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Cade tilted his head as if trying to read me. “Does your sour mood have to do with last night?”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “My second trimester was amazing. I had energy and couldn’t get enough of you.” A wistful sigh flowed out of me. “But I’m fat. Look at this huge belly!” I pointed at my stomach. “I can hardly move. How am I supposed to satisfy you?”
“Baby, you satisfy me. I don’t have any complaints about our sex life.”
“Be honest with me. You can’t roll with me like we used to, and we haven’t showered together in months. I don’t want you to get bored.” Okay, so maybe talking to him had uncovered why I felt restless and on edge.
“I’m not bored, Shelby. I promise. It’s not the end of the world if we don’t have sex in the shower or flop around in bed. You don’t want to risk hurting yourself or the baby, do you?”
“No.” I caressed our sweet baby.
“We’ll get back to our normal activities after the baby. We just gotta sacrifice for a bit and it will be worth it, darlin’. Because we’re having a baby.”
“You’re amazing.” Listening to him talk about our baby and seeing his blue eyes sparkle like sapphires melted me. I was the luckiest woman and shouldn’t be fretting over silly things like sex.
“Ready to party?”
“Have you seen the stacks of gifts? We might be here until morning, opening them. Our friends and family are so generous.” Many of the gifts came from Minnesota. They couldn’t come out for the shower, but Storm and Maddy promised to come after the baby was born.
They were just the kindest couple. They all were, including Graves and his members. Speaking of Graves, I spotted him talking to Martina by the barn.
“Didn’t see them. Why don’t you come show me?” He put his arm out to me, and I hooked mine through it. “It’s a fine day for a baby shower.”
“I hope it’s just as fine out for our wedding.”
“It will be, Honeybee. It’ll be perfect because we’re together and will be forever. Can’t get much more perfect than that.” He winked.
This man. My man. I loved him more than life itself.
No more worrying about anything anymore. The only person who could have destroyed me was dead.
That was strange. I hadn’t thought about Jake in weeks. Why did he pop into my head now?
“Something wrong?” Cade tugged me out of my thoughts.
“No. Why?”
“Because you’re clawing your nails into my arm.” He looked at me, concerned.
So I was. “Who knows? Maybe I felt unstable while walking.” I didn’t dare mention Jake. Not on what was supposed to be a fun and happy day. “Look at that mountain of baby gifts.” I smiled brightly and tugged him toward them.
From this moment on, I wouldn’t think about my dead ex.
The shower was going strong after six in the evening, but I was spent. Martina and Buster drove me back to the cabin, while Cade stayed behind to help my brother load up the baby gifts into his truck.
I kneaded my lower back with the tips of my fingers, literally on the verge of tears. I was so tired.
“Want me to carry you up the steps?” Buster asked.
“No, honey. I wouldn’t want you to break your back.”
“Shoot. If I can carry my two-hundred-pound dad when he’s piss ass drunk. I can carry you. You’re a lot smaller than him, except your stomach is bigger than his beer belly.”
My bottom lip quivered as I wondered if he’d meant to say all that.
“Buster, you are not helping,” Martina snapped at him. “You’re lucky Olivia didn’t hear you because she’d knee you in the family jewels.”
“What’d I say that wrong? I’d never do anything to hurt Shelby.”
