A Love to Cherish (Finding Love Series Book 2)
Page 6
“I think the timer is about to go off,” Lyla says.
“You ready to look together?”
“Yes, on the count of three? One, two, three.” I don’t even look at the stick. I look at Lyla the entire time. The joy that comes over her face, that’s the only answer I need to know that she’s pregnant.
“Oh, my goodness, did you see?”
“Yeah, baby. I see everything. I love you so fucking much,” I tell her.
“I love you. We’re going to be parents. I can’t believe it!” She responds. I take her mouth in a kiss, all while leading her back to our bed. I know she’s going to want to call our friends and family, but right now, I need to feel her body wrapped around mine.
Epilogue One
Lyla
Four Months Later
It’s been a lot of fun getting things ready for this day, of course it wouldn’t be the same without Presley and Callie.
“I think that’s everything. We have food, drinks, decorations, and then the car is ready with what needs to happen with all that jazz,” Callie says, with Noah on her hip giving Presley a break. He recently ramped up teething and poor Lincoln and Presley are definitely feeling the effects.
“Thank you. Where’s Bella?”
“She’s with the guys. I swear if I didn’t know how much of a girlie girl she was, I would say she’s a tom boy,” Callie laughs as she says it. She knows good and well, Bella marches to the beat of her own drum.
“I secretly think she’s trying to get them on her side for an extra slice of cake later on. You know between all of our parents, my brothers, Colt, and Lincoln, she’ll be full of dessert.”
“You look beautiful, Lyla,” Presley comes bustling in, from where, I have no idea. Maybe her and Lincoln snuck off for a little bit, her hair is rumbled.
“You do too, is that grass I see in your hair?” I go around to pick at it, knowing damn good and well there isn’t anything in it. I just want to ruffle her feathers some.
“I do not, what are you even talking about?” She’s moving out of my way, turning this way and that way all while I’m trying to hold back the biggest laugh that’s bubbling up.
“Oh my gosh, I see it! No wonder you asked me to watch Noah. Don’t worry, Noah, Auntie Callie will always watch you,” Callie gets in on the fun.
“Alright, alright. It’s been months since we’ve gotten a break where we don’t have to be quiet. I love Noah to pieces, but his teething is slowly making me want to cry.” She sits down at the table and puts her hands in her head. I had no idea it was this bad or we would have helped. She never asked, sure girls’ days are getting less and less, but we really need to band together around one another now.
“No more of that, you know Lyla and I are here for you. Plus look at that family out back, you guys can’t go days and days without sleep. Let us help you carry the burden,” Callie soothes Presley by rubbing her back.
“I’m sorry, I’m being a sniveling shit today and on Lyla’s day no less.” She picks her head up and that’s when I really see Presley’s eyes, she’s wearing more make up than usual to try and cover up the dark circles under her eyes.
“Well, fuck. I was trying to have fun, promise. I didn’t mean to make you cry, but like Callie said, you and Lincoln need to let us help you guys out. If that means I come and pick him up for the afternoon or the evening I will. So, how about tonight, Colt and I will take him, you two go home or go out then pick him up tomorrow?” Not wanting to take no for an answer.
“We’ll have to go home first and pack his things, but I think we really need that. He may not sleep through the night though,” she responds.
“We’ll be alright, one night won’t kill us. Now, let’s get this thing over and done with so you can relax.” The overwhelming feeling of feeling like a shit best friend is definitely there. I’ll try and get this shindig over and done with that way they can have time alone.
“I love you guys,” Callie says, and we all return her reply while we hug it out before we make our way to the front yard.
I spot Colt and say, “Hey, you ready to get this started? We have a baby spending the night with us tonight.”
“Yeah, Bella or Noah?” he asks.
“Noah, they need a break desperately.”
“Shit, we get to spoil him rotten and send him back. That’s the best part. Love you, babe,” he kisses my lips softly before pulling away.
“Love you more.”
“Clairabella, you want to help me with this?” he asks.
“Oh yes, Uncle Colt.” The two of them go over to the Camaro that was sitting in his shop that we went and found the day our lives started to change. True to his word, he let Bella pick the color. I secretly think he’ll be holding onto that car for her one day.
Both of them hop in the car, leaving the whole family standing, anxiously awaiting to see if we’ll be welcoming a little boy or a little girl in the coming months.
