Chapter Ten
Making It Up
“I still can’t believeMark did that,” Cleo gasped. We had just sat down for our weekly girls only lunch. Well, we made only one exception. I had Rocky with me every other week. He was getting so big so fast. He sat up in the chair the restaurant provided and played with his pacifier.
“I mean, I can. That sounds exactly like something he would do, but it’s still hilarious.” I looked up from my menu to chuckle.
“Yeah, I’m kind ofglad this weekend is the final shows. I need a break.” It had been a long couple of months.
She nodded in understanding.
“Same here. I can not wait until Friday. Mark can take the drums back. I’m done.” I laughed.
“I think we are all ready for him to get cleared by the doctor. He’s been in such a good mood this week. Best he’s been since the accident. The drums are his life.”
“I hate sitting down so much. That and my arms are so sore! It’s a workout for sure.” I took a sip of my tea and picked up the toy that Rocky had tossed off the table.
“How are you feeling otherwise? With Tot?” We had our doctor’s appointment Monday morning. We got to hear his heartbeat. It was amazing. I cried. I think even Mark teared up a little. The doctor said everything was looking great. Cleo reached for her water.
“Could be better, could be worse. My jeans are getting tight. I’m going to start pulling out some of my old clothes I wore when I was pregnant with Blue.”
“Do you want some new things? I can take you shopping,” I offered and she rolled her eyes.
“Nah, I’ve got clothes. Use that to get Tot some fun clothes. You know I’m almost convinced it’s a boy. I keep saying he.”
“Me too! I can’t help it. It’s just a feeling I get.”
She lifted her fist up to bump mine.
“That’s mother’s intuition there.”
After lunch we walked to our separate cars and said our goodbyes. It was strange. This was the first time we took our own cars.
“I’ve got some errands to run before I head back to the guys. Rocky could probably go for a nap too,” she said, giving him a quick kiss before rushing to her car.
I shrugged off my uneasiness with my favorite playlist. As I drove through town, I slowed down to admire the shops. Maybe Cleo was right. It couldn’t hurt to get Tot one or two cute onesies. I found a spot to park and pulled out the stroller and got Rocky out.
We walked up and down the strip of boutiques. Some we went in, others we simply looked at their window display. I found a new cologne for Mark, and some chocolates for the twins. I stopped at the baby boutique I had been purposely saving for last. It was a dangerous place.
I didn’t know if I could show the restraint needed to not buy everything in sight. I stared at the window displays. On one side was a pink and black Parisian themed nursery, while the other side was a green music themed set up. That had me sold. I pushed Rocky in and went straight to the boys’ side of the store.
I picked up a black onesie that said Future Rockstar. It was cheesy, but I didn’t really care. There were so many cute clothes I made myself choose only two outfits. A sales associate approached me while I was tending to Rocky.
“Hi, is there anything I can help you with today?” She asked.
I stood back up and turned her way. I brushed my messy hair away from my face.
“I’m just kind of looking right now. Thank you,” I told her. She gave me a giant smile and looked down at Rocky.
“He’s a doll. Well, if you need any help my name is Becky. I’m around.” She told me and walked away. I had to stop myself from screaming from across the room to ask how much the entire music bedroom set was. Boy or girl, I knew Mark would love it. I’d have to bring him back here to help pick out some things once we found out what Tot was. We had four more weeks of guessing.
I picked out some striped black and white mittens to go with the black onesies and went to the counter. Becky asked me if I wanted to open up an account with them.
“Every purchase adds up to points and you can get tons of free stuff. It’s totally free,” she enticed. The word “free” had me sold. She finished ringing me up and I quickly left before I could buy more things.
Today was a lovely day. There was a nice breeze. Rocky was in a great mood, so I decided to keep walking and browsing. I had nothing else going on today, so might as well. I was rounding the corner to the next block when I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks.
Cleo was sitting outside a cafe with a man. I knew it was her. I had just seen her, and she was wearing the same clothes from lunch. Her posture was tense, and she was sitting as far away as she could from the man across from her. I didn’t blame her, considering who it was. There was no denying it. That man was Christopher Thomas, her ex-husband.
