Page 58 of If Love Had A Manual

This is my favorite part.

I grab the bag beside me, proudly holding up a tiny pink hoodie with fluffy cat ears. “Look! It has ears, Wes. Ears!”

“Oh God, Lena.”

“Tell me this isn’t adorable.”

“She has enough clothes.”

“And?” I pull out another hoodie, this one gray. “Don’t worry, I got this one too. And look.” I grab thelarger sweater. “I got a matching one for me.”

He only blinks at me.

“You paid,” I tell him.

Shaking his head, he blows out a breath like he’s realizing he will never win this argument. It took him long enough. “I’m glad that credit card I gave you is finally being used on those emergencies.”

Then I remember something else he’s going to hate me for, but I couldn’t resist. I pull the leaflet I picked up earlier from the bag and hand it to him. “I signed her up for this.”

He studies the writing, judging every letter. “Baby yoga? Lena, that’s a scam.”

“No, it’s not. She’ll love it.”

He glances back at me, gaze soft and lingering just a little longer than necessary. “Whatever you say, Mary Poppins.”

Twenty

Wes

The moment I step into the pastel hellscape of “Little Sprouts Baby Yoga,” I know I’ve made a huge fucking mistake.

It smells like lavender and shit.

“Why is everyone barefoot?” I whisper. “This feels like a cult. You smell that?”

“It’s lavender oil,” Lena whispers back. “It’s supposed to relax you.”

“I know what it is. I’m still not relaxed.”

I don’t even remember agreeing to this, but here I am.

“It’s your day off,” I remindher, hoping she’ll suddenly remember so we can all get the hell out of here.

“It’s for Rosie,” she says.

That makes me feel even worse.

“Welcome, everyone!” calls a disturbingly perky woman from the front. “I’m Meadow.”

Of course she is.

She’s wearing leggings with daisies on them and a sports bra that readsInhale Good Vibes. I instinctively don’t trust anyone whose name sounds like a scented candle.

Meadow beams at us. “Okay. Let’s start with some grounding breaths and intention setting.”

My intention is to survive.

Lena is already on the floor with her legs crossed and Rosie in her lap. Meanwhile, I have no idea what to do with my limbs.

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