Waving her hand, she said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Then with a sigh, she added, “Their delivery method may need some work, but they’re right. I’m not like normal pregnant women. I can’t use this pregnancy as a reason to let go. I have to be more careful than ever.”
Nick felt a ripple of unease as he studied Beth’s determined expression. “Princess, you never let go. I don’t think you have to worry about it. You barely eat enough to survive on now, and remember, you have to eat extra for the babies now, right?”
“I eat more than enough,” she snapped. “The doctor didn’t say anything about tripling the amount of my food to feed three people. If I did that, I would gain too much weight. The average weight of a baby when born is around seven pounds so if I gain eighty pounds, how much of it would actually be the babies?”
Nick could tell by her defensive tone that it was time to shut his mouth and end this conversation. Hadn’t Jason and Gray warned him to avoid talking about her weight? He was worried though that Beth didn’t know when to stop. Was there such a thing as too thin to her anymore? Her parents had scored a direct hit tonight. She may have enjoyed his defense of her, but she quite obviously believed every word they said. But he decided to back off instead of forcing the issue. She had dealt with enough tonight and he knew the stress wasn’t good for her.
Giving her a light kiss on the lips, he turned her toward the bedroom and said, “Go ahead and get some sleep, princess. I’m going to unwind some before I go to bed.”
With a smile of understanding, Beth said, “I can’t imagine why.”
* * *
How could anyone throw up as much as she had in the last week and still have gained five pounds? Hadn’t Suzy, Claire, and Ella tried to warn her against weighing herself on the scales at the mall? Since they had been right there outside the food court, she hadn’t been able to resist. She had been so sure she had lost weight. She had been so careful to watch her portion sizes this week and she had been sick every single morning, but still, her ass continued to expand.
Claire looked at her in sympathy. “It’s just the water weight gain, Beth. I had the same problem. Sometimes I was too sick to eat anything but crackers for days and I would still gain weight. I kept asking Jason where it was all going, but he never had an answer. Of course, he always had to return a call or something when I was venting so he probably wasn’t even listening.”
Shaking her head, Suzy said, “He was just avoiding you, Claire. I finally figured out that every time I say anything about my body other than ‘do me,’ Gray runs as if I’ve got the plague. I thought he had irritable bowel syndrome or something until I finally figured out that the bathroom is his easiest escape route after a difficult question. It’s the one place he is confident I won’t follow him.” With an evil smile, she added, “I’m thinking about testing my theory and going right in there with him the next time. Of course, if I’m wrong, it will probably be the end of our sex life.”
“Ugh,” Claire said, and laughed. “I don’t think it’s worth the risk to find out!”
Ella looked at them all with envy. “I don’t know why any of you would ever be worried about your body, you all look great.”
“So, Ella,” Suzy began, “is there a man on the horizon for you?”
Flushing, Ella mumbled, “Yes, but I can’t have him.”
All conversation ceased as everyone zeroed in on Ella. “All right, girl, you can’t leave us hanging like this. Who is the guy and why can’t you have him?” Suzy asked.
Clearly uncomfortable, Ella said, “Just, um . . . never mind.”
“Oh hell-to-the-no, Miss Goody Two-shoes, you aren’t getting off the hook. You know all of our issues and all about our guys, so let’s hear it,” Suzy demanded.
Beth wrapped an arm around her friend, giving Suzy and Claire a stern look. “It’s okay, Ella; you don’t have to say anything.” Beth had a pretty good feeling that she knew anyway and didn’t think any good could come of Suzy or Claire knowing about Ella’s crush on Declan.
“I’ve got to side with Suzy on this one, Ella,” Claire said. “When you’re in the girls club, you can’t hold back. We might be able to help you.”
Suzy pulled Ella over to a seating area in the corner of the mall and, after they were all settled, she said in a surprisingly gentle voice, “Okay, Ella, let’s hear it. Claire is right; maybe we can help.”
Ella turned an even brighter shade of red as she whispered, “It’s Declan.”
Suzy and Claire stared at her blankly. “Um, you don’t mean our Declan, do you?” Suzy asked.
Nodding her head miserably, Ella said, “Yes, but he treats me like his sister.”
With a snort, Suzy said, “Oh, baby, you are way out of your league. How can I explain this? You’re like Nemo swimming around in the ocean without a care in the world and Declan is like the piranha who comes along and eats you without warning.”