Chapter 46
SOMEONE SPECIAL
LYDIA
TWENTY-NINE WEEKS PREGNANT
“Hey, beautiful,” Fletcher says as I answer the incoming FaceTime call.
I try not to blush as he stares at me through the screen, but I can’t help it. Every time he calls me that, I swoon, even if I look gross right now.
I’m lying on my side in bed with my giant pregnancy pillow stuffed between my thighs and under my ever-growing belly. Since I wasn’t in his arms last night, I barely slept, and I’m exhausted.
“Hey,” I say. “How are you?”
“Alright. Missing you, but I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” He scoots against the headboard of his hotel bed.
“Thank goodness.”
“Why? You miss me, too?” His eyes glisten with humor.
“Nope.” I bite my lip to try to stop myself from smiling.
“You liar.” He laughs, his smile giving me an extra boost of serotonin. “Whose bed are you in right now?”
I shift the phone closer to my face. “None of your business, Mister.”
“Sure. If you tilted that phone three inches, I bet I’d see my wood headboard.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I squeak. Lying isn’t my strong suit.
In reality, I’m in here because I miss him. And his bed is more comfortable than mine. Maybe it’s the way his pillow smells like him, or the memories that accompany this space. It’s all him.
I haven’t fully moved into his room yet, or rather, our room, but for all intents and purposes, this is my room now, too.
“Whatever you say. But you miss me too.”
“Fine,” I say. “I do.”
“I’ll be home before you know it.”
“You’re in Colorado tonight, right?” I change the subject, fully knowing I’m about to get weepy if he keeps talking about how much we miss each other. He’s been gone less than twenty-four hours.
“Yep. Calvin and Trigg are out getting lunch with Adam now.”
“Why aren’t you with them?”
He shrugs. “I’d rather talk to you.”
“You only see Adam a few times a year. You should be hanging out with him,” I say, but the conviction isn’t there. I don’t really want to hang up on him.
He shakes his head. “I’m right where I want to be. How’s my little ladybug?”
“She’s good,” I breathe, running my other hand over my bump. “Kicking like crazy today, but she’s sleeping now.”
“Let me talk to her.”
I giggle, a hit of warmth worming its way into my heart. He’s been talking to her any chance he gets, and it’s adorable every time. I shift so I’m sitting up and put him a little lower so he can see my bump.
Fletcher’s smile widens when he sees me in full, and then he starts talking.
There’s nothing special about what he’s saying; he’s mainly talking about hockey or some stupid thing Calvin did on the team plane today, but it doesn’t matter.
He’s talking to her, letting her get to know his voice.
I talk to her all the time, too, but it feels special when he does it.
The tone of Fletcher’s voice changes when he switches back to talking to me. “Are you excited for the baby shower next week?”
“Yes and no. I’m so excited to see your mom, but nervous to see mine. I keep pressing Grace to see if she’s causing trouble, but you know how stubborn Grace is. She won’t give me a peep of information.”
“I’m glad. If your mom is making things difficult, we don’t want to stress you out,” he says, and something about his tone has me wondering….
I knew it.
“Has Grace talked to you about her? Is she causing issues?” I blurt, sitting up straight.
“Relax, beautiful. It’s fine. She’s just being dramatic about some of the decorations. You know how your mom is. She has a vision, and ladybugs aren’t it.”
I groan, rubbing my face. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about. It’s handled.”
“Thank you. You’re lucky your mom is so chill.”
“She’s excited to see you,” Fletcher says with a smile.
A realization hits me. “Have you told your parents?”
His brow furrows on the screen. “Told them what? They knew you were pregnant before I did.”
“No, no, not that,” I say, waving my hand. “About… us. Y’know, that we’re together.”
“Oh.” He chuckles. “Yes. They know. I’m surprised my mom hasn’t said anything to you. She’s ecstatic.”
I laugh. “I’m surprised she hasn’t either, though I’m sure we’ll talk about it in person next week.”
I can’t believe I never brought it up. We talk often, and I’ve told her about some of the things we’ve been up to, but I guess, since things have felt so normal between us, it's felt like a natural shift in our relationship. I didn’t even think to mention it directly.
“I think Hattie is going to come to the shower as well,” I state
“Great,” Fletcher says. “That will be fun.”
“My boss reached out to Hattie earlier this week, so hopefully we can get her working for us. I think she’d be a great fit.”
I want to do all that I can to help her. She deserves it.
“I’m so glad you guys are taking her under your wing. We’ll take care of Dyl if you take care of Hattie.” Fletcher pushes his hair back with a yawn. “I’m getting them tickets to a game soon. Can you go with them?”
“Absolutely. You know I’ll go to any game. You don’t even have to ask. Though my jersey doesn’t really fit anymore.” I gesture at my bump. “I need a new sweatshirt or something.”
“I’ll pick something up this week,” Fletcher says.
“Thank you.”
He yawns again.
“I’ll let you go. It looks like you need a nap before the game.”
He nods. “Yeah. I didn’t sleep well last night. I was missing someone special.”
Again, a blush creeps up my cheeks. “I miss you, too.”
“I’ll call you before the game, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply, and we say our goodbyes.
I rub at my stomach, where the baby starts kicking at my bladder.
“Thanks for waiting until I was off the phone,” I tell her, chuckling.