Page 92 of Dirty Legend

I shrugged. "I'm trying to be healthier and not gain five hundred pounds this pregnancy. It feels like I'm already halfway there."

Laughing, she opened the door to the garage and waited for me to walk through it. "Are you kidding? I wish I looked half as good as you do when I was pregnant with either of the boys. Every ounce you gain goes straight to your stomach and boobs. Mine went to my thighs and ass and chin. It wasnota good look."

Giggling, I said a silentthanksthat my chin was still singular, and she was right, my weight all seemed to pool in my getting-bigger-by-the-day bump. At this point, it was more hill than bump, on its way to mountain status any day.

We drove toward the beach, and I rolled down the window, letting the warm, salty air breeze across my skin and whip my hair around, creating a tangled mess. I didn't care. The fresh air was refreshing. "Do you mind if we find a place where we can sit outside? It's such a beautiful day."

"It's like you read my mind. I know the perfect little cafe by the beach. There are some great boutiques within walking distance, too."

"Perfect."

Rebecca pulled up and found a parking spot easily, which was unusual for anywhere near the beach. She glanced over at me. "Must be our lucky day."

Stepping into the small cafe, I breathed in the scent of freshly baked bread, and my stomach grumbled again. We walked up to the counter and ordered before moving outside and picking a table on the empty patio. I glanced out to the sand just beyond the black iron railing penning us in, watching the waves swell and crest. There was something so relaxing about the combination of the salty air and the rhythm of the ocean.

I could see why True felt at home on the waves, why it was his escape.

Rebecca's voice broke me out of my trance. "I know a lot has been happening between True and Lexi and your work and the baby. How are you feeling?"

I sighed, sipping my lemony ice water. "I'm worried about True. Lexi doesn't bother me. She hinted at wanting to blackmail him into paying attention to her, but as I'm sure you know, True is an open book. He doesn't hide anything or his feelings. That's why this whole thing with her has been so hard on him. It goes against his nature to be dishonest."

Rebecca nodded and adjusted the sunglasses slipping down her nose. "I wish he'd never agreed to that whole thing. I don't know what Harrison was thinking." A scowl crossed her face before disappearing. "If it were Maddox or Zen? Sure. But my boy is too kind-hearted to hurt anyone."

"I think that's what's weighing on him so heavily right now. He hates that Lexi won't get the hint and move on, and he feels like because she's so relentless it's hurting me. Whether it's taking away from my sleep or causing me stress, it's making him worry even more." The waitress dropped my salad in front of me, and I speared a piece of lettuce with my fork. "We can't go back and undo what's already been done, so I keep telling him we just have to try and move forward. To forget about Lexi, ignore her until she goes away. Eventually, she has to get the hint, right?"

Rebecca chewed thoughtfully. "It makes me nervous, watching what happened with Zen last year. True's different. He's not used to the level of attention he's getting, and the last thing he wants is to do anything to jeopardize you or the baby. Unfortunately, he just has to figure this all out on his own."

I sighed, lifting another bite to my mouth and thinking about what she said. She was right. I wasn't going anywhere. None of True's support system was. But he had to sort out the Lexi mess on his own. I still held out hope she'd get the hint and give up, but every day that passed that he ignored her, and she still persisted dimmed that hope more and more.

I could understand where she was coming from, though. True was a catch. He was one of the sweetest guys I'd ever met. He was thoughtful, caring, and attentive, but he was also this badass rockstar who was confident and protective. The combination was, admittedly, hot as fuck. I fanned myself, trying to cool my heated skin as I sat at lunch with his mother. I didnotneed to be getting turned on, especially when I wouldn't see True until later this afternoon.

I crossed my legs under the table and tried to focus back on Rebecca and ignore my dampening panties. "I hope he figures it out soon. I miss my carefree and happy True."

She reached across the table and patted my hand. "He'll be fine." She straightened up. "Now, what are we going to get little P this afternoon? What do you still need for her?"

I snorted. "So much we couldn't possibly do it all in one day, starting with a house."

She choked on her bite and reached for her glass. "Did you saya house?"

Nodding, I twisted my napkin in my fingers. "Yeah, we don't have a lot of time, and we don't have room for the baby in True's place. Why does he have such a small condo anyway? He could afford to live wherever he wants."

"He told me that he didn't spend time there, so he didn't see the point of having a huge place to pay people to take care of. He only slept there from time to time and spent most of his time either on the road or at Zen's." She shrugged. "I guess he didn't see the point in getting anything bigger when it was just him."

"Yeah, with everything going on, we haven't really had time to do anything about it, but we're running out of time." I rubbed my stomach. "This little one is growing like crazy. She'll be here before we know it. It's probably hormones or whatever, but I'm starting to really freak out about the fact that she doesn't have a place to sleep. What if she comes early? Where will she sleep?"

I was starting to get a little hysterical, and my eyes were stinging with tears that no doubt would be falling soon if I didn't get myself under control. Rebecca stood up and lowered herself into the chair right next to me, rubbing my back. "Sweetie, babies don't take up much room. Sure, all their stuff does, but worst-case scenario, she comes early, and you have one of her many aunts, uncles, or grandparents go out and pick up a crib for her. I promise she'll always have a place to sleep."

I sniffled, dabbing at my watery eyes with my crumpled napkin. "I know I'm being ridiculous, but I can't seem to help myself."

Rebecca chuckled. "Hormones will do that to you." She patted my knee. "Let's go distract ourselves with cute baby stuff, okay?"

I nodded, and we stood, collecting our stuff and making our way to the sidewalk that lined the streets of the downtown beach area. I glanced from one direction to the other, my eyes scanning all the colorful signs and displays running down both sides of the street. "Where to first?"

Rebecca stepped up beside me and pointed to my right. "Down there a little way is the cutest boutique." We started walking, and I wrapped my arm around hers, leaning against her side and closing my eyes. The sun warmed my upturned face as I took a deep breath and exhaled the heavy conversation from lunch. Every step we took, my shoulders felt lighter until I opened my eyes as my lips pulled up into a smile.

A couple of hours later, I was exhausted, and we were both weighed down with bags, getting ready to step out of the store. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I felt a weight lift off of me. With Rebecca's help, we'd gotten nearly everything we'd need for the baby outside of furniture. She still didn't have a place to sleep, and I still didn't know where I was going to keep all of this stuff, but at least it was done.

As if reading my mind, Rebecca spoke up. "You can keep all of this in True's old room at my house until you guys figure out where you're going to be."

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