Sasha dropped her bag and took her in arms. “Oh honey, it’ll be okay. I told you it’s not a bad thing. A baby is a blessing. You’ll manage just fine.” Her motherly manner spread over Amber. “Besides, you two are getting married. What is the harm in that? He loves you, is super wealthy, and I’m sure will be happy to hear about this. He seems like a great guy since I’ve been around him.”
Amber grew warm and happy. “You think?”
“Absolutely,” she replied, wiping away her trickling tears. “You’re just hormonal. Everything is new and your life is changing dramatically. It’s okay to get cold feet.”
Sasha downed the beer and tossed it towards the water. “Oh my bad,” she joked.
“Litterbug,” Amber playfully shoved her.
She turned to shove her back, but Amber held her hands up. “You wouldn’t push a pregnant lady now would you?”
“Shut up,” Sasha countered, smoothing out her long tropical orange skirt. It flowed beautifully to the ground.
They laughed and enjoyed the walk as it wound past the bungalows and palm trees of their vacation spot.
“What are you doing out here, anyway,? Sasha asked, not quite knowing where they were headed.
“I’m looking for a good spot for the ceremony,” she replied dreamily. Her eyes sparkled with excitement just thinking about it. “Charles said we could get married here.”
“Damn, you’re one lucky girl,” she said. “Just make sure you tell him soon.”
Her heart sank. She didn’t know how to tell him or how he was going to take it. Would he be happy to hear it? He probably had other plans before they had kids.
Placing her fingertips to her lips, she sighed. “How do I tell him?”
“Must I tell you how to do everything?” Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she motioned to a nearby log. “Sit down and I will counsel you my dear.”
“Pfft, okay.” Amber sat down, adjusting her booty to fit in the shallow groove of the log. It appeared old and used, but made for a handsome bench. She leaned forward comfortably, resting her elbows on her knees.
“Make it special,” she began, breathing in the salt air and licking her lips. The beer had begun to do its work and she smiled cheerfully. “I guarantee a man like Charles won’t be disappointed. He’s in his thirties, previously married, and so in love with you. Just make it count for him because I’m pretty sure he won’t be upset. But you owe him an apology for being so distant after you tell him. He’s been hounding me nonstop about you. He’s worried, love.”
Guilt plagued her face. “He has? How do I tell him?”
“That, my dear, is up to you. It can be as simple as telling him after you two make love. That’s how I did it, and…” She grew quiet for a second. “He was very happy.” She wasn’t able to bring herself to mention his name out loud.
Amber cocked her brow, seriously hoping that there was more to the counseling than this. “Wow, that’s it?” She faked obvious disappointment with a wry face. “Some counselor you are,” she harassed, again shoving her friend. But this time Sasha fell flat on the floor, too happy from the beer to give a care.
She cringed from the thud that Sasha’s butt made on the hardened ground. Here it was obvious that the tide came in all the way to the log. The sand wasn’t loose. It was compact and dry from the last high tide.
“Charles’ mother thinks I’m pregnant. She thought it from the first moment we met.” She stood up to offer her friend a hand up, but Sasha refused, sticking out a tongue.
“Why would she think that?”
“She doesn’t like me at all. Don’t ask me why. I just wish there was some way to get her to like me.” Sasha stood up, brushing the sand off of her skirt. “Have you tried taking the time to get to know her?”
Amber shook her head, pacing around the log and obsessively stepping in her own footprints. “Why should I? It won’t make a difference. She’s not going to magically like me overnight.”
“You’d be surprised what spending time with your future mother-in-law can do. I wouldn’t rule it out altogether.” Then she glared at her. “Would you stop that please? You’re driving me crazy.”
Coming to a halt, she phased out. A million scenes played themselves out in her head. She needed to get herself put together before the wedding. There wasn’t much time. She had her dress fitting soon; having chosen a Vera Wang dress that Charles agreed to pay for. He told her money was no object. What a most perfect thing to tell a girl just before her wedding.