The Arrangement

Chapter Twelve: Lamaze Classes and Baby Showers

"The most important thing to remember when going into labor is that in the end, after you push through all of the pain, you're taking home a beautiful bundle of joy," the teacher said from the front of the room. "But to get to that point, you must remember to breathe through the pain. Do it with me."

The whole class took quick breaths in and out.

"This is weird," Maverick whispered from where he was sitting right behind me. I smiled as I breathed and lightly smacked his leg. "But I love you, so I'll persevere."

He pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I continued the breathing exercises

"Try being here alone," one of the pregnant women said from beside us. I looked over at the brunette as she started the breathing exercises again. She looked about seven months along, the same as me.

"I'm sorry," I said between breaths. She shrugged.

"It's fine. He's just busy with work right now," she said. "I still have to go home to him every night."

I chuckled as I breathed.

"Ouch," Maverick muttered from behind me. I smiled as I kept breathing.

The teacher was approaching us as she was making her rounds, so I quickly wiped the smile off of my face as I breathed.

"Partners should be doing the exercises as well for support," the teacher said snarkily as she shot Maverick a look. I smiled and giggled as Maverick awkwardly joined the breathing exercises. The teacher's eyes turned to me. "I guarantee that you won't be smiling if you're doing these breathing exercises during labor."

I dropped the smile, which wasn't that difficult with her glaring me down.

Satisfied, she walked away to ridicule the other pregnant, hormonal women.

"This is ridiculous," Maverick whispered as he dropped the breathing exercises. "We could do this at home. With a lot more fun involved."

"Our baby deserves the best, and this lady is the best," I replied, resisting my urge to shoot right up and march to our bed. He sighed, his hands resting on my legs as he started the breathing exercises again.

"Damn straight, I had to sign up for a spot the second I found out I was a month along," the neighboring woman agreed. I smiled.

We successfully made it through the class with only two pregnant women who hadn't cried from the teacher's remarks. Those two people were me and the woman who sat beside me.

"I'm Clara Conway, by the way," the neighboring woman introduced once the class ended.

"Emerson Smith," I returned, extending a hand. She shook it with a smile.

"I think we should get together some time," she said. I nodded in agreement.

"That sounds great," I said before pulling a pen and paper out of my purse, that Maverick insisted on holding, and writing down my number. She ripped the paper and wrote her number in the blank half before handing it back to me.

I smiled.

"See you at class tomorrow," she said, walking away.

I turned to Maverick, who was showing his obvious dislike for that comment.

"We have to come back?" he asked. I nodded. "You don't know how to do the breathing after doing it for a whole hour?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Oh stop complaining," I said.

"I cannot believe that this exists in real life," he said. "It would be so easy to just follow along with a video or something. We just sat and breathed as pregnant women got verbally assaulted by a 'professional.'"