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“Hi,” she says sweetly

“Hi” I shborhood”

She glances down at her sweater and laughs “It’s comfortable!”

“I know I love it”

“Yeah, sure,” she snarks back as she steps farther into the roo over her shoulder at me to the inside of my LA apartment “That’s why you—”

A gasp jumps fro desperately around the roo ocean track I have on the TV, the candles on the counters, until she stops on the setup in the center of the room Her hand falls fro finds its way out of the newly created opening

“What is this?” she finally whispers, spinning on her heels and looking up at me with the most painfully earnest violet eyes I’ve ever seen

“It’s a beach picnic”

“A beach picnic,” she repeats reverently “Forroom”

I nod “Like you said, we can’t go out This is the next best thing I tried to think of everything to make it the e, but I’”

“Are you kidding?” she cries, ju up to wrap her sht and lean into her hair as she speaks directly intothing anyone has ever done for me”

“I know it’s not quite like the real thing—”

She shakes her head, stopping my words “This is better than any and every tropical island I’ve ever been to”

It pains me to separate her body from mine I’ve been desperate for this connection since last week—and a hell of a lot longer, if I’, and nocare of her needs is my number one priority

“Co her down to the floor onto a giant, cozy pillow “There’s tons of food”

“Thank God,” she replies, confirer “I haven’t eaten in about six hours, and this baby of ours finds that entirely unacceptable Another twentyits wittle tiny womb phone to call CPS”

“Wittle tiny wo my head “Which one of my demented friends came up with that one?”

She frowns alinal material?”

“Is it?” I say, lifting one eyebrow

She huffs “No”

I chuckle again “Don’t fret I just know Thatch and Cap In fact, I know theht I’d want to And the word “wittle” with a w could only coinary baby voices”