“Yeah, it wasn’t for long. About eight months? I can’t remember. It looks really good though.” Noah said, his gaze taking in my space. I hadn’t done much to make it my own yet. Angela hadn’t exactly let me decorate our apartment, so I didn’t have much to work with.
“It’s getting there.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. For some reason, my thoughts went back to that painting of the creek at the gallery.
“I don’t want to end our date on a stressful note, but I do need to talk to you about something work related,” he said, those kissable lips frowning a little.
“Oh?” I was feeling slightly better after our chat earlier, but at the mention of work, I tensed up again.
“It’d probably be best if Damien handled your day off requests, and other employment needs. I don’t want the other employees thinking I’m playing favourites just because we’re dating.”
“That seems fair.”
“So, that means we’re going to have to fill him in on what’s going on with you. I know I’ve already approved your request for Friday afternoon, so don’t worry about that, but going forward…”
“Yeah, of course.” I nodded. I didn’t like the idea of telling Damien, but everyone was going to find out eventually.
“And I was thinking, if you were okay with it, that I could come with you to the next appointment.” Noah looked at me hopefully. When he saw the bewildered look on my face, he rushed to explain. “I mean, so we could do the DNA test.”
I blinked, not expecting that at all. “Uh, if you want to, I guess?”
“I do. Want to, I mean.” Noah smiled at me, like I’d given him a gift by saying yes. The way his blue eyes lit up had the butterflies swirling around in my stomach.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Noah stepped closer, his eyes soft. He put his hand on the side of my hip, drawing me to him, and lowered his mouth to mine. The kiss was chaste, but tender—so tender it almost made me want to weep.
He touched me and kissed me with such reverence, and he gazed at me with such fealty. I’d never felt so seen and so exposed. It turned me on, calmed me, and terrified me in the same breath.
Noah didn’t overstay his welcome. And as much as I could tell he wanted to, he didn’t deepen the kiss. I was thankful for that because my restraint was thinning.
“I should go,” he murmured, his gaze dropping to my swollen lips and lifting again. “I’ll see you Monday, okay?”
“Sure, yeah.” I nodded, sounding just as frazzled from our kiss as I felt.
A large part of me wanted to invite him to hang out longer, but I knew if I did that, we’d end up in bed together again. I was trying to take things slow, trying to protect my heart until we could find out for sure if Noah was the father of my baby.
His words kept replaying in my head, but that didn’t change the fact that I needed to find out for sure before I allowed him to fully commit himself to me. Sure, he might think he wants this—me, a baby that might not be his—but his opinion on the matter could change if he found out he wasn’t the father.
So, it was better to end the date now, before it could go any further. He closed the door behind him, and I listened to his heavy steps on the stairs. A few moments later, I heard his truck start. Only then did I peek out the window and watch him drive away.
Besides, if I’d invited him to stay, I wouldn’t have been able to open the gift Delia gave me.
I grabbed the gift bag and brought it to the living room, setting it down on the coffee table. I proceeded to stare at it for several minutes, working myself up to opening it.
“You’re being ridiculous,” I told myself after twenty minutes had passed. Shaking my head, I reached for the gift bag and set it on my lap. I pulled out the tissue paper and peered inside. There were several things inside the gift bag, so I started pulling them out one by one and setting them on the table.
There was a bag of loose tea called Mother’s Intuition, and two small white cardboard boxes.
Inside the first box was a crystal no bigger than the palm of my hand. The crystal was the colour of blood and fire. It looked like it was glowing, and when I picked it up in my hand and held it, it was cool to the touch. There was a small cardstock note underneath it, with the name of the crystal and a description.
The Carnelian crystal is a highly energetic healing crystal that glows like a flame. It can keep you grounded and make you feel invincible, giving you the courage and strength to transition into motherhood. It works at any stage of your motherhood journey.
Carnelian has been known to strengthen and help the organs heal, to boost your stamina, and connect to your sacral chakra and stir up your inner fire. It can be used from conception right through birth, and for those who need a hand healing from childbirth. It is for those who are struggling with the idea of strength and grants you stamina, both mentally and physically.
Inside the second box was a moon-shaped crystal pendant. The crystal was soft shades of purple and pink and it was a little smaller in size. It, too, came with a cardstock description.
Lepidolite is a natural tranquilizer and a soother for souls that feel pulled in a thousand directions. Whether stressed about conception or looking for a mood-lifter, Lepidolite keeps mothers-to-be in harmonious joy so that they are better equipped to welcome the transformation at hand.
Beneath the boxes was a handwritten note from Delia. Her penmanship was neat and feminine.
