“No, actually she doesn’t,” Evelyn said, placing the holy book back into the box. “Like I said, I totally forgot about them.”

Joanna was about to pull another Bible from the box when she stopped and looked around the room. “You know what? Would you mind if we moved these into the library? That way, we can get them out of these boxes and display them properly.”

Evelyn beamed. “I think that’s a fantastic idea. I’m sure Addison will be thrilled to see them.”

Chapter Forty

Saturday morning, Addison, again, found herself sitting on the bed waiting for Joanna to emerge from the master bathroom. Each morning had been a carbon copy of the previous day, and before Addison could fully open her eyes, Joanna was rushing to the loo to empty her stomach. Hanging her head, Addison let out a long breath, silently cursing herself for being so selfish.

Joanna stood in front of the sink, holding a wet washcloth to her neck to cool her heated skin. Morning sickness would definitely not appear on her highlight reel when it came to being pregnant, but spending the first few minutes of her day bent over a toilet seemed a small price to pay for the tiny human growing inside of her. She took a few more slow, steady breaths before rinsing out the cloth and putting it aside.

When Addison heard the door open, she jumped off the bed. “Are you okay?”

“Do you have any idea how many times you ask me that?” Joanna said as she climbed back into bed. “I’m fine. I just need a minute to cool down.”

“You don’t look fine.”

“Yes, well that would be because I just threw up, now wouldn’t it?”

“You’re doing that a lot.”

“Addison, it’s to be expected. It’s called morning sickness, in case you didn’t know.”

“I know what it’s called, and if it were just in the morning I wouldn’t be as concerned, but apparently it’s happening throughout the day.” Seeing the surprised look on Joanna’s face, Addison said, “Fran told me when she met you for lunch, you had to run to the ladies’ twice and Evelyn told me that you’re doing the same thing at home.”

“Fran and Evelyn talk too much, and every woman is different. I spoke to my doctor, and she says I’m fine. Some women get sick more than others, and I guess I’m one of the lucky ones,” Joanna said with a weak grin.

“You’re losing weight, too.”

Joanna let out a sigh and sat up in bed. “That’s because I keep getting sick, but again the doctor says I’m fine. I’m taking my vitamins and following her orders to the letter. And from what she tells me, I’ll be plumping up in no time.”