“You ready for this?” My dad comes up beside me, his arm wrapped around my shoulder.
“More than ever,” I smile at Colt, he winks at me and then he starts the Camaro, revving the engine up while in park and out comes a plume of pink smoke from the exhaust telling us what to expect. I had no idea not long-ago Colt asked for a little girl that his dream would come true, I still secretly hope she looks a lot like her father.
I tear off towards Colt as soon as he shuts the car down and escorts Bella back towards Callie.
“Oh my gosh, we’re having a little girl!” He picks me up, twirling me around in his arms.
“Hell yeah, we are, and she’s going to have me wrapped around her finger, much like her Mom already does.” I lean into his lips, wanting to taste him, needing to feel him. He gives me what I’m after, just like he does every single time.
Epilogue Two
Colt
One Year Later
Callie walks through the front door without knocking, something her and Presley both do. I’m sitting on the couch, my little princess, Brentley, tucked into my chest. “Whelp, I hope you have room for Bella and me. After today, I’ll probably be jobless and homeless.” Her voice is full of hostility, something I can't blame her for at all.
“What happened now?” Lyla asks,
“Bella has her dance recital coming up. It’s during the day, so I asked for the day off. Figuring I may as well make a production of it, make it a Mom and me day. Well that asshole denied my time off. Somehow there’s an important meeting that suddenly appeared, and I have to be there. So, I may have walked into his office and told him if being an asshole was a real job, he’d be even more successful than the attorney he is now and walked out. I’m waiting to hear if I have a job to come back to.”
“If you need a job you know you can come work for me,” I offer.
“I know that, and I love you for even offering that. I just hate that I’m going to lose so much. I’ve worked there ever since Bella was a baby and was ready to work while Mom and Dad watched her.” The weight of the world is on her shoulders. When you’re around Callie and Presley as much as I am, they’re basically your adopted sisters.
“The offer is always open, you know we have full benefits, too.”
“Maybe this is what’s meant to happen. He’s been running you ragged for a while now, Callie. If he does fire you, it’s an even better reason to start a different career path,” Lyla stands up and moves beside her.
I tune the two of them out as they volley questions back and forth about Clairabella’s recital, when it I’ll be, what she’ll be doing, and what she’ll be wearing.
She’s another girl that weaseled her way into my heart, and quickly. I even pick her up from school a day or two a week. Between Brentley, Noah, and Clairabella, we all have our hands full, but we try and do something together once a month. I even have my parents looking at buying a vacation home down here in Florida, not that Texas is that much more different than down here.
Mom looked at me like I had three he
ads until she realized they’d be closer to their only grandchild. It lit a fire under her ass and they’re in the process of looking for a property this month.
“Okay, thanks for letting me vent. Let me get some of those baby smells before I leave to pick up Bella,” Callie says, she does exactly that. She breathes in Brentley’s scent, gives her a kiss on her head, hugs Lyla, and then she’s off.
“I don’t know how she has that much energy, but I swear she’s been like that her whole life,” Lyla says.
“Some people are like that, never stopping. I see that’s where Clairabella gets it from though.” She sits down beside us and I move my arm to wrap it around her shoulder.
“I’m worried about Callie, though. I may need to call Pres, maybe schedule a girls’ day out. I know she’s holding it all in and will more than likely explode into tears. I don’t want her to do that on her own, which is what she’ll do.”
“Then you know what you need to do. Lincoln and I will watch the rascals, you girls go do your thing and help her out.” I kiss the side of her head, breathing her in.
“I love you, Colt,” Lyla breathes out.
“I love you, Lyla. Always.” We sit like this in comfortable silence with our small family of three, for now.
The End
Be on the lookout for A Love That Lasts—Callie’s story in May 2020.
Author Links
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Also by Tory Baker
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Mail Ordered Bride
Nailed
Doctor For Hire
Going All In
Getting What He Wants
Accidental Daddy
Love Me Forever
Gettin’ Lucky
It’s Her Love
Meant To Be
Breaking His Rules
Can’t Walk Away
Carried Away
In Love With My Best Friend
Must Be Love
Sweet As Candy
Falling For Her
All Yours
Sweet Nothings Book 3—Tory Baker
Carter Brother Series
Just One Kiss
Just One Touch
Just One Promise
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A Love Like Ours
A Love To Cherish