day. The doctor just pushed out my due date, said he’d miscalculated at first, not knowing the boys were twins. Seriously? In this day and age?”
“You look great.” Barb smiled.
“I feel like an overstuffed teddy bear. But thanks.” Lizzie scanned her friend’s face. “So, you going to tell me?”
Barb’s gaze jerked from the quiet cabin to Lizzie’s face. “I did. I’m putting mom into Countryside. Cassie’s getting her bedroom set up this week and when we go home, she’s being admitted. What else did you want to know?”
“I want to know what happened between you and Hunter Martin. Don’t get me wrong, I know James is ecstatic you may have pulled in the Martin Dairy as one of Jesse’s sponsors. He’d been working on the older Martin for years with no luck.” Lizzie sipped a glass of ice water, waiting for Barb to respond.
Barb sat listening to the birds chirping in the tall pines surrounding the cabins. She could hear the river bubbling through the channel, splashing on rocks. When the forest got quiet from people sounds, the other sounds came to the forefront.
“Barb?” Lizzie’s gentle voice prodded.
“He’s a potential sponsor, what more is there to tell?”
“Bull crap. I know that look on your face. You had that look every time Ken Forest walked by your locker during sophomore year. Until Jesse started calling you Ken and Barbie.” Lizzie adjusted in her rocker. “So what happened? How did Hunter get your attention so quickly?”
“He’s just a nice guy.”
“And … ”
“And we kind of got married in Vegas.” Barb shook her head. “Now stop. Don’t even go there. It was a huge mistake and we were drunk.”
“Oh my God. Did you consummate?” Lizzie leaned forward, grinning.
“No. I mean, kind of, but no.” Barb’s face flushed, she could feel the heat. “After the wedding, I was drunk so Hunter tucked me in bed and went back to his room. When he came with coffee and aspirin the next morning, Jesse was in my shower.”
“Tell me you didn’t sleep with Jesse.”
“No. Are you kidding? I’d have to be stupid drunk to do that. Yuck.” Barb took a sip of iced tea, avoiding looking directly at Lizzie. The girl knew her weakness.
“But … ”
Sighing, Barb knew Lizzie wouldn’t give up, short of going into labor here and now. And judging from her gentle rocking, that wasn’t about to happen. “Fine. The next night in Denver, we had to share a room, and well, the hotel put us into the honeymoon suite because they got us mixed up with another couple who did get married in Vegas.”
Lizzie squinted. “You did get married in Vegas.”
“Hunter’s having his lawyer take care of the legal bits. Soon, I’ll be back to being old maid Carico.” Barb twirled an ice cube in her drink.
“You’re not an old maid, silly. And you’re trying to change the subject. What happened in the honeymoon suite?”
Barb sat listening to the dumb birds twitter like she was in a Snow White cartoon. After a few seconds, she answered her friend’s question with one word. “Magic.”
Lizzie pushed herself to her feet, waving away Barb’s offer to help.
“Where are you going?” Barb watched her friend waddle to the house, ignoring her question. Nature must be calling. This is what magic gets you , she mused, fat and uncomfortable.
But in her heart, she knew she’d trade places with Liz any time. Instead of Hunter being her ex-husband, he could be the father of her unborn children. The man she came home to. Home. Barb felt tears build in her eyes.
Lizzie came back through the doorway with a bottle of Barb’s favorite wine. “James can handle JR and your mom for the evening. We’re having a girls’ night, even if I can only drink water.”
“I don’t know. Mom can be a handful.”
“Girl, you have so much on your plate right now, it’s time for you to relax and tell me everything. You’ll feel better, you always do.”
Lizzie had always been her rock. Even
“You look great.” Barb smiled.
“I feel like an overstuffed teddy bear. But thanks.” Lizzie scanned her friend’s face. “So, you going to tell me?”
Barb’s gaze jerked from the quiet cabin to Lizzie’s face. “I did. I’m putting mom into Countryside. Cassie’s getting her bedroom set up this week and when we go home, she’s being admitted. What else did you want to know?”
“I want to know what happened between you and Hunter Martin. Don’t get me wrong, I know James is ecstatic you may have pulled in the Martin Dairy as one of Jesse’s sponsors. He’d been working on the older Martin for years with no luck.” Lizzie sipped a glass of ice water, waiting for Barb to respond.
Barb sat listening to the birds chirping in the tall pines surrounding the cabins. She could hear the river bubbling through the channel, splashing on rocks. When the forest got quiet from people sounds, the other sounds came to the forefront.
“Barb?” Lizzie’s gentle voice prodded.
“He’s a potential sponsor, what more is there to tell?”
“Bull crap. I know that look on your face. You had that look every time Ken Forest walked by your locker during sophomore year. Until Jesse started calling you Ken and Barbie.” Lizzie adjusted in her rocker. “So what happened? How did Hunter get your attention so quickly?”
“He’s just a nice guy.”
“And … ”
“And we kind of got married in Vegas.” Barb shook her head. “Now stop. Don’t even go there. It was a huge mistake and we were drunk.”
“Oh my God. Did you consummate?” Lizzie leaned forward, grinning.
“No. I mean, kind of, but no.” Barb’s face flushed, she could feel the heat. “After the wedding, I was drunk so Hunter tucked me in bed and went back to his room. When he came with coffee and aspirin the next morning, Jesse was in my shower.”
“Tell me you didn’t sleep with Jesse.”
“No. Are you kidding? I’d have to be stupid drunk to do that. Yuck.” Barb took a sip of iced tea, avoiding looking directly at Lizzie. The girl knew her weakness.
“But … ”
Sighing, Barb knew Lizzie wouldn’t give up, short of going into labor here and now. And judging from her gentle rocking, that wasn’t about to happen. “Fine. The next night in Denver, we had to share a room, and well, the hotel put us into the honeymoon suite because they got us mixed up with another couple who did get married in Vegas.”
Lizzie squinted. “You did get married in Vegas.”
“Hunter’s having his lawyer take care of the legal bits. Soon, I’ll be back to being old maid Carico.” Barb twirled an ice cube in her drink.
“You’re not an old maid, silly. And you’re trying to change the subject. What happened in the honeymoon suite?”
Barb sat listening to the dumb birds twitter like she was in a Snow White cartoon. After a few seconds, she answered her friend’s question with one word. “Magic.”
Lizzie pushed herself to her feet, waving away Barb’s offer to help.
“Where are you going?” Barb watched her friend waddle to the house, ignoring her question. Nature must be calling. This is what magic gets you , she mused, fat and uncomfortable.
But in her heart, she knew she’d trade places with Liz any time. Instead of Hunter being her ex-husband, he could be the father of her unborn children. The man she came home to. Home. Barb felt tears build in her eyes.
Lizzie came back through the doorway with a bottle of Barb’s favorite wine. “James can handle JR and your mom for the evening. We’re having a girls’ night, even if I can only drink water.”
“I don’t know. Mom can be a handful.”
“Girl, you have so much on your plate right now, it’s time for you to relax and tell me everything. You’ll feel better, you always do.”
Lizzie had always been her rock. Even
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