Page 44 of Bless My Heart

“Stop trying to hog the covers,” a gravelly voice tells me.

My eyes fly open, and I turn my head to see who spoke to me. Like there would be a complete stranger in my bed.

I’m losing my mind. Wes’s eyes are still closed, but his body is turned to me.

“Sorry, I’m not used to having people in my bed,” I say.

“That’s good to know.” I let up on my grip of the covers so he can have some back. He grabs me instead and pulls me closer to him.

I don’t know what time it is, but the sun is filtering through my bedroom blinds, so I know it’s probably time to wake up. We went to bed pretty late last night after our shower to ‘clean up’ turned into a bit more.

“How are you feeling?” Wes asks me.

“I’m a little sore, but other than that, I feel good. Really good.” His lips form a smile. He likes that he made me sore. He surprised me last night during sex. I knew it would be just as amazing as the first time, but I didn’t realize he would be so dominating. And I didn’t realize I would like it so much.

I liked him telling me what to do and where he wanted me. It made me feel sexy, not being in control. I swear I have yet to find one flaw with Wes Mitchell. How is one man so freaking perfect?

“Hey, so when do we find out if the baby is a boy or a girl?” He asks.

“In November, so I guess this month.” He nods his head against the pillow. I keep forgetting to keep him in the loop on the pregnancy things.

“What are you hoping for?” he asks me. I hesitate.

“I … I actually haven’t really thought about it. I’ll be happy with either.”

“Well, I’m hoping for a little girl. I want her to grow up to be just like her mama. Smart, funny, and beautiful.” Seeing Wes with a little girl would be a sight. “Let’s go shopping today to look at stuff for the baby.”

“Really?” I question. He’s way more excited than I ever thought he’d be about this. Not that I’m not excited too, but I don’t think it’s really sunk in that I’m having a baby.

“Yeah, let’s do it.” We both drag ourselves out of bed and get dressed. Wes came over last night in his Halloween costume but luckily had extra clothes in his Jeep.

After getting dressed, Wes rummages through my kitchen to find us something for breakfast.

“Ok, do you ever grocery shop?” he asks.

“Um, yes. Occasionally.” He laughs at me and pulls out a half-eaten loaf of bread and some eggs and milk. He whips us up some French toast before we head to Target.

I still feel a little nervous about possibly being seen in public together as we get to the store. We’re still in a very sensitive situation. Just because we’re together in private doesn’t mean it’s ok in public. Both of us could face serious consequences if anyone found out.

Thankfully, Wes seems to understand. He doesn’t hold my hand or put his arm around me. We just walk side by side up and down the aisles.

We get to the baby section, and I’m immediately overwhelmed. There are so many things: clothes, diapers, toys, strollers. I don’t even know where to start.

Wes seems to sense my panic and pulls me over to the clothes.

“Look at this little thing.” He holds up a onesie with a little unicorn on it.

“It’s so tiny.”

“I know. It’s hard to believe you’re growing a little thing inside you.” He puts his hand on my stomach, and I cover it with mine. We just look into each other’s eyes for a minute, like we are frozen in time. He smiles. He seems genuinely happy, which helps me relax. I think I’m always waiting for the ball to drop. For Wes to change his mind one day and decide I’m not worth it. We’re not worth it.

“Hazel?” I hear a familiar voice call my name. Wes pulls his hand away from my stomach as I look over my shoulder.

Jordan is standing there staring at us. Today, of all days, would be the day that I run into my ex-boyfriend.

“Hey, Jordan,” I reply slowly, not sure how to act in this situation. Wes looks to me and then to Jordan as understanding washes over him.

“You look great.” He takes a few more steps towards me. “What are you doing in the baby section?” His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.