“Oh?” she asks. “Oh my God, tell me you didn’t already have one. You did, didn’t you? Your rich baby daddy threw you some extravagant party and I wasn’t invite?—”
“No. I haven’t had one. Are you kidding? I’m holed up in that house twenty-four-seven, other than the half-days I’m working at Apex.”
She perks up again. “So let’s do it! I know some girls from the office that would love to come, even if I don’t work there anymore. And surely you have some friends from work too, right?”
Not exactly. Apex is very predominantly men, and it’s not like I’ve gotten buddy-buddy with them. Then there’s the rotating door of secretaries. I don’t even know the current one’s name. Paula? Good lord. Still, the idea of a baby shower… I mean, I have to admit, some normalcy sounds lovely.
“Think about it,” she goes on. “We could have tea cakes and cucumber sandwiches and play silly games and shower you with gifts. Do you even have a baby registry? Or a diaper stash? Tell me you’ve gotten started on the diaper stash.”
I shake my head slowly. “I guess I just assumed Ransome would provide it all as needed,” I admit.
“You’re going to let a suit and tie man who’s probably never even been around a baby in his life pick everything for you? Honey, please. Let’s have a baby shower. You can make a registry and get all the things. Swings and a crib and a rocker. A pump, because you’ll need that. My sister has a whole litter of kids, and trust me, you’re going to need a pump. Especially if you’re still working. Not to mention all the cute clothes.”
I smile because I can’t help it. But it tips downward when I crash back to reality. “I don’t think Ransome would go for it,” I say, and she gives me a look.
“Says the girl who just lectured me on having a controlling boyfriend.”
“It’s not that. It’s just… complicated, remember? He’s still married and the whole thing is just kind of lowkey.”
“Well, your lowkey pregnancy is about to become a highkey baby that is going to need a whole ass nursery full of baby shit. As a fourth-time aunt, trust me. Those tiny people requirea lot. And even your grumpy boyfriend can’t deny you that.”
I caress my belly, thinking about that for a moment. She’s not wrong. Despite her being a little crazy recently, she’s right about this. My baby, even if the situation is complicated, is going to need a lot of things. Things that I can’t wait to look at and buy and set up. God, the idea of organizing a nursery sounds more exciting than Christmas morning right now. Is this what they call nesting?
“Well?” Electra asks with a hopeful smile.
“I’ll talk to Ransome,” I say, and she squeals. “But what about Sean?”
“What about him?” she asks as if all of our previous conversations never happened.
“He hardly lets you go to yoga or lunch. I can’t see him letting you throw a party.”
“Oh, I’m not worried about that. For one, it’s a party for a baby. It’s not like I’m going to meet other men at a baby shower. And also, I told him you’re pregnant and that you’ve been kind ofsheltered, seeing as how the father is married to someone else and all.”
I nearly drop my fork. “You told him all of that?”
She offers an indifferent half-shrug. “Yeah. I mean, it’s not like he cares if your baby daddy is in the middle of a divorce. He doesn’t care about anything but his job. Now check this out.” She hands me her phone. It’s a baby registry loaded with all sorts of cute and fun things, and it pulls my attention away from the conversation for a minute.
A baby shower sounds amazing. With all the bells and whistles. Doing anything that makes me feelnormalat this point sounds amazing, and I find myself diving into the idea.
Now I just have to convince Ransome…
41
RANSOME
“Absolutely not,” I answer.
I don’t even have to look over my shoulder to know that Amara is rearing up in protest. “And why not?” she demands.
I sigh, shrugging out of my work shirt so I can change into workout clothes. It’s been a long day. Fuck, it’s been a long week. And right now, the last thing I need is to add a party to the mix. I need to go for a run and to lift weights before I punch the next person I see. The loop around the waterfront outside of the estate is the perfect medicine. Away from work, away from my soon-to-be ex-wife.
“Do you have any idea how much attention that would draw?” I ask as I strip down to nothing but my boxers.
“What’s the big deal?” she demands, standing right behind me in the massive walk-in closet. “You throw parties all the time.”
“Parties for work. Parties I don’t want to have. Obligatory events that I’d avoid if I could,” I snap back. I’m really, really not in the mood for this. If I wanted to be nagged at, I’d go home to Jenica.
“I’m pregnant!”
