by C. M. Albert
“Just wanted to get us fed before we hop on the road. Besides, I’m not thirty anymore, Liv. It’s damn cold outside. I’m not trying to have a heart attack or anything. I’ll leave that foolishness to Kerrington and run on the treadmill when we get home.”
“Fair enough,” I said, stirring some honey powder into my tea. We sat in companionable silence for a few moments. But some things still weighed heavy on my heart, and I wanted to clear the air. “Ryan, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings last night.”
He looked surprised when he turned to me. “I’m a big boy, Liv. I can handle it. I never thought this would be easy when we picked up where we left off with Brighton.”
“Yeah, but it’s moving faster now that a baby is on the way. As much as I’m excited about the baby and taking this next step with Brighton and the three of us, I don’t want it to change us.”
Ryan’s half-smile was full of bittersweet truth. “It already has, baby.”
I swallowed. I didn’t want him to be right. I was so scared of losing my tether. Brighton was my wild to my wild. Ryan was my steady rock. He always had been.
“Things may change around us, Ryan. And we may grow with our love in this new—situation, I’ll say. But we are still Liv and Ry,” I said, not sure who I was trying to convince more.
“Yeah,” he said softly.
I went over and wrapped my arms around his waist. “I will never love anyone more than I love you,” I whispered.
He turned in my arms and dropped his mouth to mine, taking back what was his. I stood on my tiptoes, Ryan’s hands holding me firm and steady in his grasp as I reassured him that I was, am, and always would be his first and foremost.
He placed his forehead to mine. “I needed to hear that, Liv. God, did I need to hear that.”
I pulled back and looked up at him, my arms still wrapped around his waist. “I need us to be okay through all of this. If we’re not okay, I’m not okay.”
Ryan’s eyes swept over my face. “We’ll always be okay. Even when we’ve not been as okay these last few years, I never doubted us. You don’t need to either. Now, let’s eat so we can get on the road before this weather gets any worse.”
When Brighton came in five minutes later, he shook off the snow from his coat and hung it on the hook so he could join us for breakfast. Things felt almost normal, with the three of us eating breakfast together and chatting about how our days looked once we got home.
The return trip was more subdued than car rides we’d shared in the past. Brighton made some work calls and texts that were pressing. And after a late night of making love to him that left me breathless and shaky, my body gratefully took the opportunity to fall asleep for the entire car ride home.
That night, Brighton stayed at his place to give Ryan and me some alone time. He understood that we’d thrown a lot at him over the weekend, and that Ryan probably needed a minute to take everything in. Even though I reassured him it wasn’t necessary, he insisted on giving Ryan some breathing room and promised he’d see me the next day.
That night, Ryan and I lay in our bed, just the two of us, and talked quietly like we used to. We shared our hopes and fears for the new life growing inside of me. We made slow, delicious love to one another like only a husband and wife who’ve known each other’s bodies for years could do. And we made promises to one another about our future once the baby came.
I felt more connected to Ryan and loved than I had in years. It’s funny how much life can change so quickly. Yet some things withstand the test of time, no matter what’s being thrown our way.
By the time I drifted off to sleep, I was confident that our marriage could survive any vows I made with Brighton.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Brighton
NOVEMBER FLEW BY fast with December bearing down on us with more snowstorms than usual. The baby was right on target, and Olivia was finally showing. Somehow, she was even more beautiful with her blossoming belly and swelling breasts. She was friskier than ever, too. We often joked that it was a good thing that Ryan was okay with us both loving on Olivia, otherwise the poor man would never get any work done.
We were all looking forward to the time off around Christmas. The school closed for three weeks, and Olivia planned out her jobs to break between clients over the holidays. She was exhilarated with the work she was doing, and it showed. Even though we were keeping her up most nights and she was busy, gone were the bags under her eyes and the exhaustion. She was well into her second trimester and enjoying the energy that had returned.
