Not only did they have a lot of laughs, there were a few tears. Each gift that Sierra opened had her crying, which she tried to hide stoically. She was pretty sure there wasn’t a single thing they needed to buy at this point because the ladies had thought of everything, right down to the crib, which she was told Cole had put together. She made a mental note to thank him later.
Now that the house was quiet, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do with herself. Bear probably felt the same way because he was now lying in front of the couch and she was pretty sure he hadn’t lifted his head once since the women left.
After Sam insisted she clean up the mess so Sierra didn’t have to, she waved her off, telling her friend that she would have the men do it when they got home. Most of everything was cleaned up anyway, except for a few decorations that remained streaming across the living room.
The baby shower had been astounding. More so was the fact that she had felt so loved with all of the women in the room. Every single one of them, her mother included, understood the dynamic between her and Luke and Cole and not a one of them judged her in any way.
Surprisingly, no one even asked whom the father was. She knew it was probably on their minds, but she appreciated the fact that they respected her enough not to ask. It wasn’t that they were keeping the information from their friends and family, but they weren’t offering it up either. If someone asked, she would probably tell them. Not that it really mattered because as far as she was concerned, they were both the father. And, more importantly, her baby was going to be blessed with more love because of it.
~~*~~
“Honey,” Cole whispered, gently touching Sierra’s arm, trying to wake her without alarming her. She wasn’t fond of being woken from her naps, and she generally startled easily, and her confusion was downright adorable.
He and Luke were surprised to find her sound asleep on the couch when they walked in, the house in much better shape than when he left, although there were still a few decorations that needed to come down. The most overwhelming part now was the abundance of baby things that were piled in one corner. Luke had certainly lucked out.
“Hi,” Sierra said sleepily, peering through heavy eyelids with a smile on her face. “You’re home.”
“And you’re asleep.”
“Sorry, I must’ve dozed for a few minutes. What time is it?”
“Eight-thirty,” he told her, watching as Luke began rummaging through the pile of baby things. Cole grinned at the man’s confused expression, obviously just as clueless as Cole was about what all that stuff was for. “Did you have fun?”
“Oh, Cole. It was unbelievable. We had so much fun. Did you see all the stuff we got?”
“What in the he—, er… world is this?” Luke asked, obviously still working on his profanity.
Sierra sat up straighter and Cole moved over, giving her space. “It’s a diaper Genie.”
“Because a regular trash can won’t do?” Luke asked, staring at the box.
Sierra didn’t bother to try and explain, she merely laughed.
“Have you had dinner?” Cole asked, turning his attention back to Sierra.
“No, but I don’t think I could eat a thing. After the cake and ice cream, I think I’m pretty well done for the night.”
Cole nodded, then glanced over at Luke. “You want me to make you something?”
“If you’re making yourself something, then sure.”
Cole smiled up at Luke, wondering if the man even realized how bewildered he looked. Cole certainly knew how he felt. With a baby on the way, the baby shower pretty much signifying that they were heading down the home stretch now, it was beginning to get real.
As he walked to the kitchen, Cole wondered whether the anxiety actually would get better or worse once the baby was born. The conversations over the course of the evening hadn’t done anything to alleviate the stress he was feeling either. When Kane showed up, he’d showered them with various stories about Haley and quite frankly, Cole was petrified.
For now, he was just grateful for something to do to take his mind off of the stories and the nerves and the gifts. The last thing he wanted was for Sierra to realize how nervous he truly was. There’d be plenty of time for that later.
Chapter Five
Luke was up with the sun the following morning, which was way too early in his opinion. After the events of the night before, and getting home to find his house a complete and utter disaster, – at least in his opinion – he should’ve been too tired to get out of bed. That didn’t appear to be the case because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his eyes closed.