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She cooed, “You’re eating for two now. Let me get us another cupcake to celebrate the fact I’ll be an auntie! And, I’m going to accept the position at The Ranch. Can’t afford Gothic princess baby sets on a librarian assistant salary.”
A smile sprang to my mouth. “How do you know it’s a she?”
Luna beamed, “Boy, girl … whatever their sex at birth or eventual gender identity, we’ll smother this baby with love!”
Regardless of the circumstances, this was my time.
Time to fuck it up buttercup.
With my loyal friend to support me—everything was figureoutable.
* * *
The following Saturday, an abrupt banging interrupted my nap. In my semi-lucid dreamscape, I witnessed a surreal sight: one of the mystic creatures from the library mural at The Ranch was fiercely pounding a wooden alphabet block with its tiny wings, creating a sound like insistent knocking at the door.
Its delicate frame was the size of a teacup, and it whispered, “Wake up”. I rubbed my eyes blearily and sat up. The strange thumping had stopped, but I knew it couldn’t have been a dream.
Pinned down by the heaviness of the slumber which hit me after lunch, I groggily forced myself out of the chair and heard Luna on my front step, “Faith, it’s me!” she called out.
I stumbled to the entrance, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. “Yeah, I’m up,” I uttered as I unlocked the door and let her in.
“Sorry to wake you,” Luna said with a sheepish grin. “ Hopefully, the surprise will make up for it.”
I shook my head, trying to clear the grogginess away. “What kind of surprise?” I asked, half-heartedly curious. “I thought we had a date to go wardrobe shopping for your new job.” It was only then I noticed the large package behind her.
She spun around and bent down to retrieve the item; her petite body was more powerful than it appeared; a result of all the time she spent hoisting books above her head in the library.
“What’s in the box?” I asked, following her slight form to my dining table, where she plunked the carton down.
A devious grin spread across her face. “I got you something,” she said, eyes gleaming with excitement. “Open it!”
A small, white envelope sat atop the contents of the container. Words written in an elegant script, in shades of blue and pink, looped across its surface and I recognized them as my bestie’s penmanship, “To: Pretty Angel & Little Devil.”
I raised an eyebrow at Luna, recognizing the source of the nicknames. They definitely weren’t any she would choose. My friend smiled knowingly and allowed me to connect the dots.
“He had me address the envelope, but the gift certificate inside is from Riley. I ran into him at Chapman’s Bookery while purchasing the rest of the contents of the box. When I told him you and I had a date to go shopping today, he asked me to deliver it to you.” Her cheeks grew faintly pink.
“What’s up? That grin just screams you have something up your sleeve.” I playfully nudged her elbow.
Her color deepened. “Riley is the perfect dashing figure of a man, ready to sweep you off your feet with spa treatments instead of eloquent sonnets. Not only that, he insisted on calling Chloe’s Salon & Spa and booking me a session as well, so you and I can enjoy being pampered together.” Her soft-as-silk gaze levied a stare at me. “His doting aura might not be your particular cup of tea, but it’s certainly enough to entice many a heroine.”
“I guess,” I replied, as a sensation fluttered in my stomach that had nothing to do with baby kicks. It was way too soon for that. “Like I said before, he doesn’t want to rush into anything now that a baby is involved.”
Luna spoke with quiet but undeniable firmness. “He wants to woo you, Faith. Why don’t you let him? There’s a lot more at stake. Be patient. Sometimes the heart’s secrets unravel like ancient scrolls, revealing a tale of love with deeper layers, darker mysteries, and higher stakes than ever imagined.”
Deep within my chest, an unfamiliar warmth spread. What would it be like? Letting Riley court me: laughing and talking, walking hand in hand through a park, enjoying a romantic dinner?
The thoughts lifted a shadow I didn’t know I stood under. An unfamiliar lightness filled me; a vision, hidden in the depths of my mind, seemed achievable. A thrill surged through me— could this really come true?
My brow furrowed as I looked down and observed my hand, marveling at the way my thoughts were moving faster than I could keep up. I hoped my lady parts didn’t spontaneously combust before I gave birth and my foxy firefighter deigned to put his hands on me again.
Quickly, I changed the subject. “What else is in the box?” The distraction worked. My friend could never resist talking about books and she’d brought over every pregnancy guide ever written on planet earth.
* * *
My massage, facial, mani, and pedi with Luna ended in the most restful sleep I’d had since finding out I was pregnant. A relentless buzzing woke me up with a start at eleven a.m. the next day.
It was a text message from Riley:
