Page 20 of Grimm County Wishes (Grimm County Lawmen #4)

“ T ell the truth. Is Shane as handsome in person as he was on Vampire Hills High School ?” Marina asked as she snuggled Baby Isabella in her arms.

“Definitely.” Jeannie grinned, reaching for another onesie to fold. “I’ve been around celebrities before, but it just hits different when it’s someone you were in love with as a teenager.”

“Hits different, you say?” Rose's eyes widened as she licked her lips. “Do tell how Shane Ashton ‘hits different.’”

“Down, girl.” Jeannie chuckled at the wild gleam in her friend’s eyes. “What’s the matter? That big beast of yours not enough anymore?”

Rose rolled her eyes. “No, my man is doing just fine, thank you. But I had a six-week hiatus, so I’m still a little starved.”

“Six weeks?” Jeannie looked at Rose. “Lord, I knew babies kept you busy, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.”

Rose shook her head. “Babies do wear you out, but the six-week rule is more of a medical issue. ”

Jeannie’s face paled. “Medical issue? Oh my god, are you dying?”

Rose laughed. “No, I’m not dying. But pushing a ten-pound mini human out of your vagina causes a lot of wear and tear that needs time to heal.”

Jeannie’s mouth dropped. “Are you serious? I thought your vagina was supposed to like, compensate or something? What about all that dilating and centimeters?”

“Well, it does, but at the end of the day, it’s still a big object squeezing through a small hole.”

Jeannie turned to Marina. “Did you know about this?”

“Well duh. Don’t you remember in—”

Jeannie held up a hand to cut her off. Marina spent most of her first twenty-three years learning about life through television and could relate almost anything to a movie.

“Babies have never been my goal, so I guess I never paid attention. Six weeks. Jesus. I cut my foot on a tin can in the backyard and it only took two weeks to heal.” Jeannie looked between her legs and shook her head.

Don’t worry, J-Low. I’ll keep you safe from giant babies.

“How did we get on this subject? Oh right, Shane. We have not hit it. I meant that flirting hits different when it’s with your celebrity crush.

But we have a date planned, so yeah. Talk to me in another month. ”

Rose cheered, causing Isabella to wail loudly .

“Come here, my sweet pea. I’m sorry, but Mommy will make it all better.” Rose picked up her daughter from Marina and began to breastfeed. “Such a good eater, aren’t you, baby Belle?”

Jeannie watched Rose’s face soften. Isabella would never question her mother’s love, that was for sure.

With only a couple months of motherhood under her belt, Rose was already showing her daughter more love than Jeannie had ever received from her own.

A pang of jealousy rose in Jeannie’s chest, but before she could investigate whether it was for mother or daughter, something else caught her eye.

“Rose, your shirt is wet. Did you spill your drink?” The side opposite the one where Rose held Isabella was completely drenched.

“Oh, that’s my milk.” Rose grabbed a burp cloth and stuck it under her shirt.

“But that’s not the side you’re feeding her on.”

“Nope,” Rose said, popping the p. “Another fun fact you can file away for later. Your boob will leak when you nurse on the opposite side. Or when it’s full. Or when you hear a baby cry on the television.”

“Damn,” Jeannie whispered. “That’s crazy.”

“Have you not been around pregnant women or babies? ”

Jeannie shook her head. “The only kids I hung around were Al and Ben, and they were older. And never pregnant.” She snickered.

“Well check this out,” Rose said and pulled Isabella off her breast. As she did, her nipple shot milk out in multiple directions like the sprayer on a kitchen sink. Rose cackled and put the fussy baby back to nursing.

“What the fuck just happened?” Jeannie asked, looking at an equally shocked Marina.

“They don’t show that on TV,” Marina said, awe in her voice.

“Isn’t it cool? I’m nature’s fire hose! And, Jeannie, you can hang out with us anytime and ask anything. That way you can be more prepared when it’s your turn.”

Jeannie’s head jerked. “My turn? You better knock on wood. Motherhood is not something I am cut out for.”

“What do you mean?” Marina asked, picking up a stack of little bloomers to fold.

“I’ve seen how you are with Al and the rest of the crew.

You’re a natural caretaker. If you don’t want kids because you don’t want kids, I support you one hundred percent.

But if you don’t want kids because you don’t think you’d be a great mom, well, I think you’re wrong. ”

There was an awkward silence while Jeannie struggled to respond. Her mother was a neglectful piece of trash. While she couldn’t be any worse, she wasn’t sure she knew what better was.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. First, I’d need a man, and while things with Shane are looking promising, we aren’t anywhere near that stage.”

Rose and Marina shared a look.

“Uh, excuse me, what was that look for?” Jeannie dropped the little dress she was folding to shoot daggers at her friends.

Rose grinned. “What about Al?”

“Al?” Jeannie gulped. Be cool, be cool. “What about him?”

“Don’t play coy with us,” Marina chided. “I saw you two sneak off at the wedding.”

“We didn’t sneak off. Al rented a room so we wouldn’t have to drive home. We were being responsible.”

“Responsible.” Rose nodded as she moved Isabella to her other breast. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

Jeannie rolled her eyes. “The man is literally dating ten women right now. He’s in manwhore heaven.”

“So, something did happen!” Marina jumped up, dumping the folded clothes on the floor.

“Nothing happened.” Jeannie shifted in her seat and studied the tiny shirt in front of her. “Oh hey, do either of you know an affordable electrician? I heard a loud noise the other day, and ever since, I’ve only been able to use half my outlets.”

As the girls prattled on about home repair, Jeannie breathed a sigh of relief. It’s not that she didn’t trust them or that what happened with Al had to be a secret. But if her brain acted like nothing happened, maybe soon her heart would believe it.