Pit Stop: Baby! (Crescent Cove 4)

“We’re still figuring stuff out. It’s all so new.”

“You’re going to have a child in that closet-sized apartment?”

“No, I’d planned on having it in a hospital. I’m not some earth mother type.”

Even I had to laugh at that one.

Kelsey cleared her throat. “He means it’s kind of a small place, Ry. But you don’t have to figure all that out just yet. The gestation period gives you some time.”

“Not that much time. If she’s going to need a new lease, rentals are full up in Crescent Cove, especially during the summer. She’ll want to start looking now.”

“Yeah, as soon as we get the kid’s college choice locked down, we’ll move right on to that. Chop, chop.”

No one responded to me. Not even Rylee.

Hey, what did my opinion on the subject matter? I was just the sperm donor.

“You’re actually probably right.” Rylee fiddled with the handle of the shopping bag I hadn’t noticed until right now. “I’ll have to make a budget and see what’s available. Of course I need a job. Money would help.”

“I’ll see if I can find out more about that receptionist position. That would be great for you, Ry.”

I frowned. “At the school?”

Kelsey nodded. “Yes, ours suddenly quit.”

Dare grunted his hard-won approval. “That’d be a good place to get in. Solid benefits and vacation time. Summers off.”

“She doesn’t need to work if she doesn’t want to. I have enough money if she wants to stay home and—”

“Excuse me, stay home? We haven’t discussed this. And while I appreciate you offering support to our child, I don’t need to be a kept woman.”

“We haven’t discussed it because it just happened.” With effort, I relaxed my jaw. “I’m not saying you have to stay home, just that it’s an option. It would make it easier for—”

“For who, you? When you’re off racing cars and leaving all the child-rearing to my sister?” Kelsey crossed her arms in a mirror of her sister’s pose.

“I’m done racing.”

“For now,” Dare added ominously as he braked for a light as slowly as a great-grandmother.

I said nothing. Why bother? If I’d said Rylee should get three jobs to support herself, I would’ve been labeled a thoughtless jerk. If I said I’d gladly support her, I was equally bad. I couldn’t win.

And she hadn’t even mentioned this receptionist’s position to me. So, yeah, what did my thoughts have to do with anything? Evidently, not much.

“We aren’t like you guys,” Rylee said after a moment, her voice surprisingly soft. “Dare knew what having a kid was like, and we’re really inexperienced. But we have good role models to watch and learn from.”

Kelsey shifted in her seat and gave Rylee a smile. “You’ll be just fine. It’s a learning curve for everyone. That book should help.”

Before I could ask, Rylee pushed the bag she’d brought with her into my lap. I pulled out the book and flipped through the pages while Kelsey and Rylee chatted about innocuous things like school assemblies and Kelsey’s upcoming baby shower.

Dare offered his usual grunts.

I had the misfortune of landing on the chapter that talked about some issues impending moms could have while pregnant. Cervical insufficiency and high blood pressure and hemorrhoids and excessive bloating among them.

Dear Lord, why did anyone inflict this on themselves intentionally? Not that we had, but people tried to have kids every day.

The changes a pregnant woman went through were insane. Bumpy areolas? Sensitive nipples? Which sounded okay from my end but not the way it was described. The aforementioned hemorrhoids and bloating, along with nausea and Rylee’s exhaustion. And that was if the pregnancy went well. If it didn’t, there could be complications and those were far worse.

“Are your nipples sore?”