“I know. I’ll tell them. Soon.” I shift in my seat. “I just want to prove myself first. Get a few weeks under my belt so they see what I can do before they start seeing me as a liability.”
“They’re not going to see you as a liability,” Sophia says.
“You don’t know that. The industry isn’t exactly famous for supporting pregnant women.” I take a breath. “I’ve worked too hard to get here. I just need a little more time to show them I deserve to be in that room.”
“Being with someone doesn’t automatically mean distraction,” Sophia says, changing the subject back to Jake.
“For some of us,” Jess adds, “it’s support.”
“I can’t ask Jake to play that role for me,” I argue. “It’s already throwing him into a parenting role he didn’t sign up for.”
“Actually,” Blair says, “I’m pretty sure he would love to play that role. Besides, Jake is one of the best people I know.”
“Grant says the same thing,” Sophia adds. “One of the few attorneys he actually likes working with.”
Jess leans in. “We’re not saying jump into a relationship. We’re saying stop pretending you don’t care about him.”
My stomach dips. “I don’t?—”
Stella cuts me off. “Nat. You’ve been glowing for weeks, and it’s not the prenatal vitamins.”
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes.
Jake
Mom says hi. She’s already planning how to spoil our daughter.
A smile pulls at my mouth spontaneously.
Blair sees it. “Oh boy.”
“It’s just a text.”
Jess laughs. “Your face says it’s more than the text.”
I ignore them and look at my phone as another message comes in.
Jake
Missing you. Sorry if that’s weird.
My chest tightens, warm and a little achy.
Sophia leans over. “Show us.”
I comply—resistance is useless with this group.
Sophia whistles. “That’s not baby-related missing you. That’s missingyou.”
I shouldn’t reply. I know I shouldn’t.
But I also know I’m lying to myself about what I feel.
Natalie
Not weird. I miss you too.
Stella claps like she’s at a sporting event. “She admitted it!”
