Page 54 of Consummation (The Josh & Kat Trilogy #3)

Thirty-Four

Kat

“So where do you guys want to go for lunch?” I ask, floating happily through the parking lot outside my doctor’s office, my hand caressing my baby bump.

But when I realize nobody’s walking alongside me, I stop and turn around.

“Guys?” I ask. “Any ideas on where we should go for lunch to celebrate little Gracie Louise?”

“I’m sorry, honey,” Sarah says. “I can’t do lunch. I promised to help my mom today.”

“Oh,” I say, deflated.

“There’s only two more weeks before school starts back up, so I promised I’d help down at Gloria’s House every day ’til then.”

“Oh, no problem,” I say, trying my best to sound sincere.

Of course, I know intellectually that helping victims of domestic abuse is far more important than celebrating my baby’s gender—and, of course, I know we can celebrate any time, not just today—but I still can’t help feeling disappointed, nonetheless.

“No worries,” Josh says breezily. “The four of us will go out another time. How about a celebratory dinner later this week?”

“Great,” Sarah says. She gives me an enthusiastic hug. “Bye, sweetie. Congratulations again.” She pats my bump. “Bye-bye, Gracie Louise. I can’t wait to meet you, boo.”

Jonas hugs me goodbye and then shocks the hell out of me by tenderly placing his palm on my belly—a move so full of affection—and so unlike him—it catches me off guard. “I can’t wait to meet you, Gracie Faraday,” Jonas whispers.

I exchange a swooning look with Sarah.

Josh follows suit, putting his hand on my belly when Jonas pulls his hand away .

“I can already tell you’re gonna own me, Gracie Louise,” Josh says. He bends down and kisses my belly, making me swoon. “I already love you, Little G,” he whispers.

Oh my God, I can barely stand, I’m so overcome by this beautiful moment. “Josh,” I say, barely above a whisper.

Josh stands. “Good God, I’m gonna be surrounded by a shit-ton of estrogen in my own house,” he blurts, completely shattering the fairytale-nature of the moment. “I’m officially fucked.”

We all laugh.

“Yep. You’re definitely gonna hone your listening skills,” Jonas says.

“Oh, you know you’ll love it,” I say. I look at Jonas and Sarah. “Okay, guys, I love you truly, madly, deeply, but the kumquat’s hangry—so if you’re not coming with us to eat, then you best get out of my freakin’ way so I don’t start barfing all over you.”

“You’re still barfing?” Sarah asks.

“Not nearly as much, but, yeah, on occasion, especially when I get really hungry.”

Sarah grimaces. “You poor thing.”

I pat my belly. “It’s okay. Seeing Gracie today made it all worth it.”

Josh and I wave to Jonas and Sarah as they drive off in their car, and then, since we’d hitched a ride with Jonas and Sarah to get here in the first place, we grab a taxi.

“Hotel 1000,” Josh instructs the driver as we settle into the backseat of the cab. “Okay with you, babe? There’s a new restaurant in the hotel I wanna try.”

“Great,” I say. “What kind of food do they— Oh. ” I abruptly stop talking, my hand on my belly.

“What?” Josh asks, his eyes wide.

I hold up a finger, holding my breath—and there it is again: a teeny-tiny jabbing sensation in my lower abdomen, poking me from the inside. “Oh my gosh,” I say. “I think I just felt the baby move .”

“Really?” Josh asks, his eyes lighting up.

I place Josh’s hand on my bump, right where I just felt movement, and it happens again. “Did you feel that?” I ask.

Josh shakes his head, his eyes on fire. “What did it feel like? ”

“It felt like someone poking me—like this .” I touch the top of Josh’s hand with my fingertip. “Only imagine feeling that little jab from inside your body—like a little alien wanting to get out.”

“That’s so cool,” Josh says. He places both palms on my bump, squinting like he’s concentrating on complex calculus—and for the rest of the taxi ride, he forbids me to speak while he silently touches every inch of my tiny bump, trying with all his might to feel movement.

But it’s no use. Every time I feel a little jab, Josh can’t feel it with me.

“I guess the kumquat’s just too small for you to feel her yet,” I finally conclude. “I’m sorry, babe.”

“Damn. Tell me every time you feel her move, okay? I’m dying to give her a high-five with my fingertip.”

I swoon for the twentieth time today. Who is this adorable man sitting next to me in this taxi?

I can’t believe the man touching my baby bump with such tenderness and enthusiasm is the same commitment-phobic playboy who not too long ago said he planned to wait until eighty to have a baby so he could simultaneously have the kid and forget he was ever born.

“I love you so much, Josh,” I say softly, touching his cheek.

“I love you, I love you, I love you, Kat—more than I ever thought possible,” Josh replies, just before planting a kiss on me that makes me forget where I am.

After a moment, the driver clears his throat. “Um. Excuse me. We’re here,” he says.

Josh brushes my cheek with his thumb, and then touches my chin with the tip of his finger, and finally, slowly, tears himself away from me to pay the man.

We float inside the hotel together, Josh’s arm around my shoulders, but, much to my surprise, Josh steers us away from the restaurant in the lobby and toward the elevator bank.

“Hey, isn’t that the restaurant?” I ask, pointing behind me.

Josh stops walking and pulls me into him, a huge smile on his face. “We’re not going to the restaurant, my love—I only told you that to lure you here.”

My love ? Did Josh just call me “my love”? He’s never called me that before.

“Why aren’t we going to the restaurant?” I manage to ask .

“Because we’re going to our room,” Josh replies simply—and before I can say another word, he fishes into his pocket, pulls out a poker chip, and places it in my palm, a wicked smile dancing on his lips. “Let the mini-porno begin, baby.”

“Ooh!” I squeal. “Yay! Which fantasy are we doing, babe?”

“Actually, today we’re doing one of my fantasies—a fantasy I’ve never told anyone about, not even you.” Josh wraps me into his arms and smashes his hard body into mine. “It’s my top fantasy, actually—something I’ve only recently discovered I want to do.”

“You didn’t write about it in your application?”

“Nope. I’ve never told a single soul about this particular fantasy—didn’t even know I had it until recently. But today, for the first and only time, I wanna do it with you, Party Girl.” A huge smile spreads across his face. “ My love .”