“Ah, come on,” I wheedle, “this is purely for fun. Let’s get you something…different than you normally wear.”
I pick up a pair of black, leather pants and wiggle my brows. “Now if anyone could pull this look off it would be you.” I mean every word, too. Rose has a body and the confidence to make a sack look sexy. Instead of smiling, she looks slightly sick at my suggestion. Okay, so maybe she has something against leather. I move on and point to a green top, with a plunging neckline, accented in tiny rhinestones. “This color would really pop next to your red hair,” I say, holding it up for her to see.
She seems almost afraid as she stutters, “I just received my wardrobe for the upcoming season. I can’t purchase anything else. Everything is perfectly matched.”
This whole conversation is beginning to feel surreal. She looks almost afraid of the clothing that surrounds us. For a split second though, I see something that resembles longing in her eyes as she takes the top from my hand and places it back on the rack. “It would be beautiful on you,” I say softly, not wanting to upset her further. There are things I don’t understand about Rose and this is one of them. Sometimes she shuts down over the most innocent of topics. Buying clothes for herself, it appears, is a trigger for her. For all of my whining in the dressing room, I wasn’t afraid of trying something new. I was just overwhelmed because shopping for the sake of it has never been something I’ve had the resources to do. Growing up, I was generally outfitted from thrift stores. I learned that you can wear a pair of jeans every day without drawing too much attention. That is why I tend to gravitate toward them even now. Never buy anything for daily wear that will stand out.
Almost as if the whole incident had never happened, Rose smiles brightly, saying, “Let’s go grab a coffee. My treat.”
I stand blinking for a moment, trying to process her rapid-fire change of subject. When my stomach growls, the decision is made. I follow her from the store to her car, where we stow my purchases. We decide to go to the coffee shop near the school since I left my car there. As we make the trip across town, Rose chats breezily as if she hadn’t been close to some kind of freak-out at the mall. I’m beginning to wonder if anyone in my life is well and truly normal.
Chapter Ten
Lucian
“I’m waddling, aren’t I?” I freeze as Lia asks me the type of question that no man in his right mind would answer. We are walking up the sidewalk outside Lia’s OB/GYN. Today is our next ultrasound appointment and it’s very possible that we will find out the baby’s sex.
As if sensing I am no longer following her, Lia turns around, giving me a questioning look. “Don’t worry,” she finally huffs out, “I didn’t really expect a reply, so you’re safe.” I attempt to hide the look of relief on my face as she lets me off the hook. As her pregnancy has become more noticeable, Lia began pointing out her rapidly expanding stomach. It might bother her, but I fucking love it. I find it sexy as hell that my child is growing inside her. I have a hard time believing she has any hang-ups about her body considering I can’t keep my hands off her. She cries at the drop of a hat now though, so I always try to be careful about what I say, even when joking. It kills me to see tears glisten in those beautiful eyes. Just a few nights ago, she started crying while we were having dinner at Leo’s because he sent us a surprise dessert to the table. Poor Leo, when he came out a few minutes later to find her sobbing, he’d damn near joined her. I’d silently handed him the extra napkin from the table since Lia was already using both hers and mine.
We’ve barely settled in the waiting room when Lia’s name is called. Once again, it’s the ultrasound technician named Brittany. “How are we doing today?” she asks as we silently follow her into the dimly lit room. “Today, we’ll be doing the abdominal ultrasound since your pregnancy should have advanced enough to give us clear images.”
“Thank fu—” Lia squeezes my hand painfully before I can complete the curse word that has Brittany’s eyes widening. “Ful…we’re really thankful for that, right, baby?” Lia smirks at my quick recovery and even Brittany’s lips twitch.
Lia rolls up her shirt and slides her pants down below her hips as Brittany instructs, then covers her stomach in a clear gel. Brittany uses a handheld wand—that looks nothing like a penis this time—and begins sliding it over Lia’s stomach. I’m completely riveted, when she says, “Okay, there is the baby’s heartbeat.” I see the image on the screen that looks like tiny butterfly wings fluttering before she moves away again and starts taking measurements. “You measure at twenty weeks and four days which puts you about a week ahead of schedule.”