“What? I also have berries to think about! I doubled my fields.”
“And had a baby?” I asked.
“It’s what I used my nesting energy for.”
Would I get nesting energy? It sounded nice. I was still tired all the time.
“Oh, I should get the lemonade.” Mollie had sat on the couch and then shot back up.
“You literally gave birth a few weeks ago. Sit down.” Wren got up.
“I could help too,” I offered.
“You’re a guest.” Mollie waved me off. “Just relax.”
I wasnotgood at that. My leg bounced as I resisted the urge to get up and help anyway.
Wren was already walking out of the room. “And sorry if either of you wanted alcohol, this girls’ night is gonna be sober since Mollie is breastfeeding.”
“No problem,” Jade said. “It was like that the last time too.”
I’d come to that one. Back when my problems felt smaller.
“I can’t have it anyway.” I said it without thinking.
“Do you have one of those allergies?” Mollie asked. “Because if you do, I’ll make sure we never have it.”
“I didn’t agree to that,” Jade said.
“Let’s just say it’s a temporary thing,” I replied. “For a few months.”
Mollie raised her eyebrows and glanced at Wren as she returned with the lemonade. She opened her mouth and then shut it just as fast. I could tell both of them had questions, butneither wanted to pry. At least they weren’t trying to drag it out of me.
I gave Jade one glance and she responded with a smile and a nod. This was terrifying, but it was only a taste of what things would be like when I told the town.
“I’m pregnant,” I said, ignoring the way my fists tightened.
Wren ran straight into a wall and Mollie’s jaw dropped.
“I’m sorry, what?” Mollie asked.
“It’s a secret!” I rushed to say. “I’m trying to figure out how to tell the town. But, yeah. No alcohol for a while.”
A silence stretched out between us as both of them processed. I thought of all the things they could say.
You, of all people?
How did you mess up this badly?
You know this is gonna ruin your reputation, right?
All of those might have broken me.
But then Mollie slammed her hands down on the table. “Finally! Someone to talk about this with! Oh, I thought I was gonna be the only new mom forever.”
“There’re a lot of moms in town,” Wren reminded her.
“Not fresh ones! They’re all too old to remember the struggle.” Mollie turned to me. “Please tell me you’re throwing up everywhere.”