Page 46 of The Road Back to Us

“And here I’ve been a broken glass that can’t even hold water kinda girl.”

I knew she meant it as a joke, but I also knew there was some truth in it that she believed as well.

“You’re not broken,” I said softly, rubbing my hands up and down her arms. “But even if you were, that’s okay. I know how to fix just about anything.”

“Well, I’m happy to know I’m in good hands,” she teased.

“The best,” I agreed, wiggling my eyebrows as I leaned in and nipped her neck, making her giggle.

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The next day, we sat down for a family breakfast and invited my parents over. I could tell that Lyric was anxious, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I sat beside her, holding her hand under the table while Chloe told my dad about how naughty Rufus and Magnolia had been this morning.

“They ate your cake?” my dad asked, staring in disbelief as she got more dramatic by the second.

“Yes!! All of my cake!” Chloe confirmed, throwing her hands in the air.

“Well, in all fairness, it was a cake made out of mud,” Ben chimed in. “You know they’ll eat just about anything.”

“But it was for their birthdays, and I didn’t even get to sing!”

“I can help you make another cake after breakfast,” my dad offered, watching Chloe with fascination as she frowned and pouted with her arms folded over her chest.

“What did I miss?” my mom asked as she walked into the kitchen, kissed all the kids on the head, then took her seat by my dad.

I turned my attention to Lyric while my dad gave my mom a recap of the cake incident.

“You okay?” I asked, squeezing her hand beneath the table.

She nodded but looked like a deer caught in headlights as she stared down the length of the table.

“Are you okay, Aunt Lyric?” Kara asked, drawing everyone’s attention to us.

I lifted our hands from under the table, not letting hers go, even when she tried to pull away. I knew everyone noticed it by the confused glances they shared, their eyes coming back to our joined hands resting in front of us on the table.

“Lyric and I have some news we’d like to share,” I announced, ignoring the way my heart raced in my chest.

“Are you guys back together?” Ben asked.

I looked at Lyric, not sure how she wanted to handle that question. We had been so focused on the pregnancy that we never got around to officially addressing that. Things had been moving along so quickly that it seemed like we went back into old routines as if we were together again.

“Yes,” Lyric answered, clearing her throat before reaching for her glass of water with her free hand.

“That’s so awesome,” Kara said, followed by my parents agreeing.

“That’s not all,” I added, shifting in my chair as I realized just how nerve-racking this really was. “We’re having a baby.”

There was an audible gasp as everyone stared at us, jaws hanging in surprise.

“Two, actually. Twins.”

“What?” Kara laughed as she looked from me to Lyric, her eyes wide. “That’s seriously so cool.”

“Wow,” my mother said, shaking her head. “I can’t believe it.”

“Neither could we,” Lyric replied with a soft laugh. “But it’s true. We are pregnant with twins. I’m fourteen weeks, and we’re having a boy and a girl.”

“Congratulations,” my dad said, getting up from the table to come hug both of us. “We’re so happy for you guys.”