“Those aren’t just any socks,” Becca said with an indulgent smile, as if I just didn’t get it.To be fair, I didn’t.“Those areStar Warssocks.Anything with pictures of Yoda or Darth Vadar is a good gift for him.”
I laughed and shook my head.“He’s such a nerd.”
“And that’s one of the many reasons we adore him.”
I couldn’t argue with that.I’d always found his nerdiness endearing.
We headed to the register, and I bought Parker’s socks while Becca purchased a ladybug nightlight for Gracie and a new tie for my dad.
After that, we strolled through the mall, passing clothing stores and a smoothie shop before we went into a toy store.This was the most crowded store we’d been to, and it was hard to walk around without bumping into someone.
“You’ll have to help me choose something for Gracie,” I said, scanning the store for that perfect gift for my niece.“I want to make sure she loves whatever I get her.She deserves a great Christmas since she’ll be sharing the attention with her little brother next year.”
My eyes were on a display of baby dolls as I spoke but when Becca didn’t reply immediately, I glanced at her.To my surprise, she was frowning.
“What’s wrong?”I asked, my eyes immediately going to her stomach.“Is it the baby?”
She waved off my concern.“No, not at all.It’s just…what you said.I had the same thought.I wanted to go a little big this year for Gracie because as excited as she is to become a big sister, this is going to be a huge change for her.She’s used to being the only child and getting all the attention.”
“Makes sense,” I said, nodding thoughtfully.“A little spoiling sometimes isn’t a bad thing.”
“But Parker disagrees,” Becca continued, her frown deepening as she absently toyed with a stuffed unicorn on a shelf.“He told me that he didn’t think we should go too overboard on gifts for her.”
That didn’t sound right to me.Parker adored Gracie, and he was the first person I’d expect to want to give her an especially magical Christmas.
“It’s not just that,” Becca added, her voice dropping as we meandered deeper into the store.“He’s also cancelled our babymoon trip.”
“Your what?”I asked, confused by the term.
She sighed.“It’s a little vacation that a couple takes together before the baby is born.A last chance to get some quality time in before you’re overwhelmed with diapers and sleepless nights,” she explained, her disappointment evident in the slight slump of her shoulders.“I didn’t know about them before Gracie was born, but now that I do, I really wanted the two of us to do this.I’d planned it during New Year’s, but all of a sudden, Parker is worried about travelling while I’m pregnant, even though my doctor said it would be perfectly safe.”
I could see that she was frustrated, but I didn’t know what to say to make her feel better.Parker wasn’t usually this overprotective of Becca.Combined with his take on how to handle Gracie’s Christmas gifts, along with some over the top reactions about a few things at work, including the increase to the marketing budget, his behavior had been strange lately.
“Maybe he’s just feeling pressure about the upcoming launch,” I said as my eyes skimmed over some board games.“He did seem rather stressed during last week’s meeting.”
She sighed.“This new EV charger and making it a success is important to him.I get that, but I’m also disappointed.”
“How about you guys plan a nice date night instead?”I suggested, aiming to lift her spirits.“Do something fun.Maybe dinner and a show along with one night at a hotel.Christmastime in New York City is beautiful.I’ll watch Gracie.”
Becca gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.“Maybe.Thanks, Morgan.”
She helped me pick out gifts for Gracie—a Disney princess coloring book, new crayons, and a matching doll—and we left the store.My mind lingered on Parker, wondering what was really going on with him, but Becca didn’t seem to want to discuss it any further.
“So, how are things going with Liam?”she asked as we walked past a kiosk where a man selling expensive sunglasses tried to get our attention.I gave him my best polite but uninterested smile and we continued on.
I’d confided in Becca about Liam, and how we were quietly dating.“Things are mostly good,” I said, feeling my cheeks heat as I thought about our steamy encounter in his office a couple of days ago.
I hadn’t planned to initiate anything sexual when I showed up at his office with dinner, but after I overheard his phone conversation and realized he was worried about screwing things up with me, it had prompted me to act boldly.I had no regrets, though I never imagined doing something like that at work.But I couldn’t deny our secrecy made the whole thing even more thrilling and exhilarating.The need to be quiet, the forbidden nature of what we were doing…
“Mostly good?”Becca pressed, her brow arching with curiosity.“What does that mean?”
I shrugged.“We’ve both been swamped at work lately,” I said, trying to sound casual.“I love that the company shuts down for the holidays to give everyone a chance to enjoy that time off, but this is always a busy time in preparation of that.We just haven’t had much time alone.But we text every day, and he’s…” I paused, searching for the right word.“Sweet.”
That last part was only partially true.Liamcouldbe surprisingly sweet, sure, but our recent messages leaned more toward the explicit, and I flushed just thinking about them.Like this morning’s text where he’d described in vivid detail what he’d been thinking about while in the shower.
My blush intensified, and Becca’s knowing smile told me she’d noticed.The gleam in her eyes confirmed it.
“Uh, huh.I’m sure those texts are sweet and completely innocent.”She suddenly grabbed my arm and steered me toward a lingerie store.“Come on.Let’s stop in here and find something to make his jaw drop.”
