The Way We Feel

Chapter 35

Mark shrugged one shoulder. Gave me a smile. "I'm good." Then his eyes dropped down to my stomach. "How's my niece?"

It was the first time I'd spoken to Mark since we found out the baby was a girl, and his smile, the excitement in his eyes as he said the word niece, made me smile, too, my hands coming to either side of my stomach once more. "Growing and moving a bit more every day."

"She's moving now?"

"Well, not right this minute. But yeah. More and more."

His eyes dropped back down to my stomach in something like wonder mixed with fear. And I had to laugh. "If she starts moving while we're here, I'll let you know."

Mark smiled again when I winked at him, and Harry's hand was on my back once more as he gestured for me to slide into the booth first.

"So," Emily said, sliding in across from me. "How are you two feeling about becoming the parents of a baby girl?"

Harry looked at me as he slid in beside me, his lips pressed together in a smile. His hand found my knee, and I covered it with mine.

I took a deep breath, that incredible sense of joy I'd had these last few days rising up in me once more, as it had every time I realized it all over again.

We were going to be parents.

To a baby girl.

A baby girl who was growing inside me this very minute.

Butterflies filled my stomach, and I wondered if she could feel them, too.

"Ridiculously happy and adequately nervous, I think," Harry said in answer, his smile dimpling his cheeks as he looked between Emily and Mark.

I squeezed his hand, laughing. "Good answer."

"That's good," Emily said, eyes wide as she nodded, encouraging. "That's how you should be feeling."

"According to the handbook?" Mark asked, not really smiling, even as he poked fun at his wife.

Emily paused, her eyes sliding sideways, her smile falling just a bit, before she chose to ignore him.

Mark almost scowled as she leaned forward, smiling and eager once more. "Have you started thinking of names yet?"

"Um," I glanced at Harry, who looked from Emily to me, his smile, which had fallen after Mark's interjection, returning. "Not really."

I winced. It had only been a couple days since we'd found out she was going to be a girl. Were we supposed to immediately start looking up names right afterwards? We'd sort of been thinking about it all along, in a way. And maybe I spoke for myself—Harry and I hadn't actually had the conversation—but I'd spent so long worrying that this pregnancy wouldn't make it, that thinking of names hadn't even crossed my mind.

Even after my appointment the other day, while I knew it was something we had to do, I didn't even consider going on a baby name website.

It just wasn't my focus yet.

Still, as I sat there waiting for Emily's response, knowing that if she were in my shoes, she would've already been scouring the internet for a name, I wondered if I was about to be on the end of another one of her well-meaning, but firm critiques about how to be a proper human being—in this case, having to do with how to become a parent.

But our waitress came over then, asking if we would like anything to drink. And I hoped that by the time we all rattled off our drink orders—Emily and Harry had chosen glasses of wine, Mark went for a beer, and I stuck with a water—she'd be off track.