Well Suited (Red Lipstick Coalition #4)(59)

“Oh, yes. Sparrow is currently unrolling her yoga mat in the guest bedroom downstairs,” I said pointedly, though the words were tight with my tamped-down hysteria.

Tommy didn’t seem to understand, but he and Theo had one of their silent conversations, which ended up with his brows drawn. “I hate to rush, but we’re late. Car will be here any—oh, there it is.”

A black Mercedes pulled up to the curb.

Amelia reached for my hand, and thank God she didn’t hug me. I’d been surprise-hugged too many times this morning for my comfort.

“Are you okay?”

“Not even a little.”

Her little face pinched. “It’s gonna be all right. We’ll talk tonight and sort it out, okay?”

“Okay,” I said without believing in the possibility that anything would be fine.

She gave my hand a squeeze and turned for the car where Tommy held the door for her.

Theo stepped around me, shielding me from the street, our friends, the world. His face was a cool mask, but his eyes belied his worry.

“Kate, listen to me.” He caught my chin in his thumb and forefinger to angle my face to his.

He was the sum of my awareness the second our eyes met.

“We will make rules, boundaries for her. She’ll stay downstairs. I’ll have the door installed at the top of the stairs, and I’ll put a lock on the inside. Hell, I’ll make enforceable visiting hours if I have to.”

God, how he knew me.

The ache in my chest twisted. “It won’t stop her. She has no boundaries, and rules mean nothing to her. My life is an arrangement of neat, tidy blocks, always in their exact place. And my mother is a toddler, come to knock it all down. She can’t follow rules, Theo. She doesn’t understand how.”

“I’ll make her,” he promised, not understanding that the task was impossible.

But I didn’t have it in me to argue.

So I sighed and said, “Okay.”

His arm slipped around my waist, bringing me into him. I was surrounded by him, the comfort immediate and bone-deep. “I’ve got you, Kate. Nothing’s gonna get through me.”

With another sigh, I relaxed into him. And when he kissed me, I almost forgot that my life had just gone nuclear. I felt as if yesterday hadn’t happened.

As uncomfortable as I was, there was at least comfort in the familiarity of my old self, the one with the rules that had kept me safe all my years. Theo and I were compatible on all levels, and that was enough for me. It was the best I could offer, the most I could give.

I just hoped it was enough for him.





20





Oh No Chi Didn't.





Katherine

22 weeks, 5 days

Amelia, Rin, and Val’s faces were pinched in disgust around the bar table.

“Did you just say mucus plug?” Val asked with a wrinkle of her nose.

“Yes,” I answered. “It’s what keeps amniotic fluid from leaking out of your cervix.”

The three of them groaned collectively.

A shudder racked down Amelia’s back. “I heard most people poop a little when they push.”

“It’s very common,” I confirmed. “You use the same muscles to push as you do to defecate.”

Val made a face. “As long as Sam stays on my side of the curtain, we’ll be fine.”

I frowned. “What curtain?”

“You know, the curtain. So you can’t see what’s happening down there.”

“There’s no curtain, Val. Only if you have a cesarean, in which case someone’s hands are buried in your insides.”

She paled. “What do you mean, there’s no curtain? Like, you have to…you have to see the…all the stuff and the…oh my God, what do you mean, there’s no curtain?”

I shrugged. “There’s no curtain. I’ve been watching YouTube videos to prepare myself. Childbirth is disgusting. There are so many fluids. Not to mention the placenta, which is an incredible organ. Once you have the baby, you then have to birth the placenta. And don’t even get me started on vaginal tearing.”

Another groan.

“New topic,” Val declared. “If I have to think about my vagina getting blown inside out anymore, I’m gonna throw myself off the roof.” She picked up her drink. “How’s it going with Sparrow?”

I sighed. “In the week that she’s been here, she’s cleansed the house, worked on everyone’s aura, and burned enough sage to make my eyes water when I walk in the house. Poor Theo can’t figure out how to feed a vegan. Mom’s been eating kale salad and pasta for every meal.”

Rin laughed. “I can’t believe she just showed up like that.” When I gave her a look, she amended, “I mean, I can believe it. I’m just surprised that it actually happened.”

“And she and your dad are getting divorced again?” Amelia asked.

“Apparently,” I answered. “When I asked her what happened this time, she said their spirits were out of alignment. What the hell does that even mean?”

Val’s brows drew together in thought. “Like, I know if your root chakra is out of alignment, it’s supposed to knock all the others out, too. Maybe it’s like that.”