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“And the rest is history.” She touched her belly then looked at him again. “Thanks for helping in there.”
“You’re welcome.” He glanced toward the door. “I should probably get some work of my own done today.”
Jamie chuckled. “Probably.”
He fought the urge to stay, forcing his legs to move to the exit.
“I’m glad we got the registry done,” she called after him.
He looked back at her. “Me too. I hope we didn’t miss anything.”
“We got a Yoda onesie. What more does the baby need?”
Duncan laughed. “True.” He gave her a wave and headed out.
As he drove home, he couldn’t stop picturing moments from the day, and his chest tightened. He took slow, deep breaths, trying to release whatever tension he was holding, and thought about Jamie’s Yoda comment. That made him smile, but the tension was still there.
Being friends with Jamie was easy. It always had been. The attraction and flirtation had been there all along. But this … this ache that had settled itself deep inside his heart the moment he was away from her … this was different.
Chapter 33
Jamie was getting far too comfortable at McGregor family gatherings. She was glad to fit in and be accepted and supported by the family, but it made her heart ache the more she was around them because she wanted so badly to be one of them. Officially. And she knew that was never going to happen.
This Labor Day picnic, in honor of Nana’s ninety-seventh birthday, was bound to be interesting. Max would be there, which she was happy about. They weren’t officially dating, but they talked and texted often and had seen each other a few times over the past month. Max hadn’t said much about his conversation with Duncan, only that it hadn’t gone well, and that it was best if they kept things casual. Jamie wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
Dréa would be in attendance too. The last time she’d been in town was the night of Jamie’s spiritual birthday party at the McGregor’s, and that hadn’t ended well.
Things between Jamie and Duncan had been good since the ultrasound. It felt like they were going to make it through all this with their friendship intact, and she was happy about that. If she couldn’t be with Duncan, at least he would be in her life.
Shannon and Micah had insisted on picking Jamie up on their way to Aunt Pauline’s, and she had agreed because, honestly, she was feeling tired most days. She thought when she reached the second trimester, she would have more energy than this. That’s what she’d been told to expect anyway. But it was probably different for every woman.
Her belly had finally popped when she passed the twenty-week mark. Well, she was probably the only one who noticed, but she was proud of her bump.
“How’s Coco doing?” Shannon asked.
Jamie shook her head. “You’re making me regret telling you the baby’s the size of a coconut right now.”
Shannon giggled. “Are you feeling more movement yet?”
“A lot, and the kicks are getting stronger.”
“Do you think I could feel it?”
“Not yet.” Jamie lay a hand on her baby bump as she felt a kick. “But I don’t think it will be much longer.”
When they arrived at the house, Micah got out and opened Jamie’s door, offering her a hand to help her out of the car.
“Thanks, Micah. Such a gentleman. Shannon’s a lucky girl.”
Micah grinned. “I’m the lucky one.”
Shannon walked around the car and gave him a kiss, then looped her arm through Jamie’s as they walked up the sidewalk.
“Maybe I shouldn’t be here,” Jamie said.
“Why?”
“It’s been just me and Duncan for the past couple months, and I dread seeing him and Dréa together again.”