Page 31 of Ready or Not
She’s meant to be mine.
I just have to prove it.
“I really don’t think all of this is necessary,” Vale says, taking off into the dressing room.
“My family will expect to take us out for a celebratory dinner. You also need options for comfortable clothing and a few staple pieces for after Aurora arrives.” Mercy chuckles as she holds a hand out, flipping him off before closing the fitting room door. “You’re very lucky you’re cute.”
My teeth grind as I browse to keep myself busy.
Mercy means well, but he pushed her into picking clothes that don’t fit her style at all. The dresses she wore while working at the club were always simple. Cotton fabric, stretchy and soft, fitted around her chest and loose after the waist.
I aim for the maternity section, ignoring all the flashy items. There are a few soft dresses that instantly remind me of Vale. I was a little shocked that she wears a large in women’s dresses.
It makes me think the sizing is weirdly skewed. I’m a big guy, and I waver between a men’s XL and XXL, but my clothes would swim on her.
I grab her size and even pick up the XL of one, just in case. It seems like being too big would be better than being too tight in this situation. Once I’m done, I snag a couple of plain pajama dresses in an XL. Those especially won’t hurt if they’re a little big.
Mercy’s phone rings.
He curses under his breath, glancing back at the dressing room.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye out for her,” I assure him.
He gives a clipped nod and strides toward the door to answer it.
It must be of a sensitive nature.
I search through the racks of non-maternity clothes and find a couple of dresses in similar styles to the ones she favored before getting pregnant.
I take them up to the register. “Can you set these aside to ring up for us when she’s done?”
“Of course,” the lady says, popping off her stool to grab them from the counter.
I spin around and head to the back of the store to wait.
Vale opens the door with a huff. “Wait, where’s Mercy?”
“He needed to take a work call. Can I help you with something?”
She sighs, gathering her hair to one shoulder. “I might need to go up a size. All of this fits very strangely.” She keeps her voice low, likely in an attempt to not hurt the store owner’s feelings.
“You’re nearly full-term.” I raise a finger and twist it to tell her to give me her back. “You should go for comfort right now. Not what will please Mercy’s haughty family.”
“Holt said something similar. But I can suffer a little to make Mercy happy. He’s taken such good care of me. I’d even try to fit into heels, if I had to.” She chuckles.
My heart races. Memories of her deep blue eyes fill my mind as we undressed each other. It’s been nine months, but the memory is seared into my brain. I zip the dress as I stare down at Holt’s bondmark on her shoulder. Well, just below her shoulder on the front. It’s still red and angry. He bit in the weirdest place possible, like he was trying to gnaw on her clavicle.
My hand lands on the swinging door of the changing room, giving it a shove.
I stare at her in the mirror as my hair falls into my eyes. “You look stunning. Pregnancy suits you.”
She blinks at me in return, and her hand flies to rub the top of her stomach. “Well, I’m pretty sure I’m now getting kicked in the ribs instead of the bladder. Although, the jury is out on if that’s an upgrade.”
“Can I?” I ask, clearing the rocks that seem to have formed in my esophagus. “Can I feel it?”
“Oh yeah.” She grabs my hand, pushing into her stomach just below her breasts. I don’t feel anything for what seems like forever. “Hold on. Sometimes you have to give it a minute.”
My head tilts as I study her in the mirror. She stares down at her hold on my hand and eventually moves it over several inches. Her blond lashes seem especially thick from this angle as she frowns, waiting for the baby to move again.