Cole & Jamie

Chapter 5

"There's my love bug." I scooped Michelle into my arms giving her a big squeeze. I couldn't help but take a long sniff off the top of her head. She always smelled like cocoa butter and the faint scent of apple juice and I loved it. The rugrat gave me a strong case of cuteness aggression it took everything in me not to squeeze her round cheeks until they popped.

She pressed a wet kiss to my cheek. "Mimi, I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, beautiful." I pulled at the strap of her tiny backpack. "I like your bag."

"Thank you," she grinned. "Grandma bought it for me."

"I wonder if I can get one too," I teased propping her on my hip. "You think it would look good on me?"

Michelle laughed. "Mimi, you can't get one. These are for little kids it would be too small for you," she explained patiently. "You have to get a grown-up backpack."

"Ah," I sighed. "I see. Well, I hope I can find one as cool as yours."

Michelle peered over my shoulder finally noticing that we weren't alone in the room. In her poor attempt at a whisper, she asked in my ear, "Mimi, who is that man?"

"Michelle, this is my friend Cole," I introduced the two of them. "Cole, this is my goddaughter, Michelle." 

Cole gave her a warm smile. "Hi, Michelle, it's nice to meet you."

Michelle gave him a silent wave before burrowing her face in my neck.

"Oh, we're shy today." I rubbed a soothing hand over her back. "Don't worry, she'll come around." Maybe. We've been careful not to push her on people she's not comfortable with. I kissed the side of her head. "Come on, let's go see your mom."

I carried her downstairs while Cole followed closely behind us. I'm not sure what faces he was making behind my back but whatever they were had Michelle giggling into my neck.

As soon as we stepped into the kitchen, Michelle shimmied out of my arms and straight into the arms of her father who picked her up with much more grace than I had. Joe wasn't a tall man, but what he lacked in height he more than made up for in brawn. His years as a carpenter had treated him well and given him the body of a lumberjack. He went to school with us but he and Trish didn't meet until they were in college.

I've always liked Joe even before he and Trish were officially together. His calmness helps mellow her out and anyone that can do that is good in my book. Michelle whispered something in his ear making him smile. Her brows furrowed confused at what he found so funny.

"There he is," Trish exclaimed from her seat at the table. She sat with her legs propped up on a dining room chair. I could see that her ankles were swollen even from here. This pregnancy wasn't like the last and I could tell it was beginning to take a toll on her. "I would get up to hug you but I'm afraid my feet will fall off if I stand up."

Cole bent down to hug her in her seat. "No need to stand up, I can come down to you. How are you?"

"Oh, still pregnant," she exhaled, rubbing her stomach. "Counting down the days until I can pop this sucker out and have my body back."

"Here drink this, it'll make you feel better." Harriet handed her a frosted glass filled to the brim with some sort of frozen cocktail.

I took a seat next to Trish eyeing the glass warily. "I hope there's no alcohol in that."

"Relax, Mom, unlike me this drink is a virgin."

I watched her sip from the salted rim giving herself an icey red mustache. "But you better believe if I didn't have this bun baking in the oven this glass would be swimming in rum."