Page 126 of Bound By Crimson

She tried to believe it—even as the pillow stayed between them, even as something inside her whispered:

He’s already leaving again.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Come Back to Us

The days that followed were precious—because Lyric made them that way.

She didn’t know they were the last of something. She only knew Kai was leaving soon, and she wanted to soak up every moment. Every glance. Every laugh. Every touch that might have once felt small now carried weight, like she was memorizing him before a long winter.

She spent every night in his arms.

He didn’t ask her to sneak in anymore. She just came—and he welcomed her. They lay tangled under heavy quilts, her head on his chest, his hand resting absently on her stomach like he belonged there. Sometimes they didn’t speak. Sometimes he whispered things she wanted so badly to believe:

“This is what matters.”

“You and me. This baby. Nothing else.”

And Lyric would smile in the dark, press her lips to his skin, and let herself imagine that this was what forever looked like.

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On the second day, they went to the doctor together.

The waiting room was sterile and humming with fluorescent lights, but Lyric sat with her hand folded into Kai’s, heart pounding. The ultrasound gel was cold against her skin, and she flinched, but Kai held her tighter.

And then—

“It’s a boy.”

The doctor smiled. Lyric stared at the screen, stunned. A flickering image of a tiny spine, a heartbeat pulsing like a drum.

Tears slid down her cheeks before she even realized she was crying.

She looked at Kai. He was watching the screen, blinking fast, like he didn’t trust his voice. Then he leaned down and kissed her forehead.

“You’re giving me a son,” he whispered. “You’re incredible.”

---

That night, he took her out to dinner—away from the estate.

It was a warm little restaurant tucked into a quiet street, the kind that smelled of rosemary and candle wax. The lights were low. Soft jazz drifted through the air. It didn’t feel like Thornwick Estate—it felt like them.

Lyric wore a soft green dress that hugged her growing belly. She hadn’t worn anything like it in weeks. Kai’s eyes lit up when he saw her. He stood to pull out her chair.

“You’re glowing,” he said, and she almost believed it.

They ate slowly. Talked about baby names. Made fun of the way the waiter pronounced Bolognese. Laughed like they used to.

She couldn’t stop looking at him—like she was trying to imprint the moment into her memory.

Then, just as dessert was arriving, Kai reached into his coat pocket.

“I got you something.”

Her heart stopped. The box was small. Velvet. Elegant.