Chapter 25
Lacey
Babymoon.
Something I’d never heard of before, but I am so glad that Cole had. He had Emmy and Hayleigh pack some things for me, and they brought them to May’s house for us. Now, we’re on the road to our destination, which is a secret, according to Cole.
It’s nighttime, and the moon shines brightly in the sky without a cloud in sight.
We left the main road about half an hour ago, and now Cole skilfully navigates around the country roads.
There is no lighting, just the moon and stars to guide our way.
I look out of the window and up to the stars, watching them slowly pass by.
May used to tell me a story about stars when I first started going round to their house.
She would sit out with me on warm nights and tell me that the stars were those who had left us, shining bright in the sky.
To this day, I find a star and imagine it's my mum looking down on me. I like to think she would be proud that I’m going to be a mum.
I sneak a peek at Cole’s face and smile, knowing that my mum would have loved him.
“It’s rude to stare.” His lips twitch to one side.
“Sorry, you’re just so beautiful.” I blow him a kiss. “How far away are we?”
He nods towards the windshield.. “Five minutes away.”
We travel along the bumpy road, shrouded in complete darkness, when I spot lights in the distance.
As we drive, the road comes to an end, and Cole indicates a right turn, turning down a small passageway.
As we drive through the arched trees, we see twinkle lights woven into the branches.
Not long before, every part of the archway is covered in glittering, warm lighting.
I can’t help but stare out the window at the display.
It feels magical and cosy. When the archway opens up to a driveway, I gasp at the sight of the beautiful cottage, tucked away from the world.
Cole parks up and opens my door to help me out. “I’ll get us inside first, then come back for the bags.” He walks over to the front door and crouches to lift a gnome, who is fishing in his Speedos and sunglasses. Underneath is a key; he holds it up triumphantly and opens the door.
Inside, the smell of vanilla and sugar hits me at once. The hallway is small, with space for shoes on a mat underneath a table holding a bowl for keys. The stairs are in front of us, and to the right is a doorway, much too small for Cole, who has to duck to get through.
The living room is small and cosy. A log burner sits in one corner, and a corner sofa follows the room. A small coffee table reigns in the middle and a bookshelf on the other side, crammed with books. I walk over and take a look; it's a nice collection, all romance, all spicy. Hmm, interesting.
We walk through to the kitchen in comfortable silence. In the middle of the island sits a covered plate of cookies and a note.
Enjoy your stay at the cottage. I did a little shopping for you earlier today, and as promised, I have booked the item you requested. Marj xx
“Is Marj one of your dad's relatives?” I grab a cookie and stuff it in my face. I haven’t eaten in hours, and I swear that grumble is from Peanut.
“Yeah, his cousin. This is her cottage. She’s gone away to Cardiff and offered it up for our babymoon– the babymoon.” He corrects himself and must think I don’t notice, but I do.
“Our babymoon. Ours, Cole. Peanut and I are your girls, no one else’s, and I promise you that will never change.
Okay?” I hold my hand to the side of his face and bring him down to kiss me softly.
In that moment, Peanut chooses to growl very loudly, or my stomach does, and Cole kisses me quickly and stands back up.
“I need to get our bags from outside. Go upstairs, run yourself a bath, and relax for a bit. I’ll make us some food and shout for you when I’m done.”
He kisses me on the cheek as he leaves, and I snatch up another three cookies…eating for two!
When I pass through the living room, I stop by the bookshelf and snatch up a book without looking.
I head up the stairs and check out this floor.
It has one main bedroom, a study, and a bathroom.
I walk into the bathroom and marvel at the size.
This could have easily been split into another room, but why would you, when you had this?
The flooring and walls are tiled in a white colour.
A standing shower, large enough for two, takes up one corner of the room, featuring a waterfall showerhead and a bench.
The true beauty in this room lies in the large floor-to-ceiling window and the silver claw-footed tub, which sits in front of it.
Giddiness bubbles up inside of me. I’ve never had the opportunity to use a claw-foot bathtub before.
Growing up, we didn’t have much; it was hard.
