Page 1 of Baby for My Best Friend's Brother

ONE

SOPHIE

The plane has barely come to a stop at the gate when my phone chirps with a new message.

Sophie, please contact Dr. Bennet’s office as soon as possible to discuss instructions for your upcoming appointment.

My heart skips a beat. Not because I’m scared or worried about this upcoming appointment. At least not in the way I used to be before an appointment.

Like a lot of plus-size girls, I usually dread going to the doctor’s office. The discussions about my weight. The charts and graphs they’d show while throwing out phrases like “Body Mass Index” and “target weight.” Meanwhile, I’d sit there numbly nodding and agreeing with everything they said. All the time I wondered when they’d tell me how we were going to treat my sinus infection.

Not this time.

Not only is Dr. Bennet super understanding of my past medical anxiety, but she’s about to help me with the most important step I’ll ever take in my life.

Swallowing hard past a lump that’s suddenly lodged in my throat, I clutch my phone tightly in my hand as I disembark the plane and find a somewhat quiet corner in the airport. I glance over my shoulders and have to laugh at myself.

What am I doing acting like I’m protecting state secrets from spies all around me?

I’ve just landed in Alaska. The only people I know here are my best friend, Winter, and her soon-to-be husband. And I only met him once when he came to Seattle to help her move north.

Slate strikes me as a helpful man, but I doubt he’s spying on me on Winter’s behalf.

There might be some other wedding guests milling about, but if they are, I don’t know them, and I doubt they know me. No one standing around here does. Just like no one cares about this call I’m about to make.

Well, no one besides me. I care. I care so much, my finger shakes as I pull up the doctor’s number and click “CALL.”

As the phone rings, I glance at the nearby window. Snow-capped mountains and thick green forests reach for the sky. It’s not wholly unlike the view I see back home. There’s just more of it. More trees. More mountains. More space.

And, at the moment, more privacy.

A cheerful voice cuts through the phone, interrupting my study. “Dr. Bennet’s office. How can I help you?”

“Hi, uh… This is Sophie. Sophie Hart.” My heart is pounding a mile a minute, making my voice pitch half an octave higher and my words come out a mile a minute. “I missed a call. From your office. Well, I suppose you would know it’s from your office. Why would someone call about an appointment at someone else’s office?”

I give a light laugh, even as I cringe inwardly. Seriously, what is my problem? You’d think I was back in middle school calling my crush. Good grief.

“Yes, Ms. Hart, we’ve been expecting your call.”

If the receptionist thinks I’m being ridiculous, she’s doing a good job of hiding it from me. Bless her.

“Is everything okay? Is my insurance company causing problems?” My voice pitches even higher. I’m bordering on sounding cartoonish. “Because if you need me to come by the office today, that might be a bit of a problem. I just landed in Alaska. My best friend is getting married this weekend, and I’m her maid of honor and?—”

“That’s perfectly fine,” the receptionist cuts in, somehow sounding commanding and polite all at once. “We just wanted to connect with you to go over a few things before your appointment next month.”

“Oh, good.” I release a heavy sigh of relief and press a hand to my pounding heart. “Great. I’m ready.”

Or, at least, as ready as I’ll ever be. For this call and what it involves.

“First, we want to encourage you to follow a balanced diet during the next few weeks,” she says. “Fruits, vegetables, complex grains, and lean proteins. If you like, I can send you some recipes the doctor recommends.”

“That would be great.” I toy with the zipper on my carry-on bag. “Thank you.”

“You’ll also want to take the vitamins the doctor sent you. It’s also a good idea to avoid stress as much as possible. So make time to relax and enjoy yourself.”

“Avoid stress.” Yeah, that’s going to be a tough order.

Even if I wasn’t going into a week of wedding festivities, everything about this situation is stressful. Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited for it. And for the wedding. But none of this is anywhere in the realm of relaxation.

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