Chapter 57
FAMILY ARE THE ONES THAT SHOW UP
LYDIA
THIRTY-TWO WEEKS PREGNANT
“Dude, did you see that goal Torman made on the Bulls last night?” Calvin asks as he screws a bolt into a rail of the crib.
“People underestimate him.” Adam shrugs, breaking down another box across the room.
We’re currently in what used to be my bedroom, setting up the nursery. The guys have some time off before heading into the playoffs in a few weeks, and Fletcher and I are beginning to get antsy over the upcoming arrival of the baby. It’s hard to believe that in eight weeks or less, she’ll be here.
She kicks at my ribs, and I rub my hand over my belly, wincing. I’m sitting on the floor folding clothes and blankets, and to be honest, I’m going to need a lot of help to get up.
“Do you guys only know how to talk about hockey, or is that really all your personality is?” Grace teases as she hangs up a tiny dress in the closet.
All of the guys chuckle before Adam speaks up. “Pretty sure you know the answer to that.”
Adam winks at Grace, and she narrows her eyes. I don’t think anyone else catches it, but I do.
Grace scoffs. “Fine, but all we ever talk about is hockey. Can we please change the subject?”
There’s an awkward silence, and I glance across the room at Fletcher, who’s trying to hold back his laughter.
“Our lives revolve around hockey, you know this,” Calvin replies as he walks back in the room, shoving her shoulder.
Zoey chuckles. “We’re all going to the cabin on Willow Lake this summer, right?”
Calvin nods enthusiastically and sits back down next to Fletcher to help with the crib. “Yep. My parents said we’re welcome anytime.”
The memory of what occurred between Fletcher and me the last time we were at their cabin flares in my brain, sending heat spiking through my body. Thoughts of his mouth all over my skin make my cheeks flush, and a pulse thump between my thighs.
Fletcher clears his throat, and I glance up, noticing his eyes on me. He must be thinking of the same thing. We hold gazes before Grace’s voice breaks the moment.
“I’ll be at the cabin all summer since I’ll be working at Sweeney’s all the time.” She nudges Hattie. “Are you excited to start?”
“So excited,” Hattie says. “I met with Mike last week, and he offered me a good number of hours.”
“I hate that you have to work so much,” I say as I fold another onesie. It’s hard not to squeal every time I come across another cute pattern or design. Let’s face it, they are all adorable.
Hattie shrugs. “Honestly, I’m used to it. Ever since I could work, I have been. It’s been hard, but we are making it work. I want Dylan to have a good life. And he loves hockey, so I want him to be able to do what he loves.”
Zoey rubs her shoulder. “You’re so good to him.”
“Thanks,” Hattie says. “He’s a good kid.”
“He will do great things. He’s a natural in the net,” Trigg says affirmatively.
Hattie seems lost for words as she stares across the room at Trigg, the two of them in their own world.
“Alright, I think we’re ready to screw these two pieces together,” Fletcher says after there’s a moment of quiet.
He stands, pulling the completed rail up with him. The boys put the pieces together until it finally resembles a crib.
Tears prick my eyes as the reality begins to sink in. Soon, my baby girl will be here. I glance around the room at my friends and all the hard work they are putting in for us. A single tear slides down my cheek. Before I can stop it, the floodgates open.
A constant stream of tears runs down my cheeks as I silently cry, so thankful for these people that it’s healing a piece of my soul.
“Oh no,” Calvin mumbles when he’s the first to notice me crying. “Um, Fletchy baby, something’s wrong with your girl.”
Fletcher’s eyes snap to me immediately, and he crosses the room, dropping to his knees in a heartbeat. “Hey, are you okay?”
His hands flutter over my face, then rest on my stomach, the fear in his face lessening when he feels our daughter kick.
I nod, covering my mouth to silence my sobs. From the corner of my eye, I see our friends silently leave the room.
Shaking my head, I rest my head on his shoulder as he wraps his arms around me. “I’m fine,” I blubber. “Really.”
“It doesn’t seem like it,” he whispers, rubbing a hand up and down my spine.
“I am. It all sort of hit me, y’know?” I take a deep breath—well, as much of a deep breath as I can with a baby pressing on my lungs.
“Even though my mom and dad suck, I have these amazing people here to support me and our daughter.
Watching you guys put up the crib, it sunk in.
I mean, they‘re all spending their day off helping us put together the nursery. Who does that?”
“Good people. We’ve got lots of good people surrounding us, Lydi-bug. People who love you for who you are, and not what you can offer them.”
I inhale a shaky breath. “Yeah, you’re right.”
Fletcher leans back, locking his green eyes with mine. “Feeling better?”
I nod, swiping away the tears. “We should probably call them back in. I think I scared Calvin.”
“Apparently.” Fletcher laughs and goes to open the door before I stop him.
“Wait!”
“What?” His eyes widen.
“Can you help me up off the floor? I have to pee, and I’m scared to stand up with everyone watching me. Movement is way too hard.”
Fletcher chuckles, stepping back over to me. I hold out my arms for him, and he hooks his under my armpits, and without even trying, I’m on my feet in a second.
“Jeepers, that was much easier than when I did that myself yesterday.”
Fletcher shakes his head. “No more sitting on the floor if I’m not here. I don’t want you to get stuck down there.”
“That’s probably a good point.” I waddle into the bathroom.
When I come back a few minutes later, the room looks totally different. They’ve pushed the crib up against the wall and put the mattress in. It has a light-pink polka-dot sheet, and the little crocheted ladybug I made sits in the corner of the mattress.
“Oh,” I gasp, covering my mouth. “You guys, it’s so cute.”
Grace finishes folding the blanket Dottie made and hangs it over the side of the crib.
I step up to it, running my hands over the soft fabric. “Thank you.”
She rubs my shoulders and points to the closet. “I think we have everything hung and organized we could for now, and Hattie and Zoey are putting all the onesies in the dresser drawers in order by size.”
Fletcher stands in the corner with a wide smile on his face as Calvin, Trigg, and Adam bicker over a new box that’s been brought in.
“What’s that?” I point to the box.
The three men go quiet, shifting so they’re in front of the box.
Fletcher moves forward, a shy expression on his face. “Remember the day we went and added a bunch of things to your registry?”
Nodding, I try to look around the men who are still blocking the box. “Yes, but I got all the things I added to the registry.”
He shakes his head. “You didn’t get the glider you wanted, because you weren’t sure it would fit.”
“Oh,” I breathe, my heart swelling. “You got me a glider?”
“Of course I did.” He pushes a curl from my face and kisses the tip of my nose. “I knew you’d never get it for yourself, or that you’d say you could just feed her on the couch, but you wanted it. And besides, it looks comfy as hell.”
“It really does.” I make a choked sound. “Fletcher, thank you. I love you.” I reach up on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck, twisting my fingers in his hair.
“I love you too, Lydi-bug.” Fletcher’s lips slant over mine as our friends hoot and holler around us.
When we break apart, Calvin is already tearing into the box like the chaos goblin he is. He pulls the back of the chair out, and I see that instead of the cream color they had in the store, Fletcher opted to get a pastel pink to match the nursery.
I clutch his arm. “It’s perfect.”
“It’s not even put together yet.” He laughs. “It could be horrible and not match at all.”
I shake my head. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”