Page 40 of The Road Back to Us

My foot tapped anxiously on the floor as I continued eating, stopping only when Cole’s hand rested on my knee. Heat flushed through my body from his touch, and without thinking about it, I let my body relax as my legs tried to part for him.

I knew he knew what he was doing to me because Cole knew everything when it came to me. Not only that, instead of removing his hand, he leaned back in his seat and slid his hand up higher to where it rested on my thigh.

My eyes closed as I tried to breathe normally, but it was impossible.

I wanted Cole on a normal day, but being around Cole while I was pregnant felt like taking a kid to a candy shop and not expecting them to go crazy. The temptation to have him touch my body the way it needed to be touched was so strong that I found myself sinking lower in my chair to get his hand where I needed it.

“There’s time for that later,” he said, clearing his voice as he slowly pulled his hand away, immediately lifting the fog I was in.

I shook my head and sat up straight, slightly embarrassed by what just happened.

“Before you start to overthink this,” he said, his voice firm and demanding in the best way. “Don’t. I know what you need before you do most of the time. I won’t apologize for wanting to take care of you every way I know how, Lyric.”

I took a slow, steady breath in and slowly released it as I worked to keep myself calm.

“I will be whatever you need me to be, but I won’t stand by and let you do all of this yourself. I meant when I said that I love you, nothing has changed there. I’m not going to sit back and pretend that this isn’t happening, that you’re not pregnant. Yes, I’m very aware of how this has ended for us before, but I’m going into this with the hope that this time will be different. I know that this isn’t what you wanted or what you expected, but it’s happening, Lyric.”

“I know,” I said, choking back a sob. “I’m scared, Cole.”

“I know you are, baby. I’m scared, too. But it’s okay because we’ve got each other and that’s all we need. We’ve been through so many challenging times, and we always make it to the other side. This won’t be any different.”

“How can you say that?”

“Because it’s true. I’m not going to let you go through any of this by yourself. I made a vow to you a long time ago that I would love you through the good and the bad. Nothing has changed for me, Lyric. I’m going to be there every step of the way.”

I nodded and let my head fall forward as I gave up on trying to stop the tears.

“What if we lose this one too?” I sobbed.

I felt his warm hand as he rubbed my back, scooting his chair closer to mine so he could hug me.

“What if we don’t?” he countered. “We don’t have any way of knowing what the future holds for us. Maybe this is the right place and the right time.”

I looked up at him, struggling to see his beautiful face through the tears that clouded my eyes.

“I don’t think I’ll survive another heartache if this doesn’t...”

“You will,” he rushed out as he held me tightly against his chest. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Thirty-Six

Cole

Lyric and I spent the day coming up with a tentative plan, which surprised me given how shut off she had been at first. We both decided that it would be best not to tell the kids until Lyric was past the first trimester. Given that we only had sex one night, we were able to narrow down her conception date and figured she was six weeks pregnant.

I made a list of items to get from the store, including prenatal vitamins and some foods Lyric thought she could tolerate. Each pregnancy had been different for her, with foods she loved and foods she couldn’t stand. I was surprised that the sausage and eggs had been such a hit and that she’d been able to eat them without throwing up.

Lyric planned to call to schedule a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, when the clinic was open. I offered to take her to another town if she wasn’t ready for anyone in Willow Falls to know, but she said she was fine going to our clinic. I was surprised, but I didn’t push her because I wanted Lyric to be comfortable making all the decisions, knowing she had my full support.

It was getting late in the day when my mom called and asked if the kids could stay the night at their house. I agreed since it was the weekend and we didn’t have anything going on. Not only that, I wanted more time with Lyric without having to worry about anything else.

I walked into the bedroom to find Lyric lying on the bed. I was about to turn and leave when she opened her eyes and smiled at me.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were resting. I just wanted to let you know that the kids are staying the night at my parents—”

Once the words were out of my mouth, I froze because it was in that moment that I realized the huge mistake I had made.

“Shit,” I grumbled. “I’m so sorry, I should have asked you first. I didn’t even think about it when I told my mom that they could stay the night there. I can call back and—”