Thirty | Cole
Thirty
Cole
Something was different about Lyric, but I couldn’t figure it out. I couldn’t help but watch her at dinner, intrigued by the way her eyes seemed to light up more than usual when she talked to the kids. She looked genuinely happy—something I hadn’t seen on her in so long it felt almost foreign.
Kara had just finished telling us a story about school when Chloe pushed her plate away from her, having cleared all the food without any fussing about it.
“Aunt Lyric drew Mommy today,” she announced.
The entire room went silent as Kara tensed slightly while Ben leaned back in his seat and smiled at Lyric. My eyes narrowed in confusion as I watched Lyric’s face flush with embarrassment with everyone’s attention on her.
“I umm...” she started, but then paused when she looked at Chloe. “It wasn’t on purpose. I hadn’t realized the likeness until Chloe and Ben pointed it out.”
“Can I see it?” Kara asked, her voice quiet, almost like she didn’t trust it not to betray the emotion that lingered beneath the surface.
Lyric stayed frozen for a second before nodding and pushing away from the table. I set my fork down and studied the kids, just as excited to see the drawing as Kara. Ben gave me a smile and a nod, confirming he had already seen it as well.
When Lyric returned, I noticed she was holding the sketchbook she used for her fashion design work.
It wasn’t the one she used when she was just drawing for fun.
My heart tightened at the thought that her personal life had crossed into her professional life because I knew how hard she tried to keep that from happening.
She sat down, holding the sketchbook against her chest as she locked eyes with Kara. I stiffened, unsure of what she was about to show her. Given how nervous they both looked, I was worried things were about to go sideways.
“The sketches aren’t done yet,” Lyric said softly. “These are just starting points to see if I like the direction it’s going. I know that it’s different and not everyone will love—”
“I’m sure they’re great,” I interrupted, hoping to calm her nerves.
She nodded, sucked in a deep breath, then opened the sketchbook and passed it to Kara. I gave her a few seconds to look at it before I glanced over her shoulder, immediately knowing why she had tears streaming down her face.
The page had a woman who looked like Melanie standing with a little girl on one side and a teenager on the other. It wasn’t lost on me that the girls also resembled Kara and Chloe. The three of them wore matching outfits, with Chloe sporting a cute bow on her head, like she always wore.
“I don’t have to—” Lyric started, but stopped when Kara held up her hand.
“This is amazing,” Kara said, shaking her head as the tears fell. She pulled the sketchbook away, making sure not to get it wet. “I can’t believe it. This looks just like Mom, like all of us.”
“I hadn’t realized the resemblance until Chloe pointed it out,” Lyric replied.
“After that, the idea of having matching outfits for all of you flooded my brain, and I couldn’t stop sketching.
There are a handful of pages with designs, if you want to look at them.
I still need to color everything, but the general idea is that it would be a mommy-and-me concept. ”
Kara flipped through the pages, laughing as she grinned so big that her cheeks had to be hurting her. I relaxed in my chair, loving this interaction between them.
“Will these outfits be all denim?” Kara asked, flipping the book to face Lyric so she could see which design she was referring to.
“How on earth did you know that?” Lyric asked, her grin matching Kara’s.
“That’s what I would do. Denim romper for Chloe, then denim dresses for me and you.”
My heart sank for a second as I saw the emotion flash across Lyric’s face before she tried to erase it with a forced smile. Kara hadn’t even realized what she had said or that she had put Lyric in as the mother in the scenario.
“Yeah,” Lyric responded, clearing her throat. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”
“I love all of them, but this one is my favorite. Are you going to submit all of them, or do you have to narrow it down to just one?”
“I would have to limit it to one. But everything I created today is so cohesive that it could be its own brand. I wouldn’t want to give them that kind of control, which would mean separating myself from them and branching out on my own. I’d have to create my own label.”
“That’s been your dream for as long as I can remember,” I said softly, her eyes locking on mine as she sucked in a breath. “I think it would be silly not to go after it when it’s finally within reach.”
“I don’t know that I’m cut out for that.
This was just a random idea that hit me earlier, who even knows if it would sell?
It’s a long shot, and it would take a lot of work to get everything done to make this happen.
I don’t know that I have the means to promote it or find the right audience.
Starting my own label would be more than I’m familiar with and would take time that I don’t necessarily have.
” She glanced at Chloe, and I knew that she was worried about finding that work and family balance she had already been struggling with.
“The best things in life are usually the hardest,” I replied, leaning back in my chair and licking my lips.
It was a stupid thing to do because I noticed the flush on Lyric’s cheeks at the same time I realized how those words could be taken. But fuck if I didn’t love the reaction I was getting from her as she thought about how hard I could get for her and how fucking amazing the sex was between us.
“That they are,” she said so softly I barely heard her.
“We can help you,” Kara offered, passing the sketchbook back to her. “Whatever you need, we’re all on board to make it happen.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate that. I’m going to take baby steps and see where things end up, but thank you all for the support. That means so much to me.”
After we finished dinner, I sent Lyric to rest with Chloe while Ben and Kara helped me clean up. I could tell by the look on Kara’s face that she was up to something, I just didn’t know what.