“Dah, dah, dah, dah!” I exclaim, shaking my head. “Never mind, never mind. I don’t want to hear.”
“What the hell are you guys talking about over there?” Skyler asks from two tubs over.
“The nightmare that is womanhood, apparently,” Grace answers with an arched brow.
Stacey chuckles and gives Rylee a reassuring smile. “I didn’t tear that bad, but I did tear. Hockey players can make some big babies. Did you also know they can vacuum the baby out if they need to?”
“Why would you tell me that?” Rylee exclaims, slapping her hands to her cheeks, forgetting that her palms are covered in mud, so now her face is too.
Taking a few moments to wiggle her way to a sitting position, Stacey reaches over to Rylee’s tub and takes her hand, giving it a squeeze.
“Hey, I know it’s scary, especially the first time around, but everything will be okay.”
“How can you be sure?” Rylee’s voice is small, scared. I feel my heart break a little for her, and I want to give her a hug. Before I can move, Stacey replies.
“Because you’re not alone. You have Zander, your family, and us! Plus, you’re tough as hell. You’re going to get through this, and when you’re holding your baby in your arms, you’ll forget all about the less-than-fun parts of pregnancy and how scared you were. Just imagine, I went through it all and here I am, doing it a second time.”
I relax when I see Rylee relax. Oh, that’s a really nice sentiment…
“On the other hand, babies grow to become kids…” Stacey chews on her last cucumber, and shrugs. “And then you’ll just be scared of fucking your kid up, and that fear won’t really ever go away.” Stacey sighs and sinks back into her mud.
“Oh, well, thanks for that!” Rylee groans.
Stacey chuckles. “I’m just kidding. Kind of. But really, Rylee, it’s going to be all right. And when you’re my size and nearing the finish line, Zander will be there to rub your feet and I’ll bring you beef jerky and whipped cream. Which is an awesome combination, by the way. You’ve got your tribe with you every step of the way.”
Rylee smiles softly and sinks back into her mud.
“I have to say, Zander’s been so great since we got back together.” Her voice takes on an almost dreamy tone. “Not just with my pregnancy, but everything. I never thought I’d have what we have, and now I can’t imagine my life without him.”
I grin because I don’t remember ever seeing Rylee this happy before. Zander is a good guy, and he’s good to her. What more could a BFF ask for?
None of the guys my mom keeps trying to throw my way hold a candle to Zander, or any of the other guys in our little group. They’re all so loving and attentive to their women, but the men I interact with on a regular basis are more interested in stock prices and dividends than they are in a relationship, especially with me. I know I wouldn’t be a top priority for any of them, and that’s a nonstarter for me. If I’m going to take time away from my work to pursue a relationship, I need to know I’m a priority, and vice versa.
Unfortunately, I can’t spare the time or mental space necessary for something like that right now, so it’s not something I should dwell on.
“I know, right?” Stacey looks dreamy now too. Good god, these women are all lovesick kittens! “Owen has been so doting since we got back together, and damn, he’s such a good dad to Millie. You know how some people are really into dads? I never got it before Owen, but fuck, it gets me hot when I see him having a tea party.”
“Jesus, you bitches are crazy.” I shake my head with a chuckle and settle back into my own mud. “You’ve all lost your damn minds.”
“You’re probably right,” Rylee nods. “I don’t mind it at all, though.”
We laugh and the conversations shift to other topics, but I stay quiet. I love my girls, but their extroverted energy is hard to keep up with sometimes. Now they all are gaga over their men, and I… I can’t help feeling like I’m falling behind a little bit. The odd woman out.
A strange longing settles over me. Not just for the former glory of the days when we were all single girlies living it up together, but also because a part of me kind of wants what they have for myself. To have someone so devoted to me. Who loves me and spoils me and wants nothing more than for me to be happy.
God, I need to stop thinking about these things! Someday, maybe, I’ll have that. But not right now. I’m too busy. Work is my number one priority right now, and I can’t afford any distractions. No super hunky hockey players, no GQ models… I mean, if Henry Cavill or Sebastian Stan came knocking on my door, I wouldn’t turn them down, but otherwise, this vagina’s on lockdown.
Ugh, that’s a depressing thought.
My thoughts are interrupted when an attendant comes into the room, dressed in the white uniform all the spa employees are wearing. She smiles as she comes to a stop in front of us.
“Ladies, have you enjoyed your time in the mud baths?”
“Yes,” we all say, nearly in unison.
“It’s been wonderful,” Stacey adds, releasing a long breath.
“I’m very happy to hear that.” The attendant claps her hands together in apparent delight. “If you will all follow me, I’ll showyou to the showers, and then you will move on to the salon for your manicures and pedicures.”
