Page 20 of The Road Back to Us

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” I thought my words were quiet as I mumbled them, but she stopped and turned around, leaning against the counter as she watched me.

“None of this is easy, Lyric. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this has been for you. Between packing up your life and starting over, and jumping in to raise three kids—all of this is challenging. On top of that, you’re working full-time from home and balancing family life while also taking care of baby goats. I don’t know a single person who could do this without help. It’s true what they say, it really does take a village.”

My lower lip trembled as I nodded in agreement, too afraid to say what I really felt.

They were Cole’s village and the kids’ village. They weren’t my village.

Aside from the kids, I didn’t have any family left, which meant I didn’t have a village.

“Nope. Stop that right now,” she scolded as she shook her head and pushed away from the counter.

Within seconds, she was standing in front of me, pulling me into her arms as she hugged me tightly.

“I don’t care what happened between you and my son. You always have and always will be my daughter, Lyric. I don’t do the things I do because of Cole. I do them for all of you. I want to help because this is my family, and we take care of each other. That includes you, sweetheart. You will always be part of our family, so please don’t ever doubt that. We’re all in this together.”

I tried to stay strong, but the way she held and comforted me in that moment made the walls I had been holding up crumble around me.

**************************************

I was THRILLED when Chloe devoured her bowl of soup and even ate some of the bread Sherry had made. I hoped this was the start of new eating habits for her and that we might be able to get her to try more new foods.

Cole cleaned up after dinner and sent me outside with the kids and his dad to check on the goats. I knew that he needed some space after the looks I had seen him give me earlier, which I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about. The hurt that had shone on his face when he heard I was sick in New York had sent a jolt through me because I hadn’t seen him show that kind of emotion since Clay’s funeral. It was like it had hurt him to know that I had been sick and he wasn’t there to take care of me.

Deep down, I’ve always known that Cole had never stopped loving me. The problem was that I hadn’t allowed myself to consider just how much he still loved me, even after everything I had put him through. Seeing the evidence of it on his face had almost broken my heart in a way I wasn’t sure I would ever recover from, because to be loved by Cole was truly a gift.

One that I had taken for granted for so many years, I wasn’t sure that I was worthy of it anymore.

Twenty

Cole

I had avoided Lyric for as long as I could, but as the night wore on, it became more and more impossible. Ben and Kara had gone to bed an hour ago, while I stayed in Chloe’s room, reading a story to her, even though she had fallen asleep in the first few minutes. I was stalling having to see Lyric, and I knew it, but that didn’t make it any easier to face her.

I went to the kitchen and filled a glass with ice water, hoping it would be enough to literally chill me out. My heart raced at the thought that Lyric was in the bedroom, waiting for me. I knew she wouldn’t go to bed until we had a chance to talk because I had recognized the look on her face during dinner—the one that said she knew something was wrong with me and she wasn’t going to let it go until we talked it out.

The ice water burned as I chugged it, setting the glass down hard enough on the counter that I had to check to make sure I didn’t break it. My eyes drifted over to the small brown paper bag that was still sitting on the counter with Lyric’s surprise in it.

I loaded the glass into the dishwasher, then started it before grabbing the bag and heading to the bedroom. Each step felt heavier as I approached the bedroom, noticing that the door was open instead of closed like Lyric usually left it when getting ready for bed. That meant she was watching to make sure I came into the room and didn’t try to sneak off to sleep on the couch to avoid her.

I swallowed hard, forcing down the rising anxiety as I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me. She sat on the bed, rubbing lotion onto her leg as she looked up at me and stopped. My eyebrows rose on their own as my eyes unashamedly traveled the length of her body, taking in the sight before me.

Lyric had always been beautiful, but tonight she looked like an angel ready to lead me into temptation. Her hair was pulled up on top of her head, allowing me to see the color as it flushed her cheeks while her eyes stayed locked on mine.

Her hands slowly continued rubbing the lotion in, moving from her ankle up to her thigh, where her shorts had ridden up. Her skin looked soft and smooth, making me desperate to touch her.

“Hey,” she said softly, finally breaking the silence between us.

“Hey.” Blood rushed past my ears as I watched her lean back on her hands and cross her ankles with her legs extended in front of her. She was like a siren, calling me to the depths of the ocean where I would willingly drown if it meant I got to be with her again.

“Everything okay?”

I nodded, forgetting that I was still clutching the paper bag in my fingers as if it were my only lifeline.

“Yeah. I um, I got you something,” I said as I awkwardly walked over to her side of the bed and held it out.

A playful smile stretched her lips as she looked from me to the bag, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. She took the bag and opened it slowly, peering inside before pulling her head back and laughing.

“Oh my gosh!” she squealed as she pulled the contents out and held each item up. “I cannot believe you remembered!”