Page 78 of All That Glitters

“Doesn’t mean we can’t try, right?”

“Right.” She huffs out a laugh. “You got kids?”

“I’m currently baking my first.”

She looks at my stomach which now has a small bump and grins. “Congrats. How’s pregnancy treating you?”

“Like it hates me.”

She doubles over with laughter, her kid following suit even though she has no idea why she’s laughing.

“Oh my god. Before I became pregnant, everyone would tell me about how wonderful being pregnant was. And then I became pregnant and felt like ass from pretty much day one. I kept waiting for that glow to set in that they talked about. It never did. I swear to god it’s all a lie—something they tell us because if we knew the truth, we’d never procreate.”

I find myself laughing right along with her. “I’m glad I’m not alone. I was starting to worry something was wrong with me.”

“Not at all. And though you might feel crazy, I gotta say you look amazing. I looked like warmed-up dog shit for nine months.”

“Miss?” We both turn when the cashier calls out. While we’d been gossiping, the old man checked out and left.

“Sorry,” the mom calls out and walks around the cart to load up the belt. I keep the kiddo occupied by making faces at her and making her giggle. By the time mom is done and the groceries are back in the cart, she looks like she could do with a nap. She blows out a wayward curl from her face before smiling at me.

“As hard as it is, enjoy every second because it gets so much harder once they come along.”

“Have you ever regretted it?” I ask quietly, but I’m curious.

She looks at her kid, a smile spreading over her face. “Not for a single second.”

She waves as she leaves, the kid waving to me as I return it before I face the cashier. I think about her words as I bag my things up and pay. As I carry them outside and walk to the bench to wait for the next bus, I take a second to think about how hard things will get with a baby literally relying on me to survive. It’sa terrifying notion when I’ve killed every houseplant I’ve ever owned, made even scarier by the thought of doing it alone.

I place the bags on the bench beside me, pull out my cell phone, and open my messages. I scroll down until I find Lil and fire off a text.

You busy?

Not even a minute later, the phone starts to ring. With a grin, I hit accept and place the phone to my ear.

“I take it you’re not busy.”

“I’m never too busy for you. I was starting to worry you’d forgotten about me.”

I’m about to say something flippant, then remember Lil’s history. Lil has some strong abandonment issues, and rightly so. “Never. I’ve just been trying to figure my life out and working like crazy.”

“You got a job? That’s awesome, Legs. What are you doing?”

I hesitate for a beat, not wanting Midas to know where I’m working. But if the man is that serious about stalking me, he’d just follow me to work one day.

“At a diner just outside town. It’s popular, so it’s busy, but that means the tips are good.”

“You just make sure you look after yourself too.”

“I’m trying. I’m hoping that things will be a little easier now I’m not throwing up all the time and the exhaustion is slowly passing.”

“I’m sure I heard somewhere that the longer you’re sick during pregnancy, the more likely you are to have a girl.”

“I’m not sure about that. And honestly, I don’t care what I have as long as they’re healthy. Anyway, this is my one day off, so I’m trying to squeeze as much as possible into the day before I go back to work tomorrow. So tell me what’s going on with you. How is everyone?”

She blows out a deep breath, and I brace, knowing my innocent question might not have such an innocent answer.

“I’m probably not supposed to say anything because?—”