Only Yours (Fool's Gold #5)(30)

Cece’s tail wagged, but otherwise she didn’t stir. Montana settled in the chair and opened her book, but instead of reading, she found herself offering a prayer for the child who hurt so much and the others in the world who were just like her.

MONTANA SAT ACROSS from her friend. Pia looked beyond pregnant—she was swollen. While her face, arms and legs were still their usual size, her belly was more extended than Montana had thought was possible, and her poor ankles were the size of balloons.

“Are you really okay?” Montana asked, trying not to wince as she stared at her friend.

“However bad it looks, it feels worse,” Pia said with a sigh, as she shifted to get comfortable in the oversize chair. “Don’t elephants stay pregnant for a couple of years? How do they do it without going crazy? I’m so ready for these babies to come. Twins are supposed to be early, but are mine? Of course not.”

She rested her hand on her belly. “I’m bloated and gross and whiny. Raoul is going to leave me.”

Montana smiled. “He adores you.”

“He adores me, not the freak I’ve become. I swear, if I had any medical training, I’d take the babies out myself.”

“I don’t think I could watch that,” Montana admitted. “What does the doctor say?”

“To be patient. That every day the twins stay in me is better for them. I used to like Dr. Galloway, but I’m starting to think she’s part of a conspiracy. By the time these babies are ready to be born, they’ll be eligible for college.”

Montana was torn between sympathy and amusement. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Listening is nice. So thank you for that.” She shifted slightly in the chair, then groaned. “The thing is, I don’t know if it’s going to get any better when the babies are born. What if they hate me?”

Pia had been worrying about that for a while now, Montana thought. Pia had never considered herself overly maternal. Despite that, when her friend Crystal had died and left frozen embryos in Pia’s care, she’d taken the extraordinary step of having them implanted.

“Your babies are going to love you,” Montana said firmly. “You know they are.”

“Only because they won’t know any better. I’ll be the only mother in their life. What choice will they have? Can you bring by one of the mean service dogs?”

Montana frowned at the non sequitur. “We don’t have any mean service dogs. By definition of their job, they pretty much get along with everyone.”

Pia whimpered. “I thought if I could make a difficult dog like me, I would have a better chance with my babies.”

Montana rose and crossed to her friend. She bent over and hugged her. “You’re making yourself insane.”

“It’s the hormones. Okay, a little of it is me, but it’s mostly not my fault.”

Montana straightened and returned to her seat. “Try to relax. You’re going to be a great mom. You agreed to have someone else’s babies. That’s how much love you have to give.”

Pia sniffed. “I’ll try to remember that.” She drew in a breath. “Let’s talk about something else. How’s the world? I haven’t been out in it for a couple of weeks. I’m either here or at the doctor. Is there still a sky and trees?”

Montana laughed. “Yes to both. The planet orbits the sun and the days progress.”

“Good to know. You’re doing well?”

“Yes. I’ve started the summer reading program at the library. The dogs and I make the usual rounds at the nursing home and assisted living places.” She hesitated, wondering if Pia could help with one of her more pressing problems. “There’s a new doctor in town. Simon Bradley. He’s a gifted plastic surgeon who mostly works on children. His specialty is burn victims. He goes to a place for two or three months to help, then moves on. Mayor Marsha came to see me and wants me to convince Simon to stay in Fool’s Gold.”

“You’ve got to love our mayor.” Pia leaned her head back against the chair. “Do you know if he likes sports? Baseball, golf, that sort of thing?”

“No, but aren’t all doctors into golfing?”

“I think so. Let me talk to Raoul. Maybe he and Josh and Ethan could take Simon golfing. Or at least out for a drink. Guy bonding and all that. What does he like to do?”

Montana remembered Simon’s intense, toe-curling kisses but didn’t think that was what Pia meant. “He doesn’t talk about much other than work. Kent and Reese were in a car accident about a week ago and—”

Pia nearly came out of her chair, a trick considering how pregnant she was. “What? I didn’t know about this. Are they okay? What happened?”

Montana was on her feet again, hurrying to her friend’s side. “Sorry. I thought you knew. They’re both fine. You have to relax.” Raoul would kill her if Pia went into labor because she’d gotten upset.

“I’m fine. When did this happen?”

“Right before the Fourth. Kent wasn’t hurt, but Reese got a few cuts on his face. Simon worked on him and he’s not going to have much in the way of scarring. Mom invited him over for a belated Fourth of July dinner. Even she couldn’t get much information out of him.”

“What do you think of him?”