Amelia shrugs. “They got here late too, so we haven’t met. But I guess he’s her date?”
“Intriguing. Did you know she’s been dating someone?”
“Nope.”
I resist peering around Tatum and Hattie to scrutinize the newcomer again. Hattie has always been a free love type of woman, so it’s not strange that she’s with someone new that we haven’t heard about — but it’s definitely weird that she wants us to meet one of her lovers. That never happens.
“Oof.” Amelia winces, hands smoothing her rounded belly.
“Baby kicks?” I ask, leaning in.
“More like baby dropkicks,” she complains, but I don’t miss the smile on her face.
Amelia and Tatum’s baby was just as much as a surprise to them as Harry has been to me. And just like I feel about Harry, they are thrilled about this unexpected gift. Amelia thinks they got pregnant on their first time together — which also happened to be the first time they met. Talk about moving fast.
Not that I should talk — Harry and I haven’t exactly been taking it slow. We’ve been together as much as our schedules will allow. That’s not even close to enough, so we’re making plans to move in together soon. I can’t wait to lay down each evening and wake up in the morning next to the man that’s come to mean so much to me in such a short time.
Sharing a living space — probably Gary’s loft, at least until our careers have taken off and we can afford a home of our own — isn’t the only thing we’re talking about. We’re also looking at forever together.
I look at Amelia’s tummy. “Is the baby still moving?”
“Yeah.” She gestures at her swollen abdomen. “Want to feel?”
“You bet I do.” I rest my palm on her stomach and wait. It’s not long before I feel the smooth roll of the baby beneath my hand. This isn’t the first occasion that I’ve felt her baby, but every time feels like magic.
Not that I’m in any rush to follow in Amelia’s footsteps. Harry and I aren’t sure if we even want kids. We are both eager to focus on our careers, and on each other. But there’s lots of time to decide about families later — the rest of our lives, in fact.
The baby nails the center of my palm with a sharp jab.
“Ouch,” I say.
Amelia snorts. “You’re telling me.”
“Hey,” Harry hisses, leaning around me. “Are we here to watch a movie or to chat? Because if it’s the latter, I want the latest gossip. And speaking of gossip, who’s Hattie’s mystery man?”
Tatum’s head appears over Amelia’s shoulder. “Shhh, you three. You’re ruining the previews.”
“The previews are his favorite part,” Amelia mutters to me.
Harry ignores them both “Do you know who Hattie’s guy is?” he asks Tatum.
Now Hattie pops her head into the conversation. “You know I can hear everything you’re saying, right?”
“Then explain yourself, madam,” I reply.
“Okay.” She smirks. “After the movie.”
Hattie’s head disappears, and the rest of us sit back in a huff. The dimmed theater lights darken completely as the preview reel transitions to the main event.
I steal a glance at the man who makes my heart sing and my pussy lips quiver at the memory of the time we’ve shared. I don’t know how I get to be the one who loves and is loved by him, but I’m so damn grateful that I’m the one that this man belongs to. I tumbled into him by accident, but now Harry is my main event, for now and for always.
Hattie
“Great job, Rory,” I call, adjusting the tension of the line for the nine year old girl I’m belaying up the climbing wall. She’s one of the youngest kids in Outdoor Adventure’s afterschool program to attempt the advanced adult wall, and she’s hit a particularly tricky section. I know she’s got this, but she’s not quite sure. “Take your time. No need to rush.”
“I know,” she calls down, face scrunching with annoyance beneath her helmet. “I’m just thinking.”
“Okay, okay,” I chuckle, exchanging a knowing look with my fellow staff member belaying a grumpy six year old up the beginner’s side of the wall. “Think all you like.”
Rory rests most of her weight in her harness — a.k.a. on me — and I readjust my stance. The outdoor wall curves straight outwards from where she sits, so she’ll have to climb while upside down to get over it.
I’ve been working with her most afternoons after school for a couple of years now and I know that she’s got the strength and the skills to handle this. The question is whether she wants it enough. The kid hates going head over heels, and I have no way of guessing whether she’ll attempt this challenge or not.
I feel her decision before I see it. She lifts her weight out of the harness, relying once again on the strength of her legs and arms. The muscles of her right forearm twitch like she’s psyching herself up to make a move with it.
“Start from the bottom,” I say. “Your power’s in your legs.”
The muscles in her forearm still, then flex in synchrony with her left arm as she reaches for a new grip with first that leg, then the other. Her body’s bunched up like a swimmer crouched in a dive, ready to launch.
“Good.” I nod even though Rory’s not watching me. “Now you can find your handholds.”
I don’t miss that her hands shake when she releases one handhold to stretch for another. She’s got her bottom lip caught between her teeth, eyes steely with concentration, cheeks pale with fear.
Her first try for a new handgrip is a swing and a miss. The failed attempt puts her out of balance, and she swings from just three touchpoints for a wild moment that makes my stomach swoop.
But then she winds up and reaches again, and this time finds good purchase with her hand.
“Great,” I cheer, “way to not give up, Rory.”
When she moves her other hand to a new grip, she’ll be fully upside down. I hold my breath, simultaneously certain that she can do it while praying that I’m not wrong.
It takes her a full minute to screw up her courage to let go of that last handhold in a try for a new one. But, with a tiny growl of determination, she does, and this time she reaches it solidly on the first go.
“Yes!” I have to rein my enthusiasm in. But damn, I am proud of this girl. When she first started coming to the program a couple of years ago, she was too scared to try even the most tame ground elements of our ropes course. And now look at her — one of the most advanced kids that’s ever come through Outdoor Adventure’s afterschool program.
Once Rory is upside down, she makes quick work of getting up and over this element of the wall. I suspect it’s because she hates being in that position, but hey, whatever works, right?
There’s not much that I have to coach her through for the last stretch of the wall. Before long she’s at the top, fists thrust in the air in a victory worth celebrating.
“I did it!” she crows.
“You did!” I call back. “I knew you could. I’m so proud of you.”