Paige was happy that the house had sold, as were my cousins, who were splitting the proceeds three ways. I’d more than amply covered fair market value and then some. I insisted on paying Paige her normal fee, even though she returned the check at first. The sale of Uncle Isaiah’s house brought her a big paycheck, and I didn’t want to take that from the boys just because we were family. She helped me sell my house in Watertown, too. It was a starter home I hadn’t gotten around to upgrading because I was too busy making everyone else’s domicile dreams come true. It was easy to part with and made starting over next door to Ryan and Olivia that much easier. At the new house, Olivia helped me decide which staging pieces to keep and which furniture of mine to move down. Obviously, I kept the furniture I’d handmade that inspired the Northern Wells Bedroom Trio I sold this year to Erickson’s, the upscale furniture store. Olivia and I giggled the day we moved it in, jumping onto the bed and making it even more special.
Things were growing even deeper with Ryan, too. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but he relaxed even more into himself under the blanket of our three-way love affair. There was a wisdom, contentment, and joy that seemed more solid than it was when I’d first met them. And while he and I continued to express our deep feelings for one another through our occasional kisses, there was an unspoken understanding that it would likely never go any farther.
But every time we were all together, the three of us sank deeper into love and intimacy, and I’d never felt happier in my life. Olivia had an OB/GYN appointment the week before Christmas, and we decided to find out what the baby’s gender was, as well as get the baby’s DNA tested. We still didn’t want to know the outcome, so we asked Dr. Chavez to keep it a secret. But we all agreed it would be better safe than sorry in case there were any emergencies with the baby’s delivery. Between both of our experiences, we wanted to be as prepared as possible to bring our child into the world safely. Since my sister passed away from cancer at a young age, we also decided to store the cord blood to make sure he had the best fighting chance his whole life.
I was still convinced it was a boy, and Olivia was still convinced it was a girl. Dr. Chavez was used to our little arrangement by now, and we steadfastly agreed that at the end of the day, we cared less about what other people thought than we did about our own happiness and wanting to experience every milestone with Olivia.
“Are you nervous?” I asked Ryan as we waited for Dr. Chavez to come into the room.
“Nah. Are you?”
“Cool as a cucumber,” I fibbed. The truth was all I wanted was Olivia’s safety. Sam dying had been the single worst thing to ever happen to me. But losing Olivia . . . I couldn’t even go there in my thoughts. Sam proved how much can go wrong during childbirth. As long as the baby was healthy, and Olivia was too, I didn’t care what we named it. We could name it Cucumber for all I cared.
The door opened and Dr. Chavez came in, beaming. “All righty, kiddos. You ready to find out your baby’s gender today?”
She scanned through our chart, then set it on the table. Olivia glanced up at Ryan and me, then nodded. We each held one of her hands and waited as the black-and-white screen came to life.
“The baby’s being a little stubborn today,” Dr. Chavez said, lightly pressing on the side of Olivia’s tummy with the transducer to get the baby moving.
We all held our breath as we waited to see the baby move, and hopefully open its legs so we could find out the
gender. It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room as we watched. And waited. Olivia squeezed my hand, and I squeezed hers back as if to say, “It’ll be all right.”
“Come on, Baby T,” Ryan whispered. We called our baby that since it was created by our little “trio” and we hadn’t settled on names yet.
After a few intense moments, Baby T finally started squirming. He probably didn’t like being poked by the doctor’s instrument. A little fist shot in the air, and Dr. Chavez clicked to save that picture as we all laughed. As the baby began to move more, the doctor was able to zoom in and take a look. To me, it all looked gray and fuzzy, and I couldn’t see a thing. Olivia gasped, letting us know she could feel the first flutters as the baby moved inside her.
“Are you sure you want to know?” Dr. Chavez asked one last time. We all looked at each other, our excitement hardly contained.
“Yes!” we all answered at the same time.
“Congratulations, then! You three are having a . . . girl.”
Olivia started crying, resting her head on Ryan’s arm as the doctor took more pictures of the baby for us. “I told you so,” she said, her laughter shaking through her tears as she joked with me.
