"Millie."
"Mm." She hadn't lifted her face from the table.
"Three minutes."
A long pause. "I can't feel my legs."
"You've got two of them. I checked." I pulled out, found her underwear on the floor, crouched and held them while she stepped in. Handed back her cutoffs. Tugged the flannel closed across her chest and did the bottom two buttons myself.
"I look?—"
"Beautiful." I kissed her temple. "Go open a window."
She went, still buttoning, moving a little carefully. I looked at the table for a moment.
I was going to think about this every minute of dinner…every second until I could be inside her again.
I straightened my jeans and went to meet them at the door.
SEVENTEEN
Millie
It had only takenfour weeks…and I was pregnant.
It was all I could think about as we showed my parents and Daniela around the property…as Gage took my hand and we walked around the goat pasture, introducing Daniela to Dolly and the whole crew. Sawyer came over on one of the horses while we were there, and I practically felt Daniela go feral in the same way I’d watched her go feral when she saw a hot guy in high school or at the bar.
I filed that away…
…I'd deal with it later.
My mother was talking about the goats. She'd been talking about the goats for ten minutes. Dolly had her by the sleeve and she was delighted about it, laughing in that full-body way she had, and my father was taking pictures on his phone even though I knew he didn’t have social media; the goat pictures were just for him. Gage stood beside me and watched them and I watched him watch them—the careful way he was taking all of it in, the slight softening around his eyes that he probably didn't know was there.
I pressed my hand flat against my stomach under the hem of my shirt. Just for a second.
Four weeks.
Life…blooming.
"She likes you," I told my mother, nodding at Dolly.
"She's eating my cardigan."
"Shereallylikes you."
Daniela appeared at my elbow. She'd drifted slightly away from the group—away from where Sawyer had dismounted and was talking horses with my father, who knew nothing about horses and was clearly trying to look like he did.
"Movie guy," she said, low.
"Mm."
"He looks different off a set."
"Daniela."
She was quiet for a moment. "He looks like someone drew him."
"Daniela."
