Bee laughed. "You're right. It has nothing to do with the fact that you're my best friend."
I swallowed hard. I had been so flattered when Bee asked me to be her matron of honor. She had made friends in the city before meeting me. But we hung out all the time now. James and Mason being best friends basically forced us to be best friends too. And I was so happy that it did. I reached for a napkin.
"Are you crying?" she asked.
I blotted the napkin under my eyes. "I can't control my emotions. I'm a mess."
"Let's get you home. I have a wedding to focus on. James can take care of you for the rest of the day."
I laughed. "I don't need a babysitter."
"You sprinted here when you're supposed to be on bed rest. You absolutely need a babysitter."
"What I need is for him to stop kicking me." I placed my hand on my stomach. Calm down.
"Still convinced it's going to be a boy?"
"It feels like a boy. I can't explain it. But I know it is."
"Yeah, that makes no sense to me at all."
"That's because you've never been pregnant before," I said.
"Whenever I do get pregnant, I'm going to find out the sex of the baby immediately. I don't know how you can bear not knowing when you could literally pick up the phone and find out."
"I already know. It's definitely a boy."
Bee rolled her eyes. "Come on, big momma. Let's get your crazy ass home."
"Bee!"
We both laughed as she helped me to my feet. Before we stepped out into the scorching heat I turned and gave her a hug. With all of our jokes, I could still tell she was worried. I truly did believe that there was nothing to worry about. She should be spending the next week in pre-wedding bliss, not studying my pale face.
"You can worry about me after you get back from the honeymoon. But not before, okay?"
She squeezed me back. "It's a little hard to just turn off an emotion, Penny. I do need to focus on my vows, though. Or else the whole wedding will be a disaster."
I held her at arm's length. "A disaster? As long as no one gets shot, I think we're good."
"It's still too soon to joke." But she smiled anyway. "Besides, last time I checked, Mason didn't have any crazy exes."
Chapter 2
Friday
"I'm home!" I called as I locked the door behind me. I was greeted by silence. "James? Ellen?" No one responded. It was rare to be home alone. I couldn't even remember the last time our apartment had been so quiet. I walked into the kitchen and scanned the counter.
"I'm sorry, little man," I said to my belly as I smoothed the fabric of my dress over my stomach. "There aren't any bananas left. How about an apple?" I shook my head as I eyed the fruit basket. "Yeah, that doesn't sound as good to me either."
I grabbed a glass of water instead and wandered into the living room. I sat down on the couch and rested my head back, staring up at the ceiling. It felt so good to sit down. Everything ached today. Silence probably comforted some people, but it made me feel unsettled. It was like this big empty void. Bed rest would be okay if there were people around all the time. But I didn't want to just sit around by myself. That sounded more like torture.
I sighed and stood back up. Ow. I placed my hand on my stomach. "Really, you need to stop doing that. I already told you there aren't any bananas." Another kick landed beneath my ribs. "I'll find something else. Please just stop kicking me." I walked back into the kitchen. I was about to open up the fridge when I spotted the mail on the counter.
It was foolish, but I let myself get excited when I saw a letter addressed to my pen name, Ivy Smoak. I tore open the top, unfolded the piece of paper, and held my breath as I read the words.
Dear Ms. Smoak,
Thank you for your query. We greatly appreciate your submission and have given it our careful consideration. Unfortunately, we do not feel that your project is the right fit for our agency. Please keep in mind that this is a very subjective business. Thanks for thinking of our agency and we wish you the best with your writing career.