Page 98 of In You
Fixed
Caleb
"No,moveitbackabout a foot to the left. It's still not centered with the picture," Tamryn says, clutching Tink in her arms.
Ignoring her slightly agitated voice, I glance over at Colin who's grinning wickedly at me. He and Olivia came up a couple days ago to put the finishing decorations on the nursery that Olivia designed, and the redhead spared no expense. Hitting my checking account hard and with absolutely no mercy.
Colin’s wife stands in the far corner of the nursery straightening a stuffed elephant's bow, humming to herself without a care in the world while Tamryn bosses us around.
I nod my agreement, and he and I shoot each other a secret look before picking up the heavy wooden crib and shuffle forward, putting it back where I swear shejusthad us move it from.
Colin and I look back over at her expectantly. She's standing in a beautiful violet dress with one hand cradling her round tummy, and twisting her lips.
That little frown line appears between her eyes, and I'm thankful when Colin laughs good naturedly, clapping his hands together.
"It looks perfect, amiga," he says in a lighthearted tone, walking up to Tamryn and tucking her under his arm.
He turns them so they're facing me, and I cautiously back away from the crib, catching onto his point. It took us almost an hour to put it together even with my skills, and it seems like even longer trying to pick the perfect spot for it.
We've been in this nursery for hours over the last few days. And though no one's happier than me, aside from Tamryn, of course, there's only so many minor changes that can be made before a person snaps.
Colin and Olivia have been very kind, handling Tamryn's switching alters with a sort of mellow patience I hadn't expected,but I've been on pins and needles to see if Nathan or her seven-year-old alter I've dubbed "Darling" will show, and so far they haven't.
"I agree," Olivia sings, walking to Colin's other side and beaming at us all. She huffs a deep sigh and casts a whimsical look around the nursery that we all just spent the day putting our blood, sweat, and tears into. "It was such a good idea to paint the ceiling the same color, Tamryn," she says, turning her head to look past Colin, who's begging me with his eyes to make it stop. I grin at him and wink. "I mean it really transformed this room into somethin' special. Tris is going toloveit."
"Thanks," Tamryn says sheepishly, turning her eyes to mine and stepping forward. I smile, pulling her into my arms and putting a hand to her belly. Tink licks my neck, and I chuckle, petting her. "Do you like it?" Her shy voice makes my heart melt, and I work to pull her closer, mindful of her belly between us.
"I love it," I assure her, giving her a slightly deeper kiss.
Just then, the oven alarm goes off, and she pulls away with a click of her tongue. "Oh! That's the lasagna!" Tamryn says, snapping her fingers then turning around in a movement so fluid the skirt of her dress billows out, showing me a generous amount of thigh, making my cock stir.
"I'll come with you," Olivia says, following her out. "You don't need to be bending down and pulling heavy things out of the oven, girl!"
Their voices disappear down the hall, leaving just us two men.
"That's cute," Colin says, nodding his head at the little table and chairs against the wall under the window, filled with dolls and a tea service.
He walks over to it, picking one up and eyeing the doll's braids. I refuse to tell him I put those pigtails in while Darling giggled next to me.
"It's been there for a few months actually, it's where I take Tamryn when…" I trail off, scrubbing a hand to my jaw. "I can't bring myself to talk about that part of our situation too much. It's still something I myself am trying to navigate. But when Tamryn's seven-year-old alter, Darling, comes out, I have a tea party with her in here."
"I'm sorry." His eyes turn sad and he leans forward, clasping his hand on my shoulder and squeezing. "You're taking on a lot, my friend."
I nod, averting my eyes as a wave of emotion hits me. "She's worth it. More than."
"You're a good man, Caleb. You've gone through so much, and deserve this more than anyone I know. I can tell when you two look at each other how much love you two share."
I grunt, bringing my eyes back to his. "Love. Who would have thought I'd fall in love?"
His eyes soften, and he half-laughs, grabbing the nape of his neck as he steps away. "You know, I once said the same thing about myself." He turns his head to look towards the doorway our wives disappeared through, and at how solemn he gets I clear my throat, and clap him on the back once.
"I'm sorry if doing this has brought up any issues," I say softly, gesturing around the nursery.
Colin nods, looking down at his feet now as his face clouds with something that looks a lot like pain, and disappointment. "Yeah, it's okay. We're happy to help." He gives me a smile, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. He and Olivia have been trying for months for a baby with no luck.
"It's not too late…" I say gruffly, trying to give him hope.
He blows out a big breath, his eyes turning wary. "Yeah…I just want to give her everything."
