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Clearing my throat, I introduce them. “Uh, Kyle, Ty… this is Briggs, my...”
“Baby daddy.” He grins, extending his hand for Kyle to shake now that Ty has whisked Olive away.
I laugh nervously. “Okay, glad that you guys are introduced. Uh Ty, can I talk to you super quick in my bedroom? I just need to grab Olive’s bag.”
“Is there anything I can do for dinner, Mads?” Briggs asks before we walk away.
“Mads?” Ty’s eyebrows rise as he shoots me a look.
“If you could open the wine? That would be great.”
Briggs nods, then Ty and I walk into my bedroom. I shut the door, then drop my head back against it.
“Shit. Shit. Shit, Ty, I can’t do this. I feel like I’m going on a first date again. I haven’t done this since like… I don’t know, forever. And I’m going to tell him tonight. I’m going to tell him everything.”
Ty rolls his eyes and sets Olive down on the bed, then walks over and takes my face in his hands. “It’s going to be okay, babe. You’re following your heart, and you’re doing the right thing. I think once you tell him, everything will be fine. He is crazy about you too, I can see it just now, and I don't think that's going to change. I don’t think he’s going anywhere.”
I hope he’s right, but even his pep talk doesn’t seem to calm the flurry of butterflies that won't settle in my stomach.
I suck in a deep breath and exhale, all while Ty holds onto me and grounds me. Being friends your entire life does that for you. He helps me see clearly when my head is muddled.
“Kyle and I are going to go play with Olive at home, and I’ll have my phone right by me if you want to check in on her or talk. Okay?
“Okay. Got it. Her bag is right over here.” His hands fall away, and I walk over to her newly packed diaper bag that I may have gone a bit overboard with, but it has all of the essentials. “I’ve packed three bottles, even though she probably will only take two, but just in case. If you need me, I’m a call away.”
He nods, then drops a quick kiss against my cheek and picks up Olive from the bed. “Got it. We’re good, be back later, love you, bye.”
I barely have time to give Olive a kiss before he’s out the door, and I’m alone.
Less nervous than before, but still feeling like I’m going to be sick at any moment.
Everything, and I do mean everything, changes when you have a baby. Not only have I only spent one weekend with Briggs, but he saw me pre-Olive… pre-pregnancy body. He has no idea what he’s in store for, and I’m sure the moment he sees me, he’ll run the other way. My body is marred with stretch marks, my boobs are more saggy since breastfeeding, and the skin of my stomach is slightly droopy, after stretching while I was pregnant.
I groan.
Everything is going to be fine, Maddison. Chill. Taking one more peek in the floor-length mirror behind the door, I smooth my sweater down, and fix any fly-away hairs, then walk back out of my bedroom into the kitchen, where Briggs is leaning against the counter, scrolling on his phone.
When I walk through the doorway, he glances up, his eyes traveling down my body before holding my eyes again.
“Ready to eat?” My words come out in a squeak, and he laughs, low and raspy.
“Yes, whenever you are. I poured you some wine.”
“Thank you.”
I make his plate, then mine, and we sit across from each other at the table. Briggs immediately digs in, not once bringing up the real reason I asked him over for dinner.
“Christ, this is the best thing I’ve ever eaten.” He groans around his fork full of lasagna. “Well... almost.”
His eyes twinkle with innuendo, and I feel myself blushing under his gaze.
“Thank you. It’s my nana’s recipe. I think it’s been passed down for three generations now. Honestly, I love to cook, and I don’t get to often enough because of work, and this tiny kitchen.”
“It’s amazing.”
I take a large gulp of my wine, hoping that it will take some of the edge off, and before I know it, my glass is empty, and I’m feeling slightly more loose. Before I lose my courage, I speak, trying not to even think about it.
“I’d like to try things… slowly.”