I leaned over and kissed her fully on the mouth, drawing out the kiss. “We’re having a baby girl, Liv,” I said, rubbing my nose against hers. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” she said.
Then it was Ryan’s turn. He kissed her gently on her forehead. “Our rainbow baby.”
“Our rainbow baby,” she whispered back.
We were on cloud nine all the way home, Olivia talking animatedly about how she could finally buy clothes and think about the nursery. She made me promise to build the crib myself. I didn’t tell her I already had the baby’s bedroom set halfway complete. Erickson’s jumped at the chance to acquire the pieces, so it paid for itself and then some.
I was handing more and more work over to my foreman, Rob, so I promoted him to general manager and instructed him to hire a new foreman for the time being. I wanted to put more focus on the furniture line and Olivia, because that kept me closer to home. After Ryan and I had beat the detached garage to pieces last summer during the reno, I’d restored it to a simple two-car garage but left most of it empty for the new owners to customize. I was glad I hadn’t invested any more into it at the time, because now I was able to finally build my dream workshop, which doubled as my design studio.
Since Ryan was a natural with woodwork, I enlisted him to help with the crib when he could. That way, both of Baby T’s daddies could claim having had a hand in building her nursery furniture. Things were falling into place, and only one thing would make that better. When we got home from the doctor’s appointment, I made an excuse to run next door after our celebration dinner. Olivia said the baby wanted Juan and Don’s again, so Mexican it was.
I hurried home like an eager schoolboy, setting the stage for my official proposal to Olivia. Ryan was in on it and would make up an excuse to send her over later. I lit dozens of candles in the entryway, leading up the stairs, and into the library. Every room held massive bouquets of the rich, purple tulips that were so special to us.
Because, tulips.
Olivia no longer bothered to knock when she came over, so I hung Christmas bells on the back of the knob to let me know when she arrived. I had our song playing softly on repeat in the background. The Glee cast sang gently about how the sun was coming in and everything would be all right. The first time we’d heard it together was during the summer when the three of us were just beginning. Olivia and I were wallpapering during the renovation, blasting music and dancing as we worked.
“Brighton?” I heard her call out from the foyer. “What is all this?”
I heard her taking the stairs. The third one from the top creaked, as all good staircases did in older homes. When she got to the second floor, I heard her sharp intake of breath. She must have gotten to my path of purple tulip petals. You would not believe how many tulips I needed to create that. But the look on Olivia’s face when she opened the library door was worth it.
“Brighton,” she sighed dreamily, looking around the library with wonder and awe. This was the first time she was seeing it decorated for Christmas. A twenty-foot Christmas tree commanded attention from the center of the library, covered in twinkling white lights and sentimental ornaments. Thick garlands of fresh fir spruced the fireplace mantle, woven beautifully around lanterns that housed softly flickering candles. Ryan had hand carved four stocking holders shaped like Christmas trees with a star on top for our new little family. And my other sister, Becca, had knit matching stockings for each of us, including the baby.
Olivia squealed as her eyes landed on each detail. I still didn’t think she really knew what was happening, but she was a mess from all the sentimental touches I’d added. “When have you had time to do this?”
I shrugged. “Here and there while you’ve been working.”
“This is gorgeous!” she breathed out.
“Interior designer approved?” I asked hopefully.
“I think you could take my job!” she gushed. She ran her hands over the intricately carved stocking holders. “These are gorgeous!”
“Thanks. Ryan made those for us. We can keep them at your house next year once Baby T gets here.”
“You mean our house, Brighton,” she said, fisting my sweater with both hands and tugging me closer. “You are the sweetest. And here Ryan led me to believe you had some disaster happening over here with something I’d installed.”
I shrugged sheepishly. “He was kinda in on it.”
She stood on her tiptoes and brushed her soft lips over mine. That would never get old. I wrapped my arms around her waist and cupped her butt, lifting her into the kiss so I could take it deeper. A moan rumbled from one of us, but I pulled back. I needed to have my head on clear, and I was going all fuzzy-headed being kissed by her.
