Her tongue darts out to moisten her lips. “It’s weird being here without you.”
Fuck. My heart twinges hearing that.
“Weird bad or weird good?” I ask, my voice sounding gravelly to my ears.
“Weird, like the bed’s too big and cold, and your apartment feels empty.” She lets out an awkward laugh, dropping her gaze away from the screen. “I know that sounds crazy, especially coming from me. I haven’t lived with someone in years, but I guess I was getting used to you being around. And now that you’re not, it just feels strange to be in your space alone.”
“Hurricane.” I wait until she looks at the phone again.
“I want it to feel like your apartment, too. Go buy some throw pillows or blankets or whatever. Make it yours.”
“Throw pillows?” She arches a brow, but she’s smiling again.
“Yeah. Don’t women love throw pillows?” I tease. “Besides, I read that pregnant women love to nest. So go nest.”
Sage shakes her head. “Yeah, sure. Okay.”
“I’m serious,” I let my tone grow sober. “I want you to feel comfortable there. Whether I’m home or not.”
“It’ll always be more comfortable when you’re home.”
“Fuck, Sage,” I say in a hoarse whisper. “I like hearing you say that.”
Rolling onto her side, Sage props up the phone using something on the bedside table. She yawns again. “Sorry. I can’t stop yawning.”
“It’s okay, we should both get some sleep anyway.”
She nods but doesn’t move to hang up. “I don’t want to say goodbye,” she says sleepily.
“Then we won’t. I’ll stay right here, little mama.”
She lets out a little sigh, her eyelids fluttering. “’Kay. Good night, Brady.”
“Good night, Sage.”
I stay transfixed to the phone screen as I watch her eyes close, her features softening into sleep. She’s so beautiful, so peaceful, and so perfect it hurts not being able to wrap her in my arms right now, to cradle her and our daughter and hold them while we sleep.
Once I’m sure she’s asleep, I set the phone down, still not disconnecting the call, and move as fast as I can, brushing my teeth and shucking off my clothes.
When I pull back the sheets and climb into bed once more, she’s still there, sleeping in my—our—bed, with too many miles between us.
I plug in my phone and prop it up on the table next to the bed. She might not be here with me, but at least I can fall asleep with her beautiful face as the last thing I see.
27
BRADY
July hits,hot and humid. The evenings are perfect for playing baseball, but I’m fairly certain summer is the worst time to be hitting the last trimester of pregnancy like Sage is. I feel terrible for her. I know she's hot and miserable most of the time, even if she doesn't say it.
Thankfully, the team is taking a week off to coincide with the All-Star break the major league teams take. Some of the guys are traveling to watch the games, but a lot of us are staying in town. And today, Luca, the former owner of the Thunder, is hosting a barbeque at the house he shares with Isla and her son Charlie.
I met up with Griff and Foxxy at the gym this morning for a quick workout, letting Sage sleep in. That's the other thing that's changed for her now that she's nearing the end of pregnancy. The energy she had in the second trimester has faded, and she's tired all the time. I wish I could do more for her. Feeling helpless isn't something I enjoy. But no matter how many books I read,none of them have a solution. At least, not anything that I'm not already doing.
This is why women truly are the stronger gender. There's not a chance a dude could make it through nine months of pregnancy. No, the human race would die out if men were responsible for theactualwork of procreation.
When I get back to the apartment, I open the door quietly in case she's still asleep. But she's not.
Sage is standing at the stove, stirring something in a pot. She’s wearing a pair of my athletic shorts and a sports bra she's spilling out of, thanks to pregnancy making her boobs even bigger.
