“Now, baby!” he shouted. Needing no further urging, she felt her body start to spasm as she shattered. She was dimly aware of Declan’s hoarse shout, as he exploded. A moment later she was too spent to move and was surprised when she felt his hands sliding under her, lifting her into his arms. “I think I could use a shower and I’d love some company.”
She snuggled against him and smiled when she felt his lips on the top of her head. Sometimes the man was just too sweet.
Chapter Sixteen
Ella was thrilled to have some time with her best friend since Beth was more tired than usual and Ella had been spending her evenings at home with Declan. They had just settled into their massage chairs at the nail salon when Beth said matter-of-factly, “Well, I guess I’m getting married soon.” Ella and the two women giving them pedicures looked over to Beth in surprise. When the women looked at Beth’s swollen stomach pointedly she rolled her eyes and said, “Yeah, that’s right, I’m not married.” Holding up her hand to show the sparkling diamond on her ring finger, she added, “I am engaged though, so give me credit for that.” One of them shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “What are you talking about?” and then went back to work.
“Okay, let’s get back to the marriage part. I thought you were determined to wait until you had the baby.”
Beth started toying with her necklace, a move that Ella had come to recognize as Beth’s equivalent of a nervous tick. “I’ve been talking to my therapist about it. Nick doesn’t want to wait until the baby is born. You would never know it, but he has an old-fashioned streak in him. I think he just doesn’t like the thought of us not being married beforehand. It’s been kind of weighing on me since I feel like he gives so much to our relationship. I feel petty that I’m holding back on something that obviously means so much to him, you know?”
Squeezing her friend’s hand for support, she asked, “Is your pregnancy the only reason you want to wait?”
Beth’s eyes went soft, “If you’re asking if I have any doubts about Nick, the answer is no. I love him with all my heart and I know he feels the same. When I envision my future, he is what I see. I just . . . it’s so hard for me to walk down the aisle like I am now.” She held her hand up as Ella started to protest. “I know what you’re going to say, and thank you for that, but old habits die hard. With Nick’s support, I have made so much progress. I no longer freak out if I’ve gained a pound. I have accepted that it’s always going to be hard for me, but it doesn’t have to be the sole focus of my life. My therapist thinks it will be a turning point for me to go ahead and get married now instead of waiting solely because of my size. I want to do this for Nick and for myself.”
Ella felt her eyes misting. She knew how hard this had to be on Beth and she was so proud of her. Beth had been heavy for most of her life until finally losing the weight a few years back. She had since struggled with body image issues that had driven her to an eating disorder. Her parents were overly critical of her weight and that, combined with the stress of finding out she was pregnant with twins, had overwhelmed her. Losing one of her twins to vanishing twin syndrome had been a dark time for her, but Nick’s unconditional love and support had given her the strength to admit that she had a problem and needed help.
With the help of a therapist, Ella could tell that Beth was slowly learning to accept herself and love the person she saw in the mirror. She had to agree with Beth that deciding to get married while she was pregnant was a big step for her. She had been adamant about having the baby and losing the weight before the big day, even though Nick didn’t want to wait. Ella reached over and gave Beth a one-armed hug. “I’m thrilled for you both. You’ll be a beautiful bride. So, does that mean we’re going to look at wedding dresses next?”
“Yep, you bet your ass we are. Ugh, when did I start sounding so much like my sister?”
Ella laughed, thinking to herself that no one would ever sound like Suzy. She was one of a kind. “Do you have any idea where you are going to get married?”
Beth gave her an evil grin and said, “Oh yeah, I know exactly where. I hate to look like a copycat of Claire and Suzy, but I’m going to get married on the beach. I’m sure Suzy would let me borrow her strip of sand for the occasion.”
Still not certain why Beth continued to grin, she said, “I think that’s great, but am I missing something?”
“I hate to admit this because it will probably sound kind of bad, but imagining my parents trying to walk through the sand in their uptight business attire really just sealed the deal for me. I figured trying to get sand out of their shoes would distract them from my pregnant state when I walk down the aisle.”
Ella fell back in the seat, holding her sides as she laughed until tears ran down her face. The poor woman at her feet trying to paint her toenails gave her a nasty look as she removed the polish on her big toe and started over again. She gave her a sheepish look of apology before turning back to Beth. “You may be more like Suzy than I thought. It’s rather brilliant though. From what you’ve told me, they will hate an outdoor wedding. They weren’t at Suzy’s, right?”
“Nope, they had some conference and couldn’t make the last minute arrangements. I think Suzy probably did it on purpose, even though she hasn’t admitted it.”
As it turned out, Claire and Suzy met them at the downtown bridal store and after several hours—and a lot of debate—Beth found a gown that she loved and everyone agreed on. The only thing left to do was get the marriage license and decide on the date. Ella had the feeling it would be smart to keep her schedule flexible for the next few weekends.
While everyone was waiting for Beth to get dressed and pay for her gown, Suzy asked, “So, what’s this I hear about Declan being a baby daddy now?”
Ella wasn’t surprised because she had long since discovered that Suzy knew everything, but apparently Claire was. “Whoa, back up for a minute. What are you talking about?” Then looking at Ella she dropped her voice, “Are you pregnant?”
“What? Oh no, it’s not me.”
“It’s not? Alright, I’m confused here. You aren’t freaking out. Would someone please tell me what I’ve missed?”
Suzy took pity on her and said, “Honey, don’t you ever talk to your friends? Declan appears to be the father of your girl Julie’s baby.”