Two | Cole
Two
Cole
I was more anxious about seeing Lyric than I was on our wedding day.
But to be fair, she was actually excited to see me back then. We were young and in love, and the whole town knew it. Until one day, when Lyric decided she wanted more than I could give her and left to chase her dreams of becoming a fashion designer in New York City.
“You look fine,” my mom said, interrupting my thoughts as I stared in the mirror and pulled at the button-down shirt I had put on. “A little fancy for delivering furniture, but it’s fine.”
“I don’t look fancy,” I grumbled, frowning when I knew she was right.
I wanted Lyric to see me and realize that I hadn’t let myself go after she left, but then again, that was more for me than it was for her.
I had no clue if she even thought about me once she was out of Willow Falls.
I hadn’t heard from her in a few years after she grew tired of trying to get me to sign the divorce papers.
I knew deep down she hated and resented me for not giving her a divorce, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t ready to give up on us—even if it meant she lived on the other side of the country from me and we never spoke.
We had been married ten years before she left, and as far as I was concerned, we would stay that way until she told me to my face that she didn’t love me anymore.
“Why don’t you wear that t-shirt Dad got you for your birthday?” Kara offered.
I smiled at her, loving how helpful she was.
Hearing her talk about her dad ripped my heart out because knowing the pain she, Chloe, and Ben were going through was unimaginable.
Clay had been my best friend since we were kids, which was how I had gotten to know Lyric and fallen in love with her, despite his requests to stay away from his sister.
Losing him had shattered me in a way I had never felt before, but I knew that I had to step in and help however I could.
Part of that meant putting myself aside while I helped the kids get situated, now that Lyric had moved back and would be their legal guardian.
Clay and I had started remodeling his childhood home when his wife was pregnant with their third child, Chloe.
They needed a bigger house with more space, and Clay was thrilled to see his kids grow up in the same house he had grown up in.
The house had been abandoned after his parents died in a car accident, right after Lyric moved to New York City.
It had taken him a few months before he was ready to go inside and clean things out, but once he started, I saw the fire in his eyes, knowing this was the house he wanted to raise his family in.
I knew it would be hard for Lyric to go back to that house, especially now that her parents and brother were gone.
I had no idea how she would handle being the guardian of three kids, but thankfully, that was where I would step in to make sure everyone was okay.
Not just the kids, but Lyric as well. She might have moved across the country to live a life without me, but that didn’t mean that I had ever stopped loving her or that I wouldn’t want to take care of her.
I went to my bedroom and changed into the t-shirt Kara had suggested, instantly feeling calmer. It was like there was magic in the shirt, knowing Clay was with me as I embarked on one of the hardest journeys I would ever go on without him.