Forty-Four | Cole
Forty-Four
Cole
It felt like time was flying by as Lyric reached the halfway point of her pregnancy, with both babies growing beautifully.
Since she was older and had a history of pregnancy loss, she had frequent appointments with her OBGYN, which seemed to keep her calm.
I went to most of the appointments, but the ones I couldn’t make, Kara went to instead.
It was amazing to see the growth between Lyric and the kids, but it was her relationship with Kara that really warmed my heart.
They did nearly everything together, and Kara and Ben had both grown super protective of Lyric and the babies.
Chloe was excited about having new playmates in the future, but most of her time was spent attempting to teach Squirtle tricks.
We tried explaining that fish couldn’t do tricks, but she was determined nonetheless.
The day had been long, with several parts of the job going sideways and putting us behind a few weeks.
I had stayed late to try to get us caught up, but it was pointless.
The new guy still struggled to follow directions, and I was two seconds away from firing him and doing it all myself.
I had tried to be patient and allow him time to learn, but I was now at wits' end.
I pulled into the driveway, thankful that Lyric had already ordered pizza for dinner so they didn’t have to wait for me.
When I walked inside, I found Lyric sitting on the couch, rubbing a hand over her stomach with a soft grin on her face.
She nodded as Kara spoke to her, before they all turned to greet me.
“Hey,” I said, closing the door behind me. “Sorry I’m so late.”
“No worries,” Lyric replied as she pushed off the couch and walked over to me. “The pizza is still warm, but I can toss a few slices in the microwave if you’d like?”
“Na, I’m good, but thank you. I lived on cold pizza for years. Warm pizza will be like a luxury,” I teased with a wink.
Lyric followed me into the kitchen as I felt Ben and Kara’s eyes on us as they watched. I glanced at Lyric, wondering what was happening, but she just stood there with her hands resting on her belly as she grinned at me.
“Alright, what’s going on? Why are you guys being weird?”
I narrowed my eyes at Kara and Ben, loving the way they didn’t back down and just kept grinning.
“I have some exciting news,” Lyric said, her cheeks nearly splitting from her grin.
“Yeah? Tell me, I can’t wait to hear it.” I put the pizza slices on a plate and set it on the table, giving her my full attention.
Lyric pulled in a deep breath, letting her chest rise and fall with it before slowly letting it out.
“I finally decided on a name for my mommy-and-me clothing line.”
My eyes widened as I felt myself smiling back at her.
“Mel and Me,” she said, looking over her shoulder at the kids. “I wanted to pay tribute to Melanie, since she was my inspiration for the line. It’s a play on the name Melanie.”
I kept my eyes locked on hers as I ignored the stinging sensation in my nose, as emotion threatened to overwhelm me.
“That’s a perfect name,” I said, nodding in approval. “I love it.”
“Thank you,” she replied, taking another deep breath as I saw something flicker across her face before she pushed it away. “That’s not all.”
I tilted my head to the side, studying her as she seemed to squirm under my gaze.
“I knew that it would be difficult to launch my own brand, so I’ve been reaching out to other brands to see if anyone might want to collaborate.
It’s a risky move, and I hate not having full control over my line, but I also had to accept that I don’t have the reach I need to be successful on my own. ”
I nodded, letting her know I was listening because I didn’t know what to say. I knew it would be hard for her, especially with living in Willow Falls and not having the same resources she once had in New York.
“Well, one of the brands that I reached out to responded, and they’re interested in working with me.
They currently have a men’s sports apparel line and are interested in expanding to include women's and children's products. I sent them a handful of mock-ups that I had created so they could see what my line looks like, and they think it’s a perfect fit.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. I’m so happy for you, baby.”
I noticed the blush that tinted Lyric’s cheeks as she turned away from the kids, still not used to my terms of endearment being used in front of them. It had been a choppy few months of trying to get her used to everyone knowing that we were officially together again, but she was trying.
“Thank you. It was a pretty big shock because I didn’t think anyone would be willing to take a chance on me. Thankfully, I had worked with their VP of marketing several times when I worked for Laroque, so she was familiar with who I was and what I could do.”
I walked the few steps over to her and pulled her into my arms, giving her the biggest hug I could without hurting her or the babies.
“You’re going to do amazing things, my love,” I whispered in her ear. “You’ve busted your ass so much to get this line created, and all of that hard work is paying off. I’m so damn lucky to get to be here to watch you get everything you’ve ever dreamed of.”
Right as I said the words, one of the babies kicked, confirming what I said was true.