Where You Belong

"I fucking love this place," Michelle murmured beside me as one of the spa employees massaged her shoulders, "I could just live here. Seriously, I could."

I smiled lightly, knowing what she meant as another employee massaged my back as I lay on my side, a body pillow tucked underneath me to protect my belly as I lay on the hard massage table. As promised, Zack had given his credit card info to Val, who began religiously planning spa trips at the beginning and end of each week for me. The girls came along too, sporting their own credit cards the guys had left for them, knowing I wouldn't come here on my own. The place was nice, that was for sure. But I still thought this was a ridiculous amount of money for any of the guys to be spending so regularly.

Leana grinned from across the room as someone gave her a foot massage, "I'm gonna miss this once you have the baby, Britt."

"Why can't you keep going after the baby's born?" I asked curiously, eying her as she sighed dramatically.

"Because!" she exclaimed, sitting up in her seat, "I won't be able to use you as an excuse to go this often!"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, whatever. You know you have Jimmy eating out the palm of your hand anyway."

She smiled to herself at that, "True. How right you are, dear friend."

I giggled at that. Sometimes she was too much like Jimmy.

"Brittany," the employee who'd worked on my massage, Adam, smiled at me, "Are you ready for your pedicure?"

I groaned in happiness at the thought, "Absolutely,"

With a chuckle, he handed me the white robe I'd been wearing so that I could wrap it around myself, then helped me sit up as the sheet that had been covering me dropped to the floor from underneath the robe. Once I was sitting up, I tightened the tie of the robe and took his hand so that he could help me down from the table.

"How far along are you this week?" he asked, as the girls and I had been coming here for the past month or so.

I smiled as he led me to a chair and placed an extra pillow on it for my back, "The end of this week will put me at thirty six weeks."

"So, how much more is left after this?" he asked, seemingly confused.

I giggled, typical man. "I'll have four weeks left."

"Wow," he shook his head with a grin, "Are you nervous?"

I sighed heavily, "I think so, but it's more of a good nervous. I'm so ready for him to get here, but at the same time, I don't know what to expect." I said, placing a hand on my stomach.

"You'll figure it out." He smiled and motioned for me to put my feet in the little tub under my seat after he'd finished filling it with water and all sorts of oils and soaps.

I sighed as soon as my feet hit the warm water, wiggling my toes and rolling my ankles some, causing Adam to laugh. I honestly let him know that as much as I loved the child growing inside of me, he was driving me up a wall and my feet and ankles were paying for it dearly. We made small talk as he massaged my feet, though I couldn't say much due to the fact that my hormones were starting to get the best of me again.

Something about a man's touch, I tell you...

I eyed Adam discreetly as he worked, taking note of the tall, muscular build he had, as well as the small tattoo peeking out of his shirt. He had dark hair and your typical California tan, along with light brown eyes. He wasn't exactly my type, but at the same time, he was a man for Christ's sake, and he sure knew how to use his hands.

"Britt!" Leana whispered harshly from beside me. I turned to look at her, seeing that she was fixing me with a warning glare. I sighed and closed my eyes in attempt to calm my wild thoughts. Apparently, it was written across my face, as Adam laughed loudly.

I smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, hormones are going a little crazy."

He shrugged, "I'm used to it. I don't think you've noticed, but you do it every week."

"Shit, my bad," I said honestly, feeling the urge to face-palm myself as he laughed again. "I don't mean to do that, I'm just sensitive to everything these days."

"It's okay," he assured me, "My girlfriend went through the same thing a year or two ago when she was pregnant with our daughter, so I understand completely."

I sighed dramatically, wiping my face for further effect, "Well, that's a relief! I was wondering if I was the only person in the world. I can feel myself doing it, but I just can't stop myself, y'know? It's weird." I said, and Leana couldn't help but laugh this time, too, "And how old is your daughter?"

He smiled, clearly thinking about her, "She just turned one a couple of months ago. Her name is Kaylie."

"Aww," Leana gushed from her seat beside me, "That's so cute! I want a baby now..."

I grinned, imaging the look on Jimmy's face if he would've heard that. It's hard to freak Jimmy out enough to make him shit his pants, but I think that a statement like that would definitely do the trick if he were standing there when she'd said that.

"I love her to death. She's my number one," Adam smiled proudly, and we both cooed at him before laughing together.

If only I could have that type of father for my own child.

***

"It won't be long," Lacey sang happily, bouncing around the house as she and Maria brought bags upon bags of baby items in through the front door and tugged them upstairs, most likely to put into the nursery.

I shook my head. I still couldn't believe my child had two nurseries.

