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Rihanna was holding up a mint green onesie with tiny cartoon avocados on it, grinning like it was the greatest discovery on Earth.
"This one's it. I don't care what else we get," she said, practically glowing under the soft baby store lights.
Mel side-eyed the price tag. "For twenty-two dollars? That baby better come out making guac."
I snorted, but Rihanna just tossed the onesie in the cart without missing a beat. "We're building a legacy. Legacies wear avocados."
The three of us had been in this baby boutique for over an hour, and our cart looked like it was about to give up on life. Booties, pacifiers, little matching sets — soft yellows, greens, peaches. Everything Rihanna touched ended up in the cart.
And maybe I let it happen. Okay, I definitely let it happen.
I couldn't help it. Seeing her like this — playful, excited, belly just starting to show — made something flutter in me I couldn't name.
Mel caught me watching.
I tried to play it off, turning my attention to a wall of stuffed animals, but she nudged me with her elbow. "You've been cheesin' at her like she hung the moon."
I blinked. "What? No I haven't."
Mel just raised a brow. "Girl."
Rihanna turned around then, holding up a plush sloth. "Okay, hear me out. This one's the baby's first best friend."
"I mean... it's kinda cute," I said, biting back a smile.
Mel smirked, low enough for only me to hear. "She's not even calling it your baby anymore. It's the baby. Her baby."
I looked over at Rihanna again. She was rubbing her bump absentmindedly, humming something soft under her breath while she studied a shelf of baby hats like they held the secrets of the universe.
"She's just excited," I said.
"She's in it," Mel replied. "Way more than she planned. And so are you."
I didn't have a comeback. Because she wasn't wrong.
But before I could stew on that too long, Mel held up a personalized name blanket, all pastel blue with "Kingston" printed across the fabric in elegant cursive.
"Ooooh, what about that name?" she asked, teasing.
Rihanna made a face. "Kingston? Nah, I love my island but we're not naming the baby after a capital city."
"Better than naming it 'Lux' or 'Apollo' or one of those artsy-fartsy names YN probably bookmarked," Mel shot back.
"Hey," I said, pretending to be offended. "Lux is cool. Sounds futuristic. Powerful."
