Turn My World Upside Down: Jo's Story Read Free Page A

move.”
    “I’m not worried,” he said, and gave her that crooked smile that had first attracted her. “My wife loves me.”
    “Yeah?” Mike asked. “And why’s that?”
    “Because,” he said, leaning down to stroke one hand across her swollen belly, “I happen to think my very pregnant wife is the most beautiful, the sexiest, the most incredible female on the face of the planet.”
    God, he could turn her to goo in no time at all. “Well, you’re right. There is
that
.”
    “You’re doing great, Mike,” he said, and grinned again when one of the twins kicked at his hand.
    “Oh yeah, great. I haven’t been out of the house in
weeks
.” She waved one hand at the high, arched window behind her. “Look. It’s April. It’s beautiful out there.”
    “If you’re a good girl,” Lucas said, straightening up again, “maybe I’ll carry you out to the patio later.”
    Oh, Mike really hated it that he was being so nice. Took all the fun out of whining. “You gonna have Jo bring the crane over?”
    “Just a dolly,” he said, and bent down to plant another kiss on her forehead.
    “Oh, that makes me feel
way
better.”
    The front door opened and her sisters’ voices piped into the stillness.
    “I don’t know what you’re complaining about,”Samantha—“Sam”—was saying. “
You’re
not the one tossing your cookies every twenty minutes.”
    “Yeah,” Jo countered, “I’m just the one left holding the bag while you and Mike gestate.”
    “Okay,” Lucas said, as the two women stalked into the room. “I’m out of here. You guys have a good meeting.”
    Then he disappeared. Like any smart man, he knew when to make himself scarce.
    Jo carried a cardboard tray holding three cups of coffee and Sam held a bag with the Leaf and Bean logo on the front of it at arm’s distance.
    “Oh, at last. My daily dose of caffeine,” Mike moaned.
    “Thank God Shelly didn’t pull you off the stuff cold turkey,” Jo said as she handed over one of the tall cups. “As it is, you’re a pain in the ass. Without caffeine, you’d be—well, unimaginable.”
    “I’d be insulted at that if it weren’t true,” Mike said, taking her first, glorious sip. “The good doctor said she didn’t want to be responsible for all the resulting dead bodies that would no doubt surround me if she cut me off,” Mike said, then asked, “Are those muffins?” as she reached for the bag.
    “Blueberry,” Sam said, through gritted teeth.
    “Gimme.”
    Jo shook her head. “You keep eating like this and you’re going to weigh three hundred pounds by the time you deliver.”
    “What do you mean,
going to
?” Mike asked, opening the bag and grabbing one of the still warm muffins. Greedily, she ripped off a chunk of the crunchy top andpopped it into her mouth. She sighed as she chewed. “God, Stevie’s the best.”
    Stevie Ryan Candellano, wizard of espresso machines and baker extraordinaire, owned the Leaf and Bean, and as far as Mike was concerned, the woman should be president.
    “How can you eat like that?” Sam whispered, her face going pale as paper.
    “Hey, the kids’re hungry,” Mike whined. When she’d first found out she was pregnant, she’d laughingly teased Lucas by saying she was going to have twins. As it turned out, she was right. Now she was just eight weeks from delivery and felt as big around as she was tall.
    “Just last night I forced Lucas to call Terrino’s and get me a large pizza with double anchovies.” Mike shook her head in fond memory as she chewed. “I swear, even now, I can still taste the little fishies.”
    “Oooh, God . . .” Sam clapped one hand to her mouth and bolted for the guest bathroom off the kitchen.
    Mike shrugged and took another bite.
    “You don’t even feel guilty, do you?” Jo asked, shaking her head at her youngest sister.
    “Why should I? I already survived the pukey thing.”
    “Yeah,” Jo said, leaning forward and glancing over her shoulder to make sure Sam