Page 50 of The Road Back to Us

He tickled my sides gently, making me giggle as he picked me up and carried me to the bed.

I laid down, resting on my elbows as I saw the emotions flicker across his face the moment he saw the tattoo he didn’t know I had until earlier. Kara had seen it one day when we were at the store trying on clothes, and I needed her help with a dress when the side zipper got stuck.

He looked cautiously at me before gently running his finger over the small butterflies.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know you had this,” he said quietly.

“I got it shortly after I moved to New York. I had been talking to a new co-worker of mine who had just had a miscarriage, and we bonded over the loss we experienced. She told me that butterflies can symbolize pregnancy loss. I looked it up and found that many people see a butterfly’s metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly as a soul’s journey through life after death. It was the best way I could find to honor the babies we lost.”

His eyes clouded with tears as he nodded and continued to trace his finger over each butterfly separately.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you the way you needed me to be,” he said as he choked back a sob. “I’m so fucking sorry, Lyric.”

I sat up and cupped his face in my hands as I held it.

“You were there for me, Cole. I was the one who left you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You were always there for me, even when you had to sacrifice what you needed. I left because I didn’t want to keep doing that to you. I didn’t want you to always put your needs on the back burner.”

I pulled him into my arms and kissed him tenderly, hating how hurt and broken I had left him when I moved to New York.

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.”