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I stared at him for a moment more, debating what he was saying, but I could see he wasn’t budging. I grunted and shut the door, talking to him through the open window. “I’ll be back in less than ten minutes.”
“If you’re not in a dress, this truck isn’t moving.”
Moving through the motions of showering and getting dressed felt like moving through quicksand. I didn’t care about anything except confronting the guys. Everything agitated me as I tried to rush and ended up taking longer than if I’d just moved around normally. When I did make it back to the truck, I was so frustrated that I wanted to hit something.
“Wow, Ag. You look…”
“Dumb? Yeah, I’m aware.”
Dad didn’t take his eyes off me. “You look stunning. Just like your mom when she was pregnant with you.”
I blinked away tears and flashed him a quick smile. “My stomach is sticking out a little, but the other dresses I owned made it look even worse.”
He wiped his own eyes and started the truck. “You’re beautiful. You’re going to make those men the happiest men in the world, honey. They’re lucky to have you.”
I crossed my arms over my belly and sighed. “I’m not theirs. I’m just going to tell them to stop their ad campaign.”
“Is that perfume you put on?”
“You’re a pain in the ass, Dad.” I huffed and turned away from him. “It’s just the body wash I used.”
The smile on his face could be heard so clearly in his voice. “And the mascara?”
“Shut up.” I blew out a controlled breath and squeezed my shaking hands between my thighs. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw them. I was nervous. “What if it’s all a joke?”
“You shut up.” Dad chuckled, not a care in the world. “I can’t wait to tell you I told you so.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You’re stubborn.”
I stared out the windshield and swallowed past the lump in my throat. There was no more swallowing it down. It was too big for that. Any minute, it was going to turn into a sob, but there was nothing I could do about it. Pregnancy made me weak.
The closer we got to the city, the more I shook. I was driving myself crazy, going through a million scenarios. Like always with them, though, I couldn’t work out any solutions. I got to a certain point of the imagined conversation and just…froze.
“If you do lose your mind and decide to beat up another rich guy, do you have my number memorized?” Dad asked with a giant smile as he pulled to the curb in front of TGC.
“I can’t deal with you anymore, old man. Go home.”
“So, you don’t think you’ll need me for a ride home, then?” He laughed and waved out the window. “You’re being spotted, honey. You’d better hurry.”
I glanced back and saw people pointing at me and pulling out their phones. Renewed anger filled me as I got out of the truck. “Well, I guess the baby is about to be out of the bag. There’s no hiding it in this dress. Tell the cousins before they read it somewhere else.”
Dad tipped his imaginary hat at me and winked. “Love you!”
“Love you, too, Dad.”
49
***Aggie***
Therideuptothe executive floor felt like it took a hundred years. I fidgeted, staring at my reflection in the mirrored walls. Cupping my belly, I looked at it from the side and winced. It wasn’t huge, but it seemed bigger than it should’ve been. I added it to my mental list of questions to ask Sarah.
I tugged at my bun to make sure it looked okay and glanced down the full length of my body, just to see I’d left my Crocs on. I groaned and gave myself a moment to throw a bit of a tantrum. The bright pink Crocs didn’t exactly match the button-front navy blue dress I had on.
The doors opened to the executive floor and I had to pretend like I wasn’t freaking out. Too aware of my body, I stepped out of the elevator and looked at the receptionist. I knew I owed her an apology when I could think clearly, from my last run through.
Her bright smile when she saw me was unexpected. Her eyes caught on my stomach and she covered her mouth with her manicured hand. “Oh, this is so amazing!”
