“Do all females fall at your feet so easily,” I teased.
Lyric hadn’t been afraid to show any public display of affection. Not in front of my family, his parents, outside the home, or even at the foster parent’s home in front of Autumn, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when he leaned in and gave me a quick kiss.
He pulled back and looked into my eyes. “I don’t care about anyone falling at my feet butmytwo girls right here.”
There went my damn heart again.
Lyric had told me earlier there was no need to hide even in front of my sister or she’d never get used to how things were.
I’d asked what he meant by how things were. Lyric had told me that we were a couple and he had a hard time keeping his hands off me but would work to keep all of it PG in front of the little one. He’d said he wasn’t going anywhere, something he assured me of a lot knowing my insecurities, and that she needed to see us as a unit.
I hate to say I got misty-eyed.Again.But the man had a way of doing that to me, he was so sweet.
Autumn was studying us with a curious look. What was she thinking? And then the most amazing thing happened. Her tiny arms left their place around Lyric’s neck where she’d put them and reached out to me.
She sat in my lap at the Foster’s, she grabbed on to say goodbye the first day, but she hadn’t allowed me to pick her up. Only Lyric.
I reached out and swept her into my arms, her sweet strawberry shampoo scent drifting to my nostrils. Grace had given me the rest of the bottle of shampoo because Autumn loved it. We’d be stocking up on it for sure.
“Hey sweet girl,” I whispered.
Of course, she didn’t respond but she did point straight to Jett who was pacing back and forth in front of the big living room window. She was telling me something without words and her brows crinkled in confusion. Autumn looked worried about her brother.
“He will be okay, angel. Jett is waiting for his friend to get here and once she does, then he’ll stop wearing a hole in the floor.”
Lyric chuckled and turned to glance at Jett right as the system dinged, announcing someone had arrived. Jett automatically pulled open the front door without waiting and rushed onto the porch letting the cold air float into the house.
I cuddled Autumn a bit closer to keep her warm and smiled to myself that she allowed it. “See sweetie, your brother will calm down some now.” I wasn’t sure she understood, but she did seem to notice when Jett had been distressed.
Lyric headed in the direction of the door. “I’ll go help them.”
Within minutes my brother and Lyric came back, along with Kace, Teal, their son Denver, and a timid Patience who held a baby in her arms. Jett had told us that the infant was six months old. A precious boy named Griffin. An adorable name, but it was the middle name that had sent crazy feelings rushing through me. The young girl had named her son after my brother, giving him the middle name Lewis just like Jett’s.
I knew then that my brother had made a monumental impact on Patience’s life at the tender age of only eighteen. And would probably do the same for her son. They may be just friends, but they were connected in so many ways that mattered more. His friendship was a lifeline for the girl.
Autumn grabbed me tighter. “You’re okay, baby.”
Teal walked over to us with a soon to be one-year-old Denver perched on her hip. When she reached us my sister’s face brightened. Maybe the babies and all the kids were going to be a good thing, I thought.
“Hey, girl, how are you holding up?” Teal asked.
“I’m hanging in there. I can’t thank you enough for your and Kace’s help. We don’t know what we would have done without you jumping into action.”
“That’s what friends are for. Or as we all like to call it, family.” Teal’s radiant smile was infectious and I smiled back.
“Now, who is this beautiful princess,” she asked.
“This angel is Autumn. Autumn, this is my friend Teal.” God how good it felt to say that. I had a wonderful, amazing friend. And she wasn’t the only one.
“You can call me Auntie Teal.”
My sister looked at her but squirmed to get down out of my arms, so I let her. I didn’t want her to be scared, but she didn’t run away. Instead, she put her arms out and reached up toward Teal. I looked at my friend and her at me, a puzzled look on both our faces.
“Autumn honey, what do you want?” I asked, looking back down at her, the little girl's arms still outstretched.
All of a sudden Gramps yelled from his chair. “For heaven's sake, you girls are clueless. She wants to hold the boy.”
I heard Lyric and Kace chuckle. I looked over and muttered, “Don’t encourage him. He already is too big for his britches and thinks he knows everything.”
