Page 60 of Ruin The Friendship
“No, no,” she blubbers. “It’s perfect. I’ve cried three times today. My emotions are all over the place. This is justso sweet.I didn’t expect it.”
I swipe the tears from under her eyes before they have a chance to hit her cheekbones. “You’re adorable.”
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are. Also, you’re glowing this week.” I gesture to her. “That’s a thing during pregnancy, right? Gorgeous.”
She is. Maybe I’m biased, but there’s a literal glow emanating from her.
“Now, do you want to make some cookies?” I ask.
Lydia sniffles, giving me a gracious smile. Her voice is watery as she whispers, “Yes.”
“Perfect.” I grab the paper recipe I got from my mom, and together, we make the sugar cookies. It’s a quick process, and soon, the dough is in the fridge to cool for a bit before we cut and bake them. I even got Christmas cookie cutters for this occasion.
We clean up the mess we made, but the entire time, we talk about everything and nothing, all while I keep stealing longing glances at her. Her curvy hips sway to the Christmas music playing softly in the background. I have to fight to keep my cool when her ass brushes against my groin as she moves to put a cookie sheet in the oven. When she gets a dusting of flour on her cheek, I use my thumb to wipe it off, but I let my touch linger as my thumb drags down her face. Her plump lips taunt me. God, how I can’t wait to feel them on mine.
We’re still us, but with a new layer to it.
“Have you heard from your parents recently?” I ask Lydia as we roll out the dough.
She shakes her head, and I pick up on a hint of sadness in her expression.
“No.” Her voice grows sad. “I should have known they wouldn’t be happy for me.”
My hands are full of dough, so I can’t reach out and offer her the comfort I want. “I’m sorry, Lydia. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
She shrugs. “It is what it is. I’ve been talking with your mom a lot the last few days, and that’s helped. She’s going to drive up for the baby shower, whenever that will be. Grace and Zoey are planning one. She wanted to plan one, but I told her not to worry about it, since it would be hard to plan from a few states away.”
If I know my mom, and I do, she’ll do whatever she can to make this special for Lydia. She loves her like one of her own.
“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m sure she would love to help however she can, though. You should pass her number on to Zoey and Grace.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I already did,” Lydia says with a soft laugh. She presses a tree-shaped cut into the dough. “Speaking of your mom...”
I wait for Lydia to say more, but it takes her a moment to build up the courage.
“I was wondering if you would be okay with her coming to stay for a few weeks after the baby is born. You’ll hopefully be in the middle of playoffs, and I don’t have anyone else besides you to help me. It’s not like my mom would be willing to help. I think it might be nice to have another person here, and it would be helpful when you’re out of town.”
I hold up a hand to stop her. “Whoa, whoa, slow down. Of course, my mom can stay with you for a few weeks. I’m sure she’d love to.”
“Really?” she asks hesitantly as she looks up at me with wide eyes.
“Absolutely. I want you to be comfortable, and if I can’t be here, I want you to have someone who can help you. If that’s my mom, then absolutely.” I go to push some loose pieces of hair out of her eyes, but I think twice, silently cursing my messy hands. Maybe I didn’t think this through enough.
“Thank you. It’s starting to sort of become real now,” Lydia says with a soft smile. “I passed by a baby store downtown the other day, and it all kinda hit me. I know I’m notreally showing yet, but maybe soon it will feel even more real.”
Her eyes drop to her slightly rounded stomach, and I want to touch her. To cradle her soft belly and the little ladybug that’s growing inside her. The baby I already love as if it’s my own.
“I can’t wait,” I say honestly. I was planning to keep all of our dates a surprise, but I think maybe I’ll tell her about one. “What would you say to a baby shopping and registry date?”
Her eyes light up. “Really? You’d want to go with me?”
“Duh. I want to do everything,” I reply with a smile as I line the cut-out cookies onto the baking sheet and pop them into the oven.
“That sounds like a fun time.”
“Then it’s a date. It might have to wait until the new year, though.”
