Chapter 155
“Let me help you stand.” William wrapped his arms around Lynn, carefully helping her to gain balance. Lynn leaned against William, exhaling several times while trying to catch her breath. “Just walk slowly.” His palm massaged the curve of her spine while walking towards the bedroom door
“I couldn’t walk fast even if I tried,” she laughed. With one hand resting on her stomach, she waddled down the hallway. Over the past few