Page 78 of Pregnant By the Playboy

“But you are engaged?”

“No, we aren’t engaged. Just dating.”

“She’s already pregnant, though.” Po Po turns back to me. “You are giving me another great-grandchild and I am very happy about that. Hopefully this one will not have a taste for beer. Not that we are letting Evie drink it, but she is fascinated by the bottle.”

I locate Vince’s parents on the couch by the window. His dad seems to be watching me intently...or maybe that’s my imagination. I head over to introduce myself, and they ask how I’m feeling.

I don’t mention my constant urge to jump their son.

Vince leads me to a loveseat. He picks up Evie and sits next to me with her on his lap.

“This is Auntie Marissa,” he says, and I smile at his use of “auntie.” Evie’s hand is curled into a little fist. “You want to give her a fist bump? Okay.” He lifts her fist in my direction, and I bump it with my own. “Remember when I said you’re getting a new cousin? Marissa is your new cousin’s mother.”

Evie smiles as though she understands everything. She has two teeth.

I have to admit, I’m moved by Vince’s ease with the baby.

Julian brings over a plush Pusheen toy. “This is from Uncle Vince, right, Evie?”

Evie grabs it eagerly and babbles.

“That’s right, you play with Pusheen, not my beer.”

I feel like Julian is making a point of showing me that Vince cares for his niece, and I’m touched his family wants to make me think well of him.

Aside from his father, perhaps.

At the same time, as I look at Evie, I feel a little overwhelmed. Not that I haven’t been around babies in the past few years—I have. My friends’ children, for example. But this is the first time I’ve spent time with a baby since getting pregnant.

Soon, I’ll have a baby of my own. I’ll nurse her, change her diapers, comfort her when she cries, and give her baths... Or maybe it’ll be a boy.

What on earth made me think I could do this?

But then Vince clasps my shoulder and gives me a smile. We’re in this together. That makes me feel better.

And Evie giggles, and it’s the sweetest sound.

“I’m Courtney, Vince’s sister-in-law,” says the woman sitting on the couch next to ours. She leans over, and we laugh when I’m just barely able to shake her hand without getting up from the loveseat. “Are you scared about being a mom for the first time?”

“A little,” I admit.

“You can ask me questions anytime,” she says, and I thank her.

“Where did you and Vince meet?” Julian asks.

“At a party.” Or am I supposed to lie about that? I don’t know.

“Of course you did. It’s Vince, after all.”

“Hey!” Vince says. “You met Courtney at a coffee shop—”

“Exactly. Not one of these wild parties you seem to fancy.”

“—and offered her five thousand dollars to live at your place for two weeks and teach you how to have fun.”

I bark out a laugh.

Then I realize nobody else is laughing and Vince is serious.