Page 64 of Flawless Lyric

“Lyric, what’s wrong?” Oh, if I only knew.

I hear him talking but I can’t comprehend a thing. I’m too busy retching and dry-heaving to really care. My stomach spasms and tears pour down my cheeks, yet my only concern is for the baby. My baby.

Once again, I’m floating through the air and now it feels like I’m spinning out of control. My vision’s blurry and I blame it on the headache that’s been plaguing me. With one hand holding my stomach, I pass out.

When something cold is placed on my skin, my eyes blink open. Once. Twice, and on the third I can barely make out someone sitting in the corner of the room. In a blink of an eye, they’re standing above me, crowding me. Is this another damn nightmare?

When I claw at the coldness, I squeal when my hand touches someone. A nurse?

“You’re in the hospital, Beauty.” My heart’s suddenly beating out of my chest, my hands are wrapped around my queasy stomach.

“Did I lose the baby?” Tears pool in the corner of my eyes before streaming down my face.

“You have food poisoning, sweetie. Your baby’s fine.” Micah’s tears match my own as he leans forward, consoling me.

I watch the nurse exit the room over Micah’s shoulder, thankful that we can finally be alone.

28

Monthslater

MICAH

The holidays have comeand gone, and I contemplated asking Lyric to marry me on several occasions. It just never seemed like the right time. Scratch that. I don’t want her to think I’m obligated to ask. I want it to be spontaneous. Easier said than done since we’re back in the studio recording our third album. It’s hard to believe that six months have gone by already.

We’re almost seven months pregnant and although we could have found out the sex of the baby already, we chose not to. Much to my sister’s dismay since they wanted to put on an elaborate gender reveal party. Uh, no. A big fat no. There are a ton of other reasons to have a party, and the sex of our baby is not one of them.

Now our only dilemma is where to set up the nursery. I know for a fact that my family along with Novalee and Lyric’s friend Donna are planning a baby shower. So, yeah. Where to put all of the things that she’ll eventually receive has been weighing on both of our minds. This is something that I can’t put off any longer.

It’s now or never.

Lyric’s all curled up on the sofa reading a book when I walk into the room. And as soon as I sit down beside her, she sets it on the side table. Knowing full well I have something on my mind. We might not have been together very long, but she knows me too well.

“I know that look, Fast Hands. What’s on your mind?”

“The thing is, I’ve always been a planner, Beauty, so not knowing where we’re going to live after the baby’s born is making me anxious.”

Grabbing my hand, she asks, “Where do you want to live, Micah?”

“Am I being selfish if I tell you I want to live here with you and the baby?” The thought of raising my child in the home she shared with her ex doesn’t sit well with me.

“Not at all. In fact, it might be nice for me to have a fresh start. I’m game if you are.” Okay, that was too easy.

“I’d be thrilled to have you and the baby here with me. There’s plenty of room for Novalee when she…”

“Thanks, but Novalee already has a home. I’m sure she’ll be more comfortable staying there whenever she’s in town.”

Not going to lie, I hate the thought of her staying with us but since she’s Lyric’s flesh and blood, I’d make an exception to the rule.

“It doesn’t make sense to keep the house open just for the short time she’ll be there, but if that’s what you want, we’ll make it work.” Should I be worried that she suddenly falls silent?

Playing with my fingers, she traces a path down the palm of my hand and back up again. Right where I assume would be my lifeline. If I was superstitious, I might be worried that she’s trying to secretly tell me something. It could be just a coincidence, but we both know I don’t believe in them.

“I thought getting the house in my divorce settlement was going to make me happy. Turned out it was the total opposite. It made me feel lonelier than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. More so after Novalee went to college. There are too many memories that live inside those walls. Some are wonderful, and others not so much. I was thinking of giving the house back to Jeff.”

The way she hesitates makes me wonder if she’s waiting for my opinion. Well, she might not like what she’s about to hear, but she’s getting it anyway.

“That’s too generous of an offer, Beauty. You’ve mentioned several times that you never asked for alimony, child support, or anything else. Just the house. So if you just give it to him, he’s getting the best of both worlds. What I would do, and it’s just me thinking out loud, I’d sell it to him. I’ve no doubt Mom would get the best market price and not even charge you an agent fee.”

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