Page 96 of The Hero
“Now that I’m nearing the end of my second trimester, Cal’s become super paranoid,” June agreed. “I swear if we stand here for too much longer, he’ll be running over with a chair and insisting I sit.”
“The other day, when I tried to tell Riggs that I wasn’t done with the translation I was working on, he came over, picked me up out of my chair, and carried me into our room, saying that I’d spent enough time working and needed to rest.”
Marlowe smiled. Kendric wasn’t that bad ... yet. But she had no doubt his overprotectiveness would be emerging more and more as their child continued to grow. “Do we hate it, though?” she asked.
Carlise and June grinned.
“Nope.”
“Not in the least.”
Marlowe nodded happily.
“You know what’s missing here?” Carlise asked after a moment.
“What?” Marlowe and June asked at the same time.
“April.”
Marlowe frowned. Carlise was right. It seemed as if their friend was hanging out with them less and less ... and it was as confusing as it was hurtful. “Where is she, anyway?”
“At the office, where else?” June replied.
Marlowe sighed. “She works too hard. She’s always there. Do you think she’s upset that we’re all pregnant?” she asked.
“No,” Carlise said without hesitation. “I really don’t think she wants kids, so it’s not that. Something else is bothering her.”
“I wish she’d talk to us,” June said.
“Me too,” Carlise agreed. “But she’s always been pretty close lipped about her personal life. She hangs out with us and everything, but it still feels as if I don’t know that much about her.”
“I thought it was just me!” Marlowe exclaimed.
“Well, I know she was married before, and things just kind of fizzled out, but that’s all she’s told me,” June said.
Carlise straightened as JJ came out of the house, waved at them, and disappeared back into the truck Kendric had rented to move their stuff. “I’m thinking enough is enough, and we need to get JJ and April to pull their heads out of their butts and admit that they like each other. It’s almost painful to watch them stare at each other when they don’t think anyone notices. The puppy dog looks and sad eyes are killing me. They both seem so unhappy.”
“What can we do? I mean, they’re adults,” June said.
“Force them to share a bed one night?” Carlise suggested.
Everyone laughed.
“Well, it worked for the three of us,” she argued.
“True, but I’m thinking that’s not going to work for them.”
The three women sighed as they racked their brains in silence.
“I got nothin’,” Marlowe admitted after a minute or two.
“Me either,” June agreed.
Carlise sighed. “Yeah, I have no idea what to do.”
“We’re just going to have to let the two of them figure it out,” Marlowe reasoned.
“I guess. I just want them to be happy. They both work so hard, and they’re so awesome. I know they’d be perfect together if they just gave it a chance,” Carlise said.
