skimming my gaze over Zach. His face isn’t that warm, his eyes are narrowed and fixed on me, but
it’s not screamingget the hell outeither. A little more of my tension dissolves as I quietly return the
greetings. Bree tugs me toward a large man I haven’t met, holding a small, beautifully rounded woman
on his lap.
“Micah, Holly, I don’t think you’ve met Maya yet. Maya, this is Micah. He works out of the
Knight Street location. And this is his girlfriend, Holly. She works there too, so you wouldn’t have
seen them at the office.”
Micah smiles gently, and I’m immediately at ease. “Hi, Maya,” he says, lifting one massive hand
to shake mine. He holds my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, then releases it, putting his hand back on
the woman’s belly. I didn’t notice before, but there’s a definitely swell there. My wide eyes fly up to
meet her kind gaze.
“Hi Maya, it’s so lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She pats the chair next to
her. “Please, sit.”
I drop into the chair and search for the right thing to say.Come on, think.“You’ve got a baby in
there,” I say, pointing to her stomach. “…or maybe not. It’s ok if you don’t. Tummies can be all
shapes and sizes. All bodies are beautiful.” I slam my hand over my mouth, unable to stop the flow of
words otherwise.
Holly stares at me for a second, then dissolves into giggles, falling back against Micah’s chest.
His warm laughter travels the room, drawing everyone’s eyes.
“I am so sorry. I’m so stu—“.
“Oh my god, I love you,” Holly says, cutting off my apology. “Yeah, I’m due in a few months.”
“Right. Good. That’s good. Yay. Congratulations.”
We fall into a relaxed conversation after that, her and Micah’s gentle nature putting me at ease.
Whenever I fall silent, unsure of what to say, they easily draw me into a new topic. And through all of
it, Micah’s big hand rubs slow, deliberate circles on her stomach. Over the life they created together.
Easily, naturally, Holly touches his hand or turns to place a gentle kiss on his cheek. They are so
totally connected, clearly in love. There is no doubt or hesitancy. When one reaches out, the other is
reaching right back.
My throat feels tight. It’s jealousy. I know it. Another feeling I hadn’t really experienced until
recently. I’ve always been happy with my lot in life. I always told myself that I had a good life. That
