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With Walt’s carthe door of Dakota’s condo without knocking

Noise fro around “Hey, Baby Mama”

“Up here,” Dakota’s singsong voice called from upstairs

Mary climbed the stairs of what she considered her second home

Dakota was in the nursery Mary and Walt had personally painted while Dakota watched a couple of months prior

Dakota stood over the chest of drawers, folding baby clothes she’d unwrapped during the baby shohich had happened the previous weekend Even with a belly the size of a s With dark hair and skin that easily accepted the sun, she had the most expressive eyes and an attitude tofour-inch heels if not for her doctor husband, who threatened to throw her expensive collection in the trash if she didn’t give thely Truth was, Walt had asked Mary to hide them until after the baby was born if Dakota’s stubborn streak didn’t wane

Thankfully, Dakota Laurens, romance author, had relented to Dakota Eddy, soon-to-be mom

“I feel like a house,” Dakota complained as she closed the drawer of the dresser

“If it helpsyou only look like a cottage”

Dakota’s wicked gaze snapped into a smile “I love you”

“I know” Mary pulled the bulk of her long, curly blonde hair behind her back and stepped close to take the laundry basket from Dakota’s hands

“I got it”

“Hu you move makes me hurt”

Dakota didn’t argue as she let her belly lead the way out of the nursery She did a little hop in the threshold “I keep juet the eviction notice”

Dakota sat at 39½ weeks and grumbled every day since her OB told her she could safely deliver at any time In Dakota’s head that meant labor day was every day

Junior had other ideas

They’d all grown accustoh Dakota and Walt had no intentions of giving the baby that title The nursery they alking away fro of pink and blue Everyone left tags and gift receipts for gender specific stuff The one thing about baby gifts was the practicality of those giving It was a how many people added a massive box of diapers as a joke Dakota had added cloth diapers into the ive that much time before her friend caved to the tossable variety

Dakota hesitated on the stairwell and held her belly

Mary watched with a hawk’s eye

Dakota shrugged and continued “Not that I don’t like the companybut why are you here so early?”

They moved into the kitchen, where Mary insisted Dakota sit while she helped herself to the coffee that must have been made by Walt before he left for his twelve-hour ER shift Theall kinds of overtime so he could stay home once the baby arrived