Fifty-Three | Cole
Fifty-Three
Cole
I looked at the cards in my hand and narrowed my eyes, loving the way Chloe’s little face was lit up as she watched me.
We had somehow managed to spread out in the bedroom to play a game of Go Fish with Lyric for family game night.
It was Chloe’s turn to pick the game, so we had been playing Go Fish for over an hour.
“Do you have any kings?” I asked, trying to keep the smile from my face. “I want my fish to be a little so-fish-ticated.”
Chloe frowned, not getting my joke, but it earned an eyeroll from Kara and Ben while Lyric laughed at it.
“At least someone thinks I’m funny,” I muttered as I drew a card from the pile.
“Yeah, the dad jokes are super funny,” Ben said dryly, but I noticed the way the corners of his lips curled up.
“What qualifies a joke to be a dad joke?” I asked, holding my cards to my chest so Kara and Chloe couldn’t see them. I couldn’t prove it, but I was pretty sure they’d been cheating the last half hour or so.
Ben let his head fall back and groaned while Lyric laughed harder.
“I don’t know. I guess when they’re as lame as the ones you’ve been telling?” he answered.
I shook my head and pretended to be disappointed.
“No, Ben. That’s not how it works. A joke becomes a dad joke when it becomes a parent. Duh.”
Lyric laughed harder, pure happiness highlighting her face as Kara laughed with her.
“Wow,” Ben said, pressing his lips together as he struggled more with not smiling. “Just when I thought they couldn’t get any worse.”
I shrugged and glanced at Chloe while she tried to figure out what she wanted to ask for now that it was her turn. It always took her forever and more often than not, she would ask for stuff she didn’t even need. Kara was helping her, which sped up the game a little.
“I hate to break it to you, but I’m just getting started.” I winked at Ben, and then we all gave Chloe our attention as she asked Lyric if she had any sixes, only to have Kara smack her hand against her head as we all stared at the pile of sixes already sitting on the bed in front of Lyric.
The rest of the night went by quickly, and I found myself not wanting it to end.
Lyric was tired, so Kara and Ben cleaned up before taking Chloe to get her ready for bed.
I knew it had meant a lot to Lyric that they brought family game night to her, just like it meant a lot when Ben surprised her with freshly-baked brownies and ice cream.
The kids had really pulled together, and I loved how genuinely they loved her.
After making sure the house was locked up and the kids were situated, I went to the bedroom, surprised to find Lyric still sitting up in bed. I thought for sure she would have already been asleep.
“Hey,” I said as I closed the door behind me and got changed for bed.
“Hey,” she replied, hiding a yawn behind her hand. “Thanks for everything tonight.”
I tugged a clean T-shirt over my head and climbed into bed beside her.
“It was all the kids doing,” I replied softly. “They made all of that happen tonight. I just took care of dinner.”
“Well, it was all amazing. I still can’t believe they did all of that.”
“They love you.”
“I love them, too.” She let out an easy breath as her shoulders relaxed, rubbing her hand over her stomach.
“I was so scared I wouldn’t be able to do this.
I had no idea how to raise kids, and here I am with three of them who have been so kind and loving to me. I still can’t believe this is my life.”
“You’re doing an amazing job with them, just like you’re going to do an amazing job with the twins. I can’t wait to meet them.”
“Me too. It’s hard to believe we’ve made it this far and that it’s twins. How in the world did that happen?”
I shrugged and felt myself grinning as I answered her.
“I think my sperm were just really excited to be inside of you again. They knew they had a job to do and aimed for perfection.”
“Overachievers are what they are,” she teased with a giggle. “Had to go and knock me up with two babies.”
I put my arm around her and pulled her to me, holding her as she leaned against me. She grabbed my hand and placed it on her stomach, laughing as one of the babies moved underneath it.
“They’re getting so strong,” I commented, still amazed that we had made it this far with her pregnancy. It was a blessing that I was thankful for every day. “I can’t believe how big they’re getting.”
“I know. It’s wild, right?”
I nodded in agreement, inhaling the soft scent of her shampoo as she nestled her head beneath my chin.
“Marry me,” I blurted out, not thinking about it before I said the words.
She tilted her head slightly, looking up at me.
“We’re already married, silly.”
“I know,” I said, shifting slightly so I could see her better without forcing her to strain her neck.
“But so much has happened since we got married. I want to marry you again, Lyric. I want to stand in front of our family and renew our vows while celebrating our love. I want to welcome these babies into the world knowing that they have parents who are madly in love with each other.”
She grinned brightly at me and reached up to caress my face with her fingers.
“I don’t know how that would work. I’m supposed to stay on bed rest, and I don’t think renewing our vows in here is what you’re looking for.”
“I was thinking maybe after the babies are born. There’s no rush, so we can do it whenever you want to, if you want to.
I know that we’re still technically married, but I want to do it all over again, Lyric.
I want to make new vows and declare my love for you so you never have to question how much I love you. ”
“Okay,” she said softly, her cheeks scrunched up in a smile. “I will marry you again.”
“Really?” My voice rose to match my excitement, loving the look on her face. “You’ll marry me again?”
“Yes,” she giggled, turning her face to kiss my lips. “I’d marry you over and over again until your heart was content, my love.”
“You continue to make me the luckiest man alive.”
I deepened the kiss, only pulling back when I heard the moan escape her lips. We still had months before I could touch her the way I wanted to, so I wasn’t going to tease her now with something I couldn’t give her.