of keeping quiet about it were numbered. Even that morning, when she was normally at her thinnest, there had been an unmistakable roundness to her abdomen.
And she’d loved it. Her conversation with Sloane swirled in her mind. Maybe Stone’s memory loss was a blessing in disguise. Maybe it was all part of a bigger plan. Maybe their baby, the sweet little life growing under where her hand rested, would bring them back together.
She let those warm thoughts play over and over again in her mind, even as the pain returned.
Twelve
“They leave Jetty in as a wide receiver and there will never be another win on that team, you mark my words.” Sebastian sighed as the guys all laughed. A warm hand landed on Stone’s arm, and he turned to see Lily’s bright eyes filled with worry as she jostled a sleepy Sage in her arms.
“Hey, Lily. Is everything okay?”
