It felt impossibly small and huge all at once, the kind of moment that didn’t just happen in passing. The kind you remembered.
I hadn’t felt that yet—not from the inside, anyway—but I had started noticing the subtler shifts.
During the first trimester, my body had felt mostly the same, aside from the constant nausea and tits so sore I’d wanted to file a formal complaint. But the second trimester had flipped some invisible switch.
My skin was more sensitive, my boobs had pulled a full-on Grinch and “grown three sizes,” and my hips felt . . . different. Looser somehow, like my body was already making room for the inevitable. Worst of all, my jeans didn’t button anymore.
It wasn’t bad, exactly—aside from the jeans. Just new. And new had always made me a little uneasy.
“Wow,” I murmured, pulling my hand back. “That’s wild.”
Kaylani beamed. “You’ll get there soon enough. Also, feel free to hit me up with any random pregnancy questions you might have. I know I’m still learning as I go, but I’ve got a few months on you.”
I did have questions.Lotsof them.
Like, was it normal for my feet to feel weirdly sore first thing in the morning? Was there an actual medical reason why lemonade tasted like it had been blessed by the gods? And how the hell was I supposed to give up sleeping on my stomach?
But there was one burning question that had been sitting in the back of my mind all week, tapping insistently until I couldn’t ignore it. The kind that made my cheeks warm just thinking about saying it out loud, especially in the middle of a crowded ballpark.
Kaylani’s gaze sharpened, like she could hear my brain working. Nessa caught the expression too, her brows lifting in intrigue. “Oh boy,” she said, leaning in. “You’re thinking about something. Spill it.”
“Yeah,” June added, grinning. “That’s anI’m about to ride something and it’s not a Pelotonkind of face.Out with it.”
“Peer pressure,” Nessa coughed.
Fuck it. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. I might as well get this over with.
“Fine. Lately, I’ve been feeling extra—”
“Horny?” Kaylani finished for me.
“Yes. That’s normal, though, right?”
Her mouth curved. “Oh, completely. Second trimester, your hormones are in overdrive. Seriously, Ryan and I went at it for three months straight like we were teenagers.”
June let out a low whistle. “I’ve never been prouder, Kay.”
Jo’s brows shot up. “Ay, mami.Three months? My back would give out.”
Kaylani just laughed. “Not the way we’re doing it.”
A flicker of something—jealousy, maybe—pinched in my chest. Jars of pickles and fuzzy socks could only get me so far.
I needed to get fucked.
Sure, the care packages were thoughtful, and I wasn’t about to knock free snacks, but they didn’t keep me warm at night. They didn’t bend me over the bed, wrap their hands through my hair, and drill me into the mattress until I screamed. No wonder people usually coupled up before they got pregnant. There were some things you just needed a partner for—sex being right up there at the top of the list.
And right now, my body was practically begging for it.
“You know, I bet a certain someone would be willing to help you out with your . . . situation,” June offered, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
“Uh-huh,” Nessa agreed, pointing her hot dog at me for emphasis. “Didn’t Brooks say you could tell him if you neededanything?”
My face warmed. “I don’t appreciate the way that you’re waving that wiener at me.”
She grinned devilishly before taking a bite that could only be described as downright pornographic.
“Besides, you know that’s not what he meant.”
