The following day, Samson, Lucinda, and Joanna toured The Oaks together, discussing colors, repairs, and furnishings required to make the house a home for a mother and her child, but when they reached the study, Joanna denied them entry. It had always been Addison’s bastion, and it would remain that way. She had entered it only once since becoming the sole occupant of the house, but the smell of cigarettes and a hint of Addison’s cologne still hung in the air, causing Joanna to run from the room with tears streaming down her face. Eventually, she knew she’d try again because within its walls were memories Joanna could not imagine living without.

Her morning sickness finally came to an end, and her appetite increased just as her doctor said it would, and when the baby began to move halfway through her second trimester, the magnitude of love coursing through Joanna’s being was incredible. Most of the time she felt like she was floating on a euphoric, fluffy white cloud of enchantment and dreams, yet there were still days when smiles were hard to come by, and that’s when Joanna’s friends took over.

While her circle of friends was small, it didn’t take long for Joanna to know she needed no others. The staff was happy to serve a woman who appreciated them for all they were worth, and their glee at the upcoming arrival of Joanna’s child matched that of Fran’s and Millie’s. Visiting every chance they got, Fran and Millie would stay for dinner and over scrumptious meals lovingly prepared by Noah, they’d giggle and coo about a baby they couldn’t wait to hold. Millie knitted and crocheted like there was no tomorrow, and Fran became an expert on the location of every baby store in London, and all was right in Joanna’s world, except for only one thing. Sometimes, late at night in the quiet of her room, her mind would drift to a woman with blue eyes and honey smooth skin, and Joanna’s heart would break all over again. She damned herself and muttered expletives, trying to convince her heart to ache no more, but she doubted the pang would ever really go away.

Joanna took a moment to rid her mind of all things Addison before tossing aside the sheets and attempting to sit up. She felt weak this morning, heavy with child and water yet to be shed, her arms and legs felt weighted, but that didn’t prevent a laugh from escaping when she saw the size of her belly. It was absolutely huge, and its circumference had prevented her from seeing her feet for weeks. Chuckling, Joanna struggled to sit up, but her strength disappeared in an instant when she saw blood on the sheets.

***