Our house was so run-down that every time you took a bath, the tub would leak down into the kitchen.
I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today.
I love my job at the Aquarium, and I love my apartment even more even if I don’t have room for a clawfoot tub.
I shake away the depressing thoughts and turn the water, watching as it spills from the waterfall-type tap.
The only thing missing is some bubbles. I turn around and walk to the cupboard, opening the doors to find an array of potions and bath bombs.
I find the lavender-scented bubble bath, the label promising it would relax me and soothe my aching bones.
It doesn’t exactly say that, but that’s what I’m hoping for.
I take the items over to the bath and, like a big kid, I start mixing them like some sort of potion. I giggle to myself as I remember the stories May used to read to all of us when I would sleep over at Cole's house. My favourite was about the boy who made potions to get rid of his grandma.
May would do the different voices of each character in the book, making us all squeal with laughter. I loved the nights when I was lucky enough to experience those stories and be envious that I couldn’t have them every night. I put a hand on my stomach and rub gently.
“Don’t worry, Peanut, I’ll make sure we have story time every night, voices and all.” I smile when I feel her wriggling around.
When the bath is ready, I test the water temperature.. Anxiety grips my insides, twisting them at the thought of the water being too hot. I shake away the fears and recheck the water. Slowly, I strip down and step into the bathtub.
The bubbles tickle my legs, and the water clings to my skin like a warm embrace. As I sink beneath the surface, my muscles start to relax, and I realise how tense I have been. I reflect on the last four months since I found out I was pregnant.
I’ve been petrified that I’d be doing this alone; I could’ve been a single mum if I had to, but it was terrifying nonetheless.
When I met Ted and he showed no interest in little Peanut, I was crushed.
I knew I had my friends, but it wasn’t the same as having a family unit, a home, and a partner to help me through it all.
I do have that in Cole, although part of me worries that it may become too much for him and he may leave.
The negative thought seeps from my body and into the water, a trick Daisy taught me for when things become too much. Instead, I breathe in the lavender scents deeply and close my eyes.
Cole’s footsteps thunder on the stairs, followed by a muffled curse as he drops a bag. My mouth lifts in a smile as I listen to him struggle with another bag that drops. The closed door mutes his voice as he grumbles, “I can hear you giggling in there.”
My giggle turns into a full laugh when I hear a thud and Cole shouts out in pain, turning the air blue with swearing because he stumped his toe. A few moments later, he knocks on the door and opens it slowly.
With one hand over his eyes, he reaches blindly into the room and walks through the door, banging his head on the frame. “Ouch!” I stifle a giggle again but instead snort. “You’re cruel to me, Wildcat. I’ve brought in our bags. Do you want pasta or pizza?”
“Cole?” His eyes are still closed, and I have no idea why.
“Hmm?”
“Why do you have your eyes closed?”
“You’re here relaxing. I-I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable with me gawking, or to think that I feel I have the right to just barge in whenever I want.” He trails off, unsure of himself.
Cole Peterson, the most unshakeable man I have ever met, is at a loss for words. It warms my heart, yet it simultaneously breaks.
“Cole, look at me.” He lowers his hand slowly, his eyes darting everywhere before settling on me, still covered by water and bubbles.
“I don’t ever want you to be unsure around me.
I know this is new to both of us, but I want us to be comfortable with each other, so please feel free to join in at any time.
I also need to ask you a favour…” He looks at me questioningly before nodding.
“Could you pass me my book, just over there?”
He turns to where I nod and picks up the book.
Turning it over in his hand, he notices the cover, and my cheeks flush.
He looks back at me with his eyebrow cocked.
“Archie wasn’t kidding when he said you liked fairy porn, huh?
” He holds out the book, and I snatch it, giving him the finger.
“I’ll start food in about twenty minutes, give you plenty of time with the fairy prince.
” He shuts the door, chuckling to himself as he goes.
I spend ten minutes reading, then my little internal heater starts to wriggle, and I quickly finish washing. I let the water out of the tub and wait for it to slowly drain away before I try to stand, only to slip back down into the tub. My skin is on fire, and my head feels as though it’s spinning.