“But you’re barely showing at all. A man is never going to notice that, and you’re not getting sick anymore.” Allison shrugged her shoulder. “I say you go and relax, soak up some rays and hit the spa. Pamper yourself a little—you deserve it.”

“Do you think so? I mean, he has to find out sooner or later that I’m pregnant, but I’d rather it be later.” Preferably after the baby was born and she was in the hospital. “I actually like working for him, you know, but keeping this a secret is stressing me out.”

“Stress is not good for the baby.” Jamie had moved around the back of the couch and was massaging Mandy’s shoulders.

Jamie’s light fingers kneaded the knots in her muscles, and Mandy whimpered. “I feel completely overwhelmed. There is so much I’m supposed to know. Fetal development, what to ask the doctor, what foods to avoid, how to know when you’re in labor…I can’t keep up.”

“So take all your reading material with you on this trip and just kind of take stock. It’s a lot to learn, but some of it is just common sense. And what’s important is that you be relaxed and stress-free, not whether you know which kind of bottle to buy. That stuff is trial and error.”

“Listen to Jamie,” Allison said, perching on the coffee table, her long legs crossed. “She’s the only one of us who knows a damn thing about babies.”

“I know you shouldn’t swear in front of a baby,” Jamie said.

“The kid’s not even born yet! And damn isn’t a swear word, it’s a pejorative.”

Mandy’s eyes were half closed, and she rubbed the last of the tears off her cheeks. Jamie’s slow and steady massage was lulling her, relaxing her. Maybe she could do this.

Motherhood was common sense, that’s all. She knew not to swear in front of a child, just like she knew babies could drown in mop buckets. She knew babies needed powder so their bums didn’t get sore, and she knew a fever in an infant meant a visit to the pediatrician. She could handle this, one day, one diaper at a time.

She wanted her baby with a fierceness that surprised her. She wanted to love this child unconditionally and guide it to be a responsible, ethical, confident person.

It was scary, but exciting.

Now if she could just stop having sex dreams about Damien Sharpton giving her multiple orgasms, she would really have a handle on things.

Chapter 4

“Mother, I’m trying to pack for this trip for work, can I call you later?” Mandy tossed a pair of khaki pants aside. She’d never get the button closed on those.

“What trip for work? What is this all about?”