Hourglass Squared Read Online Free Page A

her my undivided attention. "What's up?"
    "I just spoke with Monica." Taking in a deep breath, she continued, "One can only assume that you are currently running as far away as humanly possibly from her amazing idea?"
    Throwing my hands up in the air, I responded to Brooke, "Yes! I swear, in the past few days it's as if babies have suddenly consumed my life. We are the top fashion magazine. Why, all of the sudden, does she feel the need to feature pregnant celebrity mothers?" Continuing my all-out sprint to the finish line, I went on, "I get it, pregnant women are beautiful. It will gain more readers. But why me? Why do I have to be the photographer in charge? Can't she call in Kat or something?"
    Brooke tried to hide the smile on her face, probably for fear of me jumping off the treadmill and shoving her out of the window. "I know it's not ideal at the current moment, but you're the best. Of course she'd want you in charge. Think how perfect this is. I was really worried Monica would freak when I finally announced my pregnancy, but now I think she'll be thrilled. Besides, you're not pregnant. You're taking birth control like clockwork and making poor Jake use condoms. You've got nothing to worry about."
    Coming to a complete stop on the treadmill, I wiped my dripping wet forehead with my towel. "You're right, Brooke. I'm not pregnant, and I fully intend on keeping Jake's man parts clear away from me unless he is double-, no, triple-wrapped. Therefore, I won't get pregnant. Enough of this attitude. I'm going to celebrate all things babies with you and celebrate the fact that there's no baby in my belly, making me fat. It's a win-win situation."
    In true Brooke fashion, she rolled her eyes and giggled, leaving me to clean up as she headed back to the office.
    The rest of the day flew by, and, before I knew it, I was on my way to one of Jake's favorite restaurants to pick up a takeout order of pot roast for him and a juicy cheeseburger with French fries for me.
    As I walked in the front door, Jake didn't even say hello before he accosted my mouth with his, and I dropped the takeout bag to the floor, while I reciprocated his fierce kiss. Throwing my arms around his neck, I pulled my body closer to his while he gripped the backs of my thighs and hoisted me up around his waist.
    "I hate being mad at you," I moaned in between kisses. "Promise me we'll never fight again." Twisting my fingers into his soft tousled hair, I pulled his mouth from mine and peered into his sea-green eyes. "Promise me, Jake."
    Jake let out a soft laugh before placing a chaste kiss on my nose. "You know I can't promise you we'll never fight again, but I can promise you I'll table the baby talk, at least for the next six months, but after that I'm going to bug you about it every single day. Got it?"
    I smiled widely and nodded my head. Jake, of course, assumed it was in agreement, but I knew it was me telling him what he wanted to hear. I figured when it came back up in six months, I'd cross that bridge then. When he set me down, I reached for the to-go bag and made my way into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
    "Oh my gosh, babe, that was to die for. One of these days you've really got to learn how to cook so we can eat like this all the time."
    I cleared the table of our empty plates and discarded them into the sink. "There's no reason for me to learn. We can eat like this every day, as long as our favorite restaurants stay in business." Winking at him, I turned to rinse the plates before they could go into the dishwasher.
    "Twenty minutes and I'm having a bowl of ice cream for dessert. Would you like one?"
    Jake didn't answer, which made me assume he'd already made his way back into the living room, when I felt two solid hands clutch my hips. "I'd rather skip the ice cream and have you instead," he whispered into my ear.
    My fingers slipped over the sink and turned the water off before I spun around, his grip still firm on my hips. "That actually sounds much,