Bubble Wrap

chapter thirteen

"WHAT?" I ask, my lips parting in surprise as I turn to look at her.

Maggie nods eagerly as she sits on my couch, burying her fingers in her hair. "I was on the train, and I realized that I'm late," she says. "And not just a day or two late. Like late, late."

"Have you told Zane?" I question, dropping everything as I settle on the coffee table in front of her. She shakes her head in response as she lifts her head to meet my gaze. "Hey, it's okay," I say and take her hands. "Have you two ever talked about kids?"

"Yes," she says, sitting up a little straighter. "We talk about it all the time. Little Zane's and Maggie's running around, and I love the idea of it. I want all of that, and I want nothing more than to have it with Zane, but..."

"But it's unexpected," I finish for her.

"Yes, and I don't know if we're ready for this," she says, her voice shaking. "A baby is something you plan. It's something you prepare for, and we...we aren't prepared."

My lips curl up. "You'll have nine long months to prepare."

Maggie's gaze softens as she leans her head against mine. "What is Zane going to think?"

"He's going to be so excited," I assure her. "But we still don't know. We can go get a test after my meeting, okay? And we can go from there."

She nods, swallowing her nerves. "Okay."

"Okay," I say, squeezing her hands. "Think you can hold out until then?"

Wordless again, she nods and I can see she's holding her breath. She's nervous and I can tell by the way her hands shake in my grasp, but part of it is the excitement of being a mom. We've talked so many times about our futures as moms together and I know when the day comes, she's going to be amazing. It's without a doubt that her and Zane will make amazing parents one day. My heart excitedly beating in my chest for her.

"I'll let you get ready for your meeting," she says, standing and I stand with her. "Thank you, Emmy," she hums softly, leaning into me as she wraps her arms around my tightly.

"I love you," I tell her, leaning back from her embrace. "One step at the time."

"One step at a time," she repeats and exhales slowly. "Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

I exhale slowly as I settle at my desk, opening the top drawer of my desk to pull out my prepared notes for the meeting. The adrenaline of sharing something I'm so passionate about both thrilling and nerve-wracking. I want it to go well and know that my heart will break in two if it doesn't get approved. The Way We Were being a special case and this is the first obstacle of many.

Grabbing everything I need off my desk, I clear my head and head to the conference room for the Monday meeting. It's just like every other Monday meeting, starting the week off with a check in and a timeline for the end of the week. And once Clark finishes up at the front of the room, he turns his attention to me.

"Okay, Wheeler," he says and settles into his seat. "The floor is yours."

My lips curl up as I sit up a little straighter, folding my hands in front of me. "So, I have a novel that I'm interested in publishing but it's a bit of a unique case," I explain to my colleagues. "I picked this novel off the discard pile and it was there because it was submitted without an agent, which I know can make the navigation of publishing a body of work a little difficult, but this... it's such a special book and it deserves to be out there in the world."

When I have their full intention, I fall into the pitch, becoming an advocate for the words on the page and their pull on my heart. The young adult contemporary exactly what the market needs in this moment with a strong female voice and the kind of love story that pulls on your heart strings, leaving a mark of lasting memory. I can feel it in my bones that this is the kind of story people can fall in love with.