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“Go and sit down,” he said, indicating the table he’d just vacated. “I’ll bring your coffee over.”
Her cheeks still felt warm as she took the seat opposite his, pulling it around so she could face the ocean, too. It looked so beautiful today, the white-foam waves dancing as they rushed toward the shore, the bright sun reflecting off the water, coloring it an orange-gold. She closed her eyes and breathed in, tasting the salt of the air and the tang of ozone tickling the back of her throat. How was it that the ocean always made everything better? Maybe it was the way it was timeless. The waves didn’t care what day it was. Heck, they didn’t care what century it was. They just moved back and forth because that’s what they did.
She could learn something from that.
“One decaf latte,” James said. Harper opened her eyes to see him slide the cup in front of her. “I got you a blueberry muffin, too, in case you’re hungry. Oh, and the couple behind the counter told me to tell you ‘hi’.”
Harper glanced over her shoulder and saw Ally waving at her. Next to her was Nate, raising an eyebrow as if to tell her he was here if she needed him.
Harper bit down a smile at his protectiveness and lifted her hand to wave back. “I had breakfast about an hour ago,” she said as she turned back to James and reached for the muffin. “But I’d hate to see this go to waste.” She ripped a piece off between her thumb and finger and slid it onto her tongue. “Oh god, this is delicious.” She swallowed it down and let out a little sigh. “Why does everything taste so good?”
James looked torn between amusement and something else. It sparked his eyes and made him swallow in spite of not eating anything. “I guess you’re over any nausea?” he said, his voice thick.
“Yeah. That was the worst,” Harper said, taking another bite. “I swung between starvation and sickness for weeks. Now I’m swinging between eating and overeating.”
He quirked an eyebrow. “You’re eating for two now.”
“And don’t I know it. This baby is so demanding already. Did you know she’s only the size of a lemon? How can something that small want so much food?”
“Maybe it’s my fault?” James asked, arching an eyebrow. “The baby could get that from me. I eat a lot.”
“You’re not eating now,” Harper pointed out.
“Yeah, well I managed to finish two muffins before you arrived,” he said with a grin.
Harper finished the pastry, using her thumb to scrape the case for the final crumbs, then licked them off. It was disgusting, she knew it, but damn, that muffin was amazing. Being pregnant was a great excuse to throw out all the rules.
“You want me to get you another?” James asked.
Yeah she did, but even in this state she needed to have some standards. “Maybe later,” she said, meaning it.
She picked up her coffee cup and took a sip, letting the steamy drink envelop her tongue. “God this is good, too,” she said. “If only it had caffeine my life would be complete.
”
“Only another six months. Or maybe more if you decide to breastfeed.”
Harper looked up, surprised. She wasn’t sure if it was because he’d mentioned her breasts, or whether the reality was sinking in. James, on the other hand, didn’t blink at all.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet in terms of feeding,” she told him, her voice soft. “I’d like to breastfeed, at least at first, but I’m not going to beat myself up if it doesn’t work out. I’ll buy some bottles just in case and see what happens. I figure women have been doing this for thousands of years, it can’t be that hard, can it?”
“It’s amazing the help you can get nowadays, but it’s your body and your decision. There’s too much pressure put on new mothers as it is, you don’t need any more.”
She was aware their voices had dipped into serious conversation. And the anxiety she’d felt as she walked into the coffee shop reared its ugly head again. Along with the morning sickness and the jeans that didn’t fit, anxiety was a new thing for her. She didn’t like it one bit.
“Do you have any questions about the baby?” she asked him, running her finger around the rim of her cup. “I know it was a shock for you, and I’m sure you must have a million of them.”
“Yeah, it was a shock. But I’m guessing it was for you, too.” His gaze caught hers. “I’m sorry I didn’t react well.”
“You were no worse than I was when I found out.” Harper shrugged. “But luckily for me I was alone when that second line appeared on the test.” She widened her eyes. “Nobody to hear me scream.”
He laughed. “You seem calm about it now. How far along were you when you took the test?”
“Well since we used a condom, I didn’t even consider I was pregnant until I started to feel sick,” Harper told him. “I was about eight weeks when I took the test, nine when I was able to get to the doctor and have it confirmed.”
“So you only found out a month ago?”
“Yeah, that sounds right. Though it feels like longer. A lifetime even. A lot has happened since then. I’ve moved to Angel Sands, started to concentrate on my own business, and then I saw you again. So that kind of brings us up to date.”
