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My heart can’t handle the fallout if I do.

Chapter 16

Easton

Pressure and Sexual Tension

“I brought that pregnancy pillow for you,” Tina says as she holds up the most awkwardly shaped pillow I’ve ever seen, passing it across the group to me. “I washed it twice, so you should be good.”

“Thanks. You sure this will help her?”

“Absolutely. Honestly, I debated even giving it up in the first place, Easton, because I grew so attached to it. But I know Lennon will get a lot of use out of it, and my husband will be glad it’s not in our bed anymore.”

Sara laughs. “Yeah, pretty sure my husband got jealous of my pregnancy pillow too.”

Tina nods. “Right?”

Heather clears her throat. “Don’t forget to talk to her about the birth plan, Easton.”

I look over at Heather, one of the moms who attends the group at Nora’s bookstore. This is the second one I’ve attended, but this one has already been way more informative than the first. Plus, I just scored a free pregnancy pillow for Lennon, which I hope she’ll be excited about.

“What if she doesn’t know what she wants in her birth plan yet?”

“That’s where you come in, sweetie,” Heather explains. “Just asking her about it will help her start to think about what she wants the delivery to look like—even knowing she can’t control everything.”

Sara lifts her coffee to her lips. “And chances are she won’t be able to, which is why you need to be there to remind her that the most important thing is getting the baby here safely and keeping both of them healthy.”

Tina nods. “I remember the birth of my first son. I was so set on everything going a certain way, and then I ended up needing an emergency C-section. I was devastated, but my husband never left my side and I know I couldn’t have gotten through it without him.”

I pull the pregnancy pillow closer to my chest, tuck it under my arm, and add it to my mental checklist. “Got it. Get her talking about the birth plan.”

Heather leans closer to me. “Did you start the foot rubs?”

“Yup, and haven’t stopped. She loves them.”

“Good. Her feet are gonna need it.”

Sara taps her chin in thought. “She’s probably getting close to needing maternity clothes too. Have you thought about a shopping spree? Maybe with her best friend? Or sisters?”

“That’s a good idea,” I say, knowing instantly how I can achieve that without Lennon arguing with me about it.

Tina snaps her fingers. “Oh, I forgot to mention. Hormones.”

My brows draw together. “You’re gonna have to elaborate, Tina.”

She laughs. “Her hormones are all over the place right now, Easton, particularly her sex drive. Don’t be surprised if she starts acting like a cat in heat, needing her fix every chance she can get.”

I nearly choke on my saliva but keep it together because these women think our marriage is real, which means Lennon would be asking me for those…services.

“Okay…”

Sara nods. “Oh, yes. I remember those days. Just…be prepared, Easton.”

Jesus Christ. This conversation doesn’t feel helpful anymore. In fact, I think it’s making things worse because knowing that Lennon’s sex drive might be ramping up just reminds me that I’m not equipped to help her with that.

Or am I?

“If she needs your services, you’d better be ready,” Tina continues. “And don’t you dare complain. That second trimester sex drive can be brutal, and as much as men think they want sex twenty-four-seven, their fragile egos can’t admit that it’s too much for them, especially when it comes to keeping up with a pregnant woman.”