“This isn’t everything,” I said, taking her hand. I led her to the Christmas tree. “I want to show you some of the ornaments I added. I have a few special ones just for you.”
“Oh, do you now?” She titled her head coquettishly and let me twirl her around. She threw her head back with glee, then gazed up at the tall tree. “This must have taken forever to decorate.”
“I had some help. My sisters came down.”
“Oh, boo. And I didn’t get a chance to meet them properly?”
“We’ll see them on Christmas Eve, remember? My whole family is coming down.”
“I know! I can’t wait,” she gushed. “I hope they are able to get past the surface of things and really see how much we’re in love. And why this works.”
“My family is surprisingly understanding. I’ve already told them about the baby. They know this isn’t negotiable. If they want me and the baby in their lives, they’ll take the time to get to know you and Ryan.”
An ornament caught Olivia’s eyes as I was speaking, and she grinned. “Is that Stitch?”
“It is,” I said, pointing to the ornament with the dog’s face on one side and paw print on the back.
“That’s why I saw white paint in his fur last week! I couldn’t figure out what happened!”
“Guilty,” I said. I also pointed out the one of Disney’s Stitch, and one I had handmade from a seller on Etsy. I wrapped my arms around her and rested my chin on her shoulder as she gently lifted the ornament. “Ohana” was written in gold script across the front of a clear glass globe. A yellow-and-white Hawaiian flower filled the inside, and a delicate gold ribbon was tied in a small bow at the top. “You’re the only family I’ll ever need, Olivia.”
She lifted her chin for a kiss, which I was happy to give her. But then I pointed out other ornaments like the ones I’d had made of our houses. They were miniature replicas of our actual homes hand painted on flat, wooden ornaments. She oohed and ahhed as she found each new decoration in the order I’d meant for her to. We’d almost gotten aroun
d the tree when she spotted two special ones. They were silver angel wings wrapped down so the bottoms touched and formed negative space between them where little charms hung.
“A piece of my heart is in heaven,” she read, then choked back a sob when she flipped each charm over. One was inscribed with Laelynn and the other said Sam.
She turned into my embrace. “This is all too much. You shouldn’t have. But I love everything!”
“I absolutely should have, Liv. This is our first Christmas together, with so many exciting changes on the way. But even as we move forward, we’ll never leave them behind. They’ll be Baby T’s guardian angels, looking over their little sister from heaven.”
Olivia bit back her tears. “Thank you. These mean the world to me.”
“But wait. There’s more!” I said in my best infomercial voice, making her laugh and lightening the mood. She gazed through several more ornaments and cooed over the one that said “baby on the way” with one of the ultrasound pictures nestled in its small frame. When we were just about done, I pointed out one last ornament, tucked away a little deeper than the rest.
“I think you missed one.”
She leaned in, squinting to see what it was. It was a circular, mercury glass ornament that doubled as a trinket box with a small clasp. “Go ahead,” I said, taking a large step back. “Take a peek inside.”
Olivia opened the delicate ball hanging from the tree and gasped. I knew she’d seen the small wooden heart inside that I’d engraved with, “Olivia, will you marry me in heart?”
She spun around to find me down on one knee, holding out a white ring box. Nestled inside was the dark lilac diamond ring I’d gotten her. The band was white gold with tiny diamonds circling it. The same diamonds framed the square-cut diamond that I’d had cushion set. It was a stunning ring, but it wouldn’t compete with Ryan’s engagement ring or raise suspicion when she wore it on her other hand.
“Olivia North Wells, I have loved you since the day I met you—maybe even before then. When Sam died, I was scared I’d never find real happiness again. You were the most unexpected, beautiful surprise I never anticipated when I started the work on my uncle’s house. I know this room holds bittersweet memories—but I don’t regret anything. I wanted to make beautiful new memories in here. To remind us that nothing could’ve kept us apart.