Plus, spending time together outside of work is fun.
These two are hilarious.
Tally dips her brush into the green paint, examining the shade thoughtfully. “I love this green. It’s so calming, perfect for a baby’s room, but I don’t know if I want to look at it all the time.”
I have to put a hand over my mouth to keep from grinning. We’ve been going back and forth for nearly an hour now, andunless she chooses a color, we won’t be able to start anything today.
Tim is more than exasperated already, but he’s a good sport. Holding the blue brush, he looks at the color options with a contemplative expression. “I agree, green is soothing, but I also think blue is the classic choice for nurseries. So, if you think you’d like to look at that better, we can choose that color.”
“I just don’t know,” Tally whispers again, her eyes filling with tears.
“Hey…” I step in front of her and look her in the eyes, “… it’s okay, girl, we can go and get another color if these don’t fit. Maybe yellow?”
“No, it’s just… it’s hard to do this without Mom. We talked about it, and she was so excited to decorate the nursery.” A sob breaks out of her, and Tim pulls her to his chest, kissing her forehead.
“I know, baby, I’m so sorry,” he mutters into her hair.
I feel the familiar chill down my neck and see Shannon standing before the buckets of paint, looking inside them.
“They’re both pretty colors, Tallulah,” she reassures her with a smile.
“I bet she would think that both colors are pretty and that you could choose what you like best,” I tell Tally, feeling Shannon’s eyes on me.
Tally turns her face on Tim’s chest, looking over at me with tears streaming down her cheeks. “But what if I choose wrong,” she whispers.
“Sometimes wrong helps us find the right,” Shannon answers, now standing beside Tally, her love for her daughter radiating.
I decide to give Tally that nudge from her mom. She needs it, both of them do, and it’s not bad advice at all.
“If you choose wrong, I’ll come over and paint it the right color for you. Maybe little Timmy will help me with it.” I shoot him a grin. “Choosing the wrong thing sometimes helps figure out the right one.”
Tally’s eyes go wide before she slaps her hand over her mouth with a sob. I look helplessly at Tim, who cradles her head to his chest again.
Fuck, what did I do?
“Shan always said something similar like that.” He smiles sadly, kissing Tally’s head. “She’s right though, baby. Choose a color, and if it sucks, we’re just gonna change it. It’s okay. Shan would love everything you do.” He nudges Tally playfully, his eyes dancing with affection when she finally looks up at him. “Well, we could always compromise. How about a combination of both colors? A blue-green theme, green background, blue stars?”
“Ew, no, we’re not going to make a weird hybrid nursery.” Tally pushes away from him, dips her paintbrush into the pale blue paint, and carefully glides it across the nursery wall. It’s a soft and beautiful contrast to the dark wood of the floor.
“Beautiful,” Shannon echoes my thoughts from behind me.
“That’s the color,” Tim agrees as he stands behind her, pulling her to his chest. “The baby’s gonna love it.”
My heart fills with warmth. Being a part of this special moment in their lives is an honor. While they laugh and paint the wall, I make my way over to my backpack, which I left at the door, taking out my camera and snapping pictures of the lovebirds. I thought it would be nice to capture such a special moment.
Tally brings the paintbrush to Tim’s face, effectively giving him a Smurf nose, and she giggles adorably. I can’t stop taking pictures as he leans down and presses his nose against hers,letting it slide up the bridge of her nose, so her face is now a cute, blue mess too.
As I watch them bicker and smile at each other, their love so evident in their faces and eyes, jealousy creeps in.
I’ve had a thing going with a colleague before my life went to hell.It was nothing serious because I could never let anyone get too close.I couldn’t allow anyone to see the real me.
But as soon as he caught a glimpse of it, he ran anyway.
And it would always be the same. I would always be alone, stealing nights in arms I don’t belong in just to keep myself from being completely touch-deprived. Before the night with Nash, I hadn’t been touched in ages, not even for a simple hug. I once read an article from a therapist that said a person needs at least four hugs a day for survival.
No wonder I’m barely holding on.
“You can see me, can’t you?” Shannon asks from beside me when I bring the camera back to my eye again, capturing the moment when Tim stands behind Tally, holding her belly while she paints a blue heart on the white wall.
