The Boot (Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen

LUCY

Three weeks later Tim and I are in the waiting room for my twenty-four-week appointment. We get called back by the nurse who leads us to the examination room. Dr. Sawyer walks in shortly after, greeting us with a smile. "How are we feeling today?" she asks as she applies some hand sanitizer.

"Pretty good, all things considered," I say.

"That's good to hear. If you want to lean back and move your clothes so I can have access to your bump, we can get started."

I do as instructed. My bump is growing rapidly. I know this may be an exaggeration, but I feel like it has doubled in size within the past month. Tim, who is standing right beside the examination table, sees me warily eying my bump and reaches for my hand. "Lucy, are you getting in your own head again?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lie, trying to avoid eye contact, but he uses his free hand to hook a finger under my chin, guiding my head so I could be looking him in the eyes.

"I think you do. Lucy, why can't you see yourself the way I do?"

"How exactly do you see me?"

"I see you growing our babies, becoming a mother, and honestly, I find it really f*cking attractive."

"Tim, you don't need to lie to me. I know that I look like an overstuffed turkey."

"No, you don't, and I'm not lying to you."

Dr. Sawyer, having finished setting up her equipment, rolls closer in her chair with the ultrasound wand in her hand. "It's actually very normal for the father to find his partner even more attractive when she is pregnant. The same goes the other way, as well. Your increased hormones contribute to a heightened sense of arousal."

The rest of the appointment goes pretty normally, and we leave after booking the next appointment for twenty-eight weeks. Instead of going home, Tim drives in the opposite direction.

"Tim? Where are we going?"

"Do you remember what we were talking about last night?"

"How I think that you should learn to juggle so that you can entertain the babies?"

Tim laughs. "What? No, the other thing."

I think for a moment and gasp. "Are we going shopping?"

"You bet your adorable little butt we are."

I squeal with excitement. "I can't wait!"

TIM

We arrive at the shopping center and Lucy is bubbling with excitement. I love making her this happy, and a few hours of being dragged from store to store is worth it. Any time that I get to spend with her is time well spent.

We get out of the car and Lucy makes a beeline for a baby clothes store. Her eyes light up with delight once we step inside. My bank account may be a bit sore after today, but like I said, her happiness is worth it.

"Tim! Look at this!" Lucy calls me over to a corner of the store where there is a machine.

The attendant smiles at us. "Hi! Do you want to make a custom onesie?"

Lucy gasps and looks at me. I nod. "Go ahead."

Lucy picks out three onesies. One blue, one purple, and one pink. She then tells the attendant what she wants them to say and a few minutes later Lucy collects the onesies and resumes browsing the store.

"What do they say?" I ask.

Lucy shakes her head. "It's a surprise."

"Okay," I shrug. Lucy hands me the bag, and it soon becomes clear that I am her own personal trolley, which I honestly don't mind.

"Tim! Get over here!" Lucy shouts eagerly. I walk over to her and grab her hand as she holds up a pair of tiny overalls. "Look how cute these are!"

"Those are adorable," I agree. Lucy glances at the price tag and frowns. "What's wrong, baby?"

"How are we going to afford all of this?"

"What do you mean?"

"We have to get enough for all three of them. Three times everything. Obviously, not three of every outfit because I personally don't want them to match all the time, but-" she rambles on and I give her hand a gentle squeeze to remind her that it's all going to be okay. "Sorry."

"Don't be. What we're doing is a scary thing. Panicking comes with the territory. But don't worry. I've got everything taken care of."

"How?"

I sighed, knowing that I was going to have to tell her the truth sooner or later. "The thing is, we didn't have to pay for the house itself."

"What are you talking about?"

"Angela and Wesley called in a favor with a real estate agent they had saved. He had money set aside for if someone needed help. Specifically for that purpose. Even before that, he was able to get a great deal on the house. Essentially, the actual cost of the house was already taken care of. We don't have to make any house payments or anything. All that we have to worry about are bills, like water and electricity."

Lucy's eyes go wide. "Are you serious?" she starts to cry. "Someone did that for us?"

"Oh, baby, please don't cry," I say, gathering her into my arms for a hug.

"I'm sorry. I'm just really hormonal right now."

"You don't need to apologize, Lucy. It's not your fault," I reassure her. "The point is, thanks to not having to worry about house payments, along with my pay raise, our budget has a lot more room than it used to. Besides, we don't have to get everything right now. We can always come back and buy more stuff later. Not to mention the baby shower."

I freeze, realizing what I've just said. From the look on Lucy's face, I'm worried that she also realized what I said. Which she did, but not in the way I thought she had. "Shit!"

"What?" I ask apprehensively.

"I forgot to plan a baby shower!"

I chuckle, breathing out a subtle sigh of relief once I realize I didn't spoil the surprise. Angela wouldn't let me hear the end of it if I did.

"You've still got a ways to go. We can worry about a baby shower later. And if worst comes to worst, we can always have the shower after they're born."

Lucy nods as I release her from my hold, making sure to keep her hand in mine as I know it tends to make her feel better when she knows I'm right beside her, keeping her grounded. "I suppose you're right."

"Exactly. Now let's just relax and enjoy this moment. I believe you were showing me those adorable overalls?"

Lucy smiles and returns to her previously excited state. She does want them to have a few matching outfits, so we get three pairs of overalls.

As Lucy is distracted looking through a rack of dresses, I get a text from Angela.

3:19  pm - ANGELA: Things are taking a little longer than expected.

3:20 pm - ANGELA: Do you think that you can keep Lucy distracted for a little longer?

"Hey Lucy," I turn to her, about to suggest another store, when I notice that she is suddenly becoming incredibly pale. Her expression is pained.

"Tim, something's not right-" she says weakly before collapsing suddenly into my arms at full force.

QOTC: What is your favourite day of the week?