Both nurseries had already been completely stocked and furnished with everything an expecting mother could possibly imagine and more. I thought it was way too much, but the girls thought otherwise, as did all the mothers and fathers. I didn't even bother with asking the guys for help, knowing it'd be a moot point.

"How much more shit could he possibly need? He's a boy!" I protested just as I always did, but no one ever listened to me. I'd bought one of the cribs, a stroller, and a couple of outfits for the baby, and that was all anyone would let me buy. I felt like the world's biggest mooch, not that anyone cared.

"Britt, come eat!" Val called from Zack's kitchen, and I sighed, hoisting myself off the couch and waddling over to where she was.

I looked to see that she'd fixed some burgers for me, and smiled in appreciation. Michelle came out of nowhere with a glass of juice, causing me to sigh. True to Zack's word, no one here ever let me lift a finger. It was rather annoying, but also sweet.

Val went to fix my plate for me, but I snatched it away from her and held it to my chest, insisting that I finally do something for myself for once. She giggled and stepped aside, making more food for the others. I grabbed three burgers, loaded them down with cheese, bacon, ketchup, mustard, and lettuce before adding some barbeque sauce and mayo to it. I then grabbed some barbeque chips and strawberries and put them on my plate as well, followed by a donut.

Val eyed me wearily, not liking the fact that I'd added a whole bunch of extra junk to my plate. It was true; I probably should've been eating a little healthier than I was, but this baby seemed to suck all of the energy out of me, and unfortunately, the only thing that made me feel better about myself was junk food.

"Valary Renee, stop looking at me like that," I mumbled through a mouthful of food, "When you start eating for two, see how easy it is to call a fucking walnut salad a meal."

Val was like Matt in a sense, where they both saw being in shape and healthy as an important thing. While she didn't live at the gym like Matt practically did, she stuck to a pretty healthy diet and exercised often. Leana and Lacey were similar to Val, but Jimmy couldn't be assed with that. Neither could Michelle, Brian, Zack, Johnny, or I. Too much work.

Val sighed but didn't say anything, knowing how snippy I could get when someone was critical of what I was eating. I didn't mean to get that way, but I just did, and it usually freaked people out when I just went off over everything. It wasn't long before I finished, and I made sure to thank her before making my way upstairs for a nap.

"Where are you off to?" Maria asked as I passed the guest room they'd converted into a nursery, baby clothes piled up in her arms.

"I'm hoping to get some sort of nap in," I sighed, knowing that I probably wouldn't be able to sleep for long, "The boys will notice if I haven't been sleeping well the second they see me, so I'm hoping to have some sleep before we go to to the airport." Maria smiled and nodded towards Zack's room.

Once inside, I stripped of my clothes and took a quick bath, hoping to get all the day's sweat and germs off my body before going to sleep. It was only about four in the afternoon, but I was drained for the day. The girls and I would be boarding our plane at eight tonight to go see the guys in Virginia, so I knew now was the perfect time to sleep, seeing as how I'd never be comfortable enough to sleep on the plane.

Though, of course, I'd slept for probably twenty minutes before I'd woken up again, grimacing as the baby kicked my bladder, calling for an immediate trip to the bathroom. Once I'd finished and washed up, I walked back downstairs, knowing that sleep was no longer an option.

"Not again!" my mom sighed as I made my way into the living room where everyone was, pulling me into her side with a frown, "I was hoping you'd at least make it to an hour."

I shrugged, "I'd be happy to make it to half an hour these days." I mumbled as she rubbed my back, knowing that that was where the majority of my discomfort was coming from. I turned to see Val hurrying into the room with a glass of juice, complete with a hot pink bendy straw, and I smiled at her.

"You're gonna be the perfect mom, Val, I swear," I mumbled, causing her to go red in the face, "Seriously, you're on top of everything."

"I try," she smiled modestly, and I rolled my eyes. She looked around the room at the other girls, who were spread out amongst the mothers, socializing with each other, "Are you guys all packed? We probably need to leave around six or seven so we can get checked in and go through security in time before they start boarding."

The girls each gave a nod or word confirming their status, before everyone turned to me. I rolled my eyes, "Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm a complete invalid." I grumbled, causing my dad to snort. Matt and Zack's dads chuckled to themselves before paying attention to the game that was on TV.

"Is that a yes?" Leana smirked, looking over at me, "Or does that mean I get to pack your shoe suitcase for you?"

"Shoe suitcase?" Lacey eyed Leana and I like we'd lost our minds.

Leana smiled brightly, "Suitcases for our shoes, of course!"

"Well, I've officially heard it all," Kim Sanders muttered under her breath, and I couldn't help but to grin. It was so much fun hanging out with everyones' families. You could clearly see how some of us either physically resembled our parents, or took on after them personality-wise.

The next couple of hours were spent by the girls fussing over excuses to make more weekly trips to the spa after the baby was born, while the mothers argued over things to add to both nurseries. I paid no attention to any of the females, having heard both those conversations enough before to last me a lifetime.

So I joined the dads and watched ESPN.

"Daddy," I tapped my dad's arm, "Why'd they just blow the whistle at him?" I asked curiously, tilting my head as a referee pointed to a basketball player, sending his coach into freak-out mode.

"He was traveling," he answered simply, furrowing his eyebrows as he leaned forward and listened to the commentator.

"What's that mean?" I asked dumbly. I honestly didn't get sports, whatsoever.

James smiled over at me and beckoned me to sit with him, throwing his arm over my shoulders just as Zack would've, "It means that the players can't hold the ball and not dribble while they run. If they travel, they get called on it."

I nodded in understanding, "Oh. Well why can't they just throw it?"

"Baby girl, this is basketball, not baseball." my dad answered tiredly, and I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

Gary, Matt's dad, chuckled to himself, "Britt, sweetie, we'll definitely be taking that poor boy of yours off your hands once he's older," he said, causing James to laugh. "I'm afraid you'll have him baking and out shoe shopping instead of playing ball and eating mud."

I rolled my eyes. Men.

"Alright, it's that time!" Maria called with a clap of her hands, grabbing everyone's attention. Lacey jumped up with excitement, taking off down the hall with a squeal. Leana was quick to follow in the same manner, while Val followed suit and tried to contain her own shrieks. Michelle and I just looked at each other and shrugged.

"Help me up," I mumbled as Michelle walked over, holding out my hands so that she could pull me off the couch. Once I was standing, I made another trip to the bathroom as James and Gary excused themselves, announcing that they'd be loading all of our luggage into Matt's Suburban.

I once again did my business and washed my hands before sorting myself out in the mirror. I was dressed in a peach colored tunic that clung to my body and reached my upper thigh, along with some white leggings and my beloved Uggs. I'd figured it'd be cold in the airport and on the plane, so I planned to wear the boots and a Juicy Couture jacket over the thin top, all while carrying a pair of sandals in my bag just in case it ended up being warm.

I splashed some cool water on my face, hoping to look a little less cadaverous since I wasn't wearing any makeup. My eyes were still red and slightly puffy, and the bags under my eyes were still clear as ever. I left my hair down, for once not worried about how it looked. If it became a big deal later, then I'd just throw it up into a ponytail.

"Baby, you ready?" my dad knocked on the door, and I sighed to myself.

Might as well be.

When I returned to the front of the house, I saw everyone crowded by the door. Everyone was talking animatedly and sharing hugs. My mom was quick to pull me into a hug, as did my dad. They told me to be careful before I moved onto Brian's parents, and Matt's parents, then Zack's. Jimmy's parents were out of town visiting relatives, as were the twins' and Johnny's.

Once we'd shared our goodbyes, everyone went their separate ways. Some of the parents left, while my parents and Zack's parents stayed, most likely to clean and fix up the nursery some more. They were obsessed with it. The girls and I crammed into Matt's truck, Val taking the driver's seat as I took the passenger's seat. I needed as much space for my stomach as possible. Michelle, Lacey, and Leana took the back seat, all chatting amongst themselves.

Despite Val's mature taste and careful demeanor, she drove like a bat out of hell to get to the airport on time, which made my heart smile. And my brain spin. She parked in the daily parking area, explaining that we would leave the truck there at the airport so we could use it once we got back into town, and we quickly grabbed our things and went inside. I was lucky enough to catch a pair of teenagers walking by and asked the for help with my bags. I'd only brought one bag and a smaller suitcase for my shoes, knowing we wouldn't be there for long, and knowing that I wouldn't be comfortable in much anyway.

It didn't take us long to get checked in and go through security, though Michelle blamed that on my being pregnant. I didn't care about the cause, I was just glad I didn't have to stand for long. We boarded shortly after that, having paid for first class tickets. Again, Michelle said that was because I was pregnant and needed the room. I actually believed her on that. There was no way I could fit in a coach seat, as big as I was now.

Once I found my seat, I threw my body pillow on it before a flight attendant helped me ease myself into it, not that I was complaining. With a giggle, Lacey sat next to me while Leana and Michelle sat behind us, and Val in front of us. We were offered drinks before the flight attendants went over safety procedures, and we were asked to cut our electronics off. As the plane took off, I couldn't help the dopey grin that had spread across my face.

In a matter of hours, I would get to see my best friends again.