I rolled over to glance into Gretchen’s bassinet. She was sound asleep, as she had been for the past hour. The baby monitor hung in the corner, ready to alert us to any problems no matter where in the apartment we happened to be.
“Is it time to get dressed yet?” I asked, gesturing at my bare limbs. We’d fooled around in the kitchen… and the shower… before ending up naked on the couch.
“I don’t know,” Jaz said, running her fingers down my stomach. “Is it going to take you twenty minutes to throw some clothes on?”
“If I comb my hair for fifteen of those minutes.” I jiggled my foot, wanting to be somehow in motion.
Jaz snaked her arms around me, landing on top of me so I couldn’t get away. “I can think of some better things to do for fifteen minutes.”
The closeness of her body sent sparks racing through my veins. Despite the climaxes I’d just had, Jaz was making me want more. She had a way of doing that.
“I don’t think I can manage another round,” I groaned.
She brought herself over me, breast to breast, her breath brushing against my lips. “Can you manage to kiss me?”
I smiled. “I could probably handle that.”
One long, lingering kiss later, and she settled against my chest. “Think you could do that fourteen more times?”
“Did that really take a minute?” I checked my watch. She was right. “Hmm… fourteen more kisses like that might have me ready to go again, but I’ll take the chance.”
The time flew by… to the point where I only had three minutes to get dressed. I grabbed my clothes from the heap on the floor where I’d left them, throwing them on in record time. “I don’t even have time to comb my hair,” I said, racing for the door.
Jaz was right behind me, and she ran her fingers through it before attaching Gretchen’s sling around my neck. Pinching Gretchen’s chubby cheek, she looked into my eyes. “You’ll be all right,” she told me. “No matter what happens, it’ll be all right.”
My heart swelled. What would I even do without her here to support me? Leaning as close as I could with Gretchen suspended between us, I stroked her jaw. “Thank you.”
I opened the door, glancing once more at my watch. 12:49. I might actually be two minutes late for this meeting I’d been so anxious about. I’d never normally speed, but this might be a good time to start.
“Good luck,” Jaz said.
I stepped through, and my phone vibrated.
“Someone’s texting you?” Jaz asked, a step behind me.
A lump had suddenly formed in my throat. “They’ll have to wait,” I said.
But as we looked at each other, I knew we both knew who was texting.
Slowly, reluctantly, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. The message was exactly what I’d expected. Exactly what I should’ve anticipated all along.
>AMANDA: Can’t make it today. Some other time!
No explanation. No apology. No attempt to reschedule.
My heart was a dull weight in my chest as I slumped into Jaz’s arms. “She doesn’t want to see Gretchen,” I whispered. “She doesn’t even care.”
Jaz pulled me close, letting me rest my head on her shoulder. “I’m here for you.”
* * *
I called Amanda a few times. Texted, too. But when I got no response, I was completely unsurprised.
It was all right. I was kind of used to having Gretchen around now. I’d learned so much about how to take care of her, and more of my friends and colleagues were offering to help out when I needed it. The infrastructure was in place, in a way that it hadn’t been when Amanda first dropped her off. She was less of a hassle. More of a joy.
Besides, she’d brought Jaz and I closer, and having her around made life a lot more interesting. After our thwarted first attempts at sleeping together, we’d planned a night in. Without Gretchen.
Jaz arrived at my door at eight on the dot, a bottle of wine in her hand.