Chapter 43

Since finding out the sex of the baby, I’ve slowly begun baby shopping. I’ve bought a ton of clothes and supplies, along with a swanky stroller that makes me look like a posh British mummy. I can’t wait to go to the mall just to strut my baby around it with an iced latte in one hand, a diaper bag on my arm, and spit up on my shirt.

I’ve been doing most of the shopping on my own, still feeling a little weird asking Quinn to go with me. I’m nervous about how she’s going to react to being around a bunch of baby stuff. She says her therapy sessions are going well, but she still has bad days. I don’t want to fuel them for her. I’m going to give her a little more time before asking for such a favor.

I’ve gone shopping with Gary and Stacy once so far and only ended up getting the most pointless things, which I will probably never use. However, Gary and Stacy kept tossing stuff in the basket. I couldn’t even stop them from buying the 13 sparklies outfits ever. In any of those dresses, my baby would cause an accident with the number of blinding rhinestones embroidered on them.

But I'll admit, I had so much fun with them that the 13 dresses are completely worth it.

My pregnancy is starting to become fun now that I can eat what I want without crippling heartburn and the threat of recurring stomach ulcers. I’m not sleepy all the time, and my energy is up, making outings a lot more bearable.

My increase in energy has also benefitted Jasper in the bedroom. We’ve been having sex a lot more than we were. I can only go one or two rounds before getting winded, but it’s better than nothing. As for Harper, sex hasn’t been on his mind much. With his body still healing, he can’t fuck me like he wants to. As a result, he’s turned into a complete foreplay addict. We make out in the living room, kitchen, and his bedroom whenever we get the chance. I’ve come a handful of times just dry humping, and as juvenile as it is, I love it. I love focusing on touch rather than penetration sometimes. It comes in handy when Jasper is busy with work.

Things have been great, and I have to knock on wood to ensure that it stays that way. We’ve been through enough, and I’d like a little peace in my life. I want to enjoy the rest of my pregnancy without any complications. I know I can’t control everything, but I’m going to do what I can so both my baby and I make it through delivery.

Since I’m further along, Jasper has dropped hints about me working from home. I know he’s protective, but I enjoy going to work. It gives me purpose and extra spending money so Jasper doesn’t question how much I spend online. Thankfully, he’ll be at work when all the packages start being delivered. I’ve ordered a crib and matching furniture set for the nursery, as well as a swivel car seat that has built-in Bluetooth technology that will tell me if the buckle is too loose or if the car is getting too hot. Like, what the fuck? So, I had to buy it.

When we finally tell our mothers that the baby is a girl, even more packages will be delivered. It’ll be like Christmas but just baby stuff.

While I’m in the store, looking through the baby clothes, I feel my phone vibrate. I think it’s one of the guys, but instead, it’s Quinn.

“Hey, girly,” I answer.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“I’m in the store. What’s up?”

“Want to do lunch? I’m starving and I need to get out of the house.”

“Sure! I’m hungry too. Can we go to that little Italian place? I’m aching for pasta.”

Quinn laughs, agreeing with my restaurant pick. I tell her that I’ll meet her in half an hour. I continue shopping for a bit, only grabbing a few things before heading to the checkout.

I’m excited to meet Quinn for lunch because she’s barely been out of the house. When I visit, she’s usually in pajamas, so getting out may do her a little good. Everyone needs fresh air eventually.

When I arrive at the restaurant, I see Quinn waiting outside for me. She has on a little makeup, her hair in a messy bun. With black leggings and an oversized sweater on, she looks cute. Once she sees me get out of the car, she smiles.

“Hey!” she greets me as I give her a small hug.

“I’m glad you called,” I tell her.

“Me too. My mom was starting to get on my nerves. I had to leave for a bit. She’s been hovering a lot. I think she thinks I’m going to commit the ultimate sin.” She gestures, cutting her throat with an imaginary knife then making a dead face.

“Oh, wow. That’s a bit extreme. Are you?” I flat out ask because I’d like to know as well.

“God, no. I don’t want to die. My life has been a series of tragedies, but nothing worthy of offing myself. I know things will get better.” She smiles as we walk inside, the waitress seating us in a little booth. Before she can walk off, we go ahead and order so we can get our food quicker.

We begin to chat about random things; however, we inevitably fall on the subject of her baby.

“It feels weird not being pregnant. My stomach doesn’t feel the same. Sometimes I wake up and forget that I’m not pregnant anymore. It takes a few seconds to remember.”

“I’m sorry, Quinn. I know it’s been hard.”

“Yeah, but maybe it wasn’t meant to be. I was nowhere near ready to be a parent. One day, when I’m in a better place, it will happen for me.”

“I agree. After my first miscarriage, it was rough. I thought I’d done something wrong. Now, here I am. It’s going to happen for you, Quinn. I know it.”

She gives me a soft smile before shaking her head.

“Anyway, have you started buying stuff?”

“Yes, mostly online, though. I’ve bought a lot.” I roll my eyes.

“You can never have enough. We should go out and get some shopping done. We can hit up the department stores. You can go to the baby section, and I can go to the makeup and shoe section.”

We both laugh, joking about nothing and everything. It’s nice to hang out again, and even though I know Quinn isn’t 100% better, she’s trying. That’s all that matters. Wanting to be around her doesn’t feel like an internal conflict anymore. I genuinely want her company. Yeah, I may still leave my guard up, but that doesn’t have to affect things. I am going to simply think of it as Quinn and me getting to know each other again.

I can’t wait to introduce her to Gary and Stacy.

After eating, I head home to enjoy the rest of my Saturday with the guys. Before doing anything else, I plate my leftovers, reheating them for Jasper. He always eats them because I’ll forget to. Once they're hot, I head to Jasper’s office since there’s no use in searching for him in any other room. Knocking on the door, I peek in and he’s on the phone with someone. He waves me in, and I hold the plate of leftovers up. Jasper makes a drooling face, reaching out for it.

“Did you get extra breadsticks?”

When he takes it, his question is answered as he sees four large breadsticks. He doesn’t wait to get off the phone to start eating; he just chews between questions. With one man taken care of, I walk to the living room where Harper is on his laptop.

“Hey, sweet girl. How was your day? You’ve been gone a while.” Harper checks his watch to confirm.

“I went to the store and then had lunch with Quinn. Jasper has the leftovers.”

“Of course,” Harper snorts. “How’s Quinn?”

“A little better. She’s still making sense of it all. I feel for her.”

“Likewise. No one should have to go through that.”

I lean my head on his shoulder, getting a look at what’s on his screen. I sit up, turning the laptop towards me.

“You’re already looking for places in New York?”

“Yeah, I have to. I’m leaving in a few months, Eden. I have to do this at some point.”

“I know. I just didn’t think it was coming so fast.”

“It is. We have a meeting next week to discuss it. It’s happening.”

It makes me feel sad that I’m running out of time with Harper. I feel like I haven’t done enough with him. Since the wreck, our activities have been limited. Harper’s getting better, but by the time he’s fully recovered, he’ll be on a plane, gone for a year or longer. I’m going to be so consumed with the baby that I may not notice in the beginning, but when I do, I’ll miss Harper like crazy. I love him and want the best for him, but at the same time, I want him to stay. We’ve created a little bubble where we are happy and together. That bubble is going to burst soon.