Page 125 of Ruin The Friendship
I glance at the clock on the nightstand. It’s not even eight. “Yeah, another couple of hours.”
“Good.” He kisses my neck, wrapping his arms around my midsection. “Get some rest, beautiful.”
My eyes fall shut before the words finish leaving his mouth.
53
MISFORTUNE & MAMA DRAMA
LYDIA
“Okay, I have to head to the arena,” Fletcher says as he puts on his jacket, lingering by the front door. “Are you sure you two don’t want to ride with me?”
I’m sitting on the couch with my yarn in my lap, crocheting a hat for Dottie.
“Positive.” Dottie leaves the kitchen to give him a quick hug. “We will be just fine.”
“I’m not standing up,” I tell Fletcher when he looks over to me. “She just got comfortable in there, and I’m not risking it.” I gesture to my belly with my crochet hook.
Fletcher chuckles, striding over and bending over to kiss me on the lips. “Bye, baby. I’ll call you in a bit.”
I laugh. “You know, you don’t have to call me before every game.”
He always calls before a game, even on home games, unless I ride with him, and I never get why. It’s not like we don’t talk an hour earlier when he leaves home.
“Yes.” He kisses me on the lips again. “I.”Kiss. “Do.”Kiss. When he pulls back, there’s a gleam in his eyes. “Don’t question the method to my madness, Lydia Ward.”
“Alright.” I caress his stubbled cheek.
He’s going to shave it into a mustache once more before the playoffs start, since I love it so much, and at this rate, we’re a shoo-in for the first round. “I’ll see you for warm-ups. Love?—”
I catch myself before saying it.
Yes, we used to say I love you, love you, or some variant of the phrase before, but now that we’re together, it’s different. It holds a new weight. Fletcher almost slipped up this morning, and now I almost did. It’s only a matter of time before we say it for real.
I love him, I do. And as more than my best friend. As my partner. The man who has stepped up to be the father of my child, who has supported me every step of the way. I’ve never been so thankful we ruined our friendship to take this pathway.
After he leaves, Dottie and I settle in for a relaxing afternoon before we head to the arena.
“Are you ready?” she asks.
The baby kicks at the sound of her voice.
“As ready as I can be, I suppose.” I shrug. “If I were doing this on my own, I’d be more of a mess, but Fletcher has made things so much easier.” I hold her weathered hand in mine. “Thank you for raising an amazing man.”
Her eyes shine. “I’m so happy you two finally found your way together. Watching you become parents will be one of the great joys of my life.”
My eyes well up, too.
“You're in love with him, aren’t you?” Dottie wipes away my tears.
I nod, words failing me. I am. I love him so much, and I can’t wait for the moment I finally tell him. I need to tell him assoon as possible.
“He loves you, too, you know. He would move mountains for you and your little girl.”
“I know,” I say through a sob. “He’s shown me that every day.”
“Good.” She wraps her arms around me in a tight embrace, and baby girl kicks when her grandma rests her palm flat over my stomach.
