Well, that certainly didn’t make me feel any better.
I was officially four months and so not feeling fabulous to begin with. My hips were definitely starting to widen as my organs shifted around to make room for the Sasquatch twins. Damn Zoe for giving me a book on what to expect while I was expecting.
I’d come to the conclusion there were some things I just didn’t want to know.
“I mean…” Trixy’s face looked stricken.
“It’s okay, really.” I slowed my breathing and forced those terrifying thoughts from my mind. “The apartment will be ready for you in a few days.”
“Sounds good. I don’t have much to pack since you’re leaving the place furnished. Thank you for that.”
“Matt and I both decided we would leave our personal things at our own apartments and just pick up new things together for our shared space. We’re each just bringing along the essentials and a few favorite items. Nothing crazy, just enough to get by while we figure out how to raise twins together. This is a trial run for us as well.”
“Well, that’s smart. I promise to take good care of your things while you’re away playing house.” She smiled wide.
“I wouldn’t have asked you if I thought otherwise.” I winked. “Well, I guess I’d better head to Maple Ridge Market. I have literally no food in my refrigerator, and these babies can eat.”
“I bet.” Trixy chuckled. “I’ll hold down the fort here. Lucy and Maxim are booked solid, but the rest of your day is free. Enjoy it.”
“Thanks, Trixy. What would I do without you?”
“Nothing, because you’re never getting rid of me.” She winked back.
I headed out the door and ran into Truman Winters, ambling down the street with his mailbag, just as he arrived at my mailbox.
“Hi, Truman. Any rain in the forecast?” I looked at the clear blue sky, knowing that didn’t matter one bit. Truman was the real weather predictor.
“Oh, there’s a storm a brewin’, but it ain’t in the form of rain.” He pushed his coke-bottle glasses back up his nose and looked at me with sympathy.
What now?
His voice sounded so serious; I was almost afraid to ask. After an awkward moment of silence, I tilted my head. “How do you mean?”
He handed me a certified letter.
I groaned. No words were necessary.
Since our divorce five years ago, Bud had sued me at least once a year. Sometimes he used a service that gave me the court papers in a manilla envelope. Other times he went the cheaper route and sent a certified letter through the mail carrier.
Bud couldn’t get over me being the one to leave him. His ego was too big for that. So now all he wanted to do was get back at me any chance he could.
“Sorry, Tiffany, but looks like you’ve been served again.” Truman shook his head as he handed me a pen, and I signed for the letter.
If I didn’t sign, the letter would be returned to Bud, and he would have to start over. But that would just delay the inevitable, so why bother? He wouldn’t go away. He never did. I couldn’t take much more of this, and now I had a family to think about. I was sick of his lies and games.
I had to find a way to prove he was a fraud for good this time.
“It’s okay.” I patted the mail carrier’s arm. “You’re just doing your job. All Bud cares about is winning, but the fool never does.”
And I wasn’t about to let him this time.
After storing the letter in my apartment, I headed to Maple Ridge Market.
Looked like I wasn’t the only one who didn’t like to cook. The place was busy with a bunch of people picking up something for dinner, judging by the amount of people in front of the meals-to-go counter.
Zoe had offered to teach me how to cook. I was thinking more and more about taking her up on it. After all, I had more than myself to think about these days. Every time I thought about becoming a mother, I was terrified.
What if I was horrible at it?
Yes, Grammy raised me, but she wasn’t exactly the motherly type. I’d never had that. I knew she loved me, but her staff did most of the mothering. Honestly, even though I had the money for it, I wasn’t sure I wanted that for my children.
Deciding to be better at this, I turned my cart around and headed to the produce section. At least I knew how to make a salad. I would start by feeding myself, and hopefully by the time the twins were born, I would be better at feeding them home-cooked meals.
All of a sudden, my stomach fluttered.
I jerked to a halt. Was that hunger pains?
I felt it again on the other side. Oh, God, was I going into premature labor? I started breathing faster but couldn’t quite get enough air. I’d never planned to have children, had never really wanted any, and now I couldn’t imagine not having them in my life.
How could I have grown to love human beings I hadn’t even met yet? I bent over my cart and kept trying to suck in breath. I was going to lose my babies and then die right here in the middle of Maple Ridge Market.
That would certainly give this town something to talk about.
Everything started to darken. I was about to pass out. Suddenly, I felt a presence.
A gentle voice beside me said, “Take slow deep breaths,” as they held a paper bag in front of my face. I took it and focused on breathing into it as they rubbed my back soothingly.
