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“Hi, sweetheart,” he said with a smile, pulling his wool coat from around his shoulders and draping it over the back of a chair. “You doing all right over there?”
“Oh, yeah. I’m fine. I just nodded off,” Lacy replied, giving up on standing to greet him and sinking back into the cushions.
She rubbed a hand over her eyes, trying to clear them of sleep and their sandpaper feel. Derek shook his head at her as he walked through the room and plopped down onto the couch beside her.
“Give me those.” He pointed to her feet, and a grateful sigh escaped Lacy’s lips.
She swiveled a little on the couch, shifting herself into a position where she could pull her swollen feet up and place them on her husband’s lap. Derek began massaging them, and she dropped her head back and groaned with relief.
“That feels wonderful.” She sighed as some of the aches faded from her body.
Derek chuckled, giving one of her feet an extra squeeze. “You’re doing too much, you know.”
She met his gaze and gave him a hard, long stare. “No, I’m not. I’m doing just fine.”
“Come on. You know that isn’t true.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re running yourself ragged. You aren’t super woman, you know. No matter how much of a miracle woman you are.”
She rolled her eyes, but still, she couldn’t stop herself from pondering his words. Ever since finding out she was pregnant, Lacy had pretended it wouldn’t impact her life. To the best of her abilities, she had tried to continue on exactly as she’d been doing before the discovery that they’d be having a baby. Sure, most of her consulting in St. Louis had been transitioned to being remote, so she didn’t have to travel back and forth as much. But other than that, she had still continued on full steam ahead. That was the only way that she knew how to be.
Now though, as her daughter gave another swift, obstinate kick to her bladder, she had to admit that maybe her husband was right.
She blew out a breath, chewing on her lower lip. “What do you want me to do about it, though? There’s so much to get done.”
Lacy’s eyebrows knitted together as she stared at her husband’s handsome, kind face. She knew that Derek wouldn’t have brought this up if he didn’t already have some kind of proposal for her. He was pragmatic in that way. And he knew how much Lacy loved everything that she did with her job and with the annual Christmas party for the town. So he wouldn’t have brought up slowing down unless he had some suggestion for how she might accomplish that.
“Maybe,” Derek began, his voice low and hesitant, “it might be a good idea if we forgo the Christmas party this year.”
The suggestion rocked through Lacy, sending her thoughts whirling immediately. Derek must’ve seen the panic spreading across her face, because he raised up a hand to try to stop the spiral she was about to fall into.
“Breathe for just a second.” He gave a soft laugh, shooting her an affectionate smile. “Skipping for one year isn’t the end of the world. And we can resume next year when little Belinda in there is out here with us.”
“Lazy Susan,” Lacy corrected, shaking her head as she brought a hand up to rest on her swollen stomach.
“What?” Derek tilted his head in confusion, his hands still working at the tight spots in her feet.
“She’s Lazy Susan now,” Lacy explained. “Because all she does is lie on my bladder and kick me.”
His head fell back on a laugh. “Fine, when Lazy Susan in there is born, it’ll be a lot easier for us to get back in the swing of things.”
Lacy blew out a breath, considering her husband’s words. She hated to admit it, but she knew that he was right. She felt a lump rise in her throat at the thought of letting go of something that she and all the people she cared about had been looking forward to so much. The lump turned into tears pricking at the backs of her eyes, and she blinked hastily, trying not to let them fall.
“Oh, hey.” Derek leaned closer, placing a hand on her thigh in comfort. “It’s gonna be okay. It’s just a year, my love.”
“I know,” Lacy replied, still blinking furiously. “It’s not the end of the world. It’s Lazy Susan and the hormones making me so emotional. And I’m just disappointed.”
She blew out another breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to get the emotional side of her brain to understand that everything the logical side had just said was right. There was no point in crying just because the Christmas party couldn’t happen this year. Turning into a sobbing mess was the last thing she needed.
“It’s all right to be disappointed.” Derek’s voice was gentle and full of understanding. “You love the holiday party. The whole town does. So it’s normal to be upset. But it’s not for forever. It’s only for now.”
She met her husband’s gaze, gratitude rushing through her for this man whom she loved so much.
“I know.” She nodded, swiping a finger under her eye to rid herself of the one stubborn tear that insisted on falling. “I guess it just helps me feel closer to Dad and Grandpa Nick.”
She rubbed her belly again. The baby inside her gave another soft kick, and she smiled at the feeling of it.
“I hate that they won’t get to meet her,” she added quietly. “I’ve always regretted that I wasn’t able to make things up with them while they were still here. So the Christmas party just always feels like a way for me to be close to them. You know?”
Derek nodded. He moved her feet off his lap and stood, stretching her legs out gently on the couch before taking a few steps to stand in front of her. He sank to his knees beside the couch, holding her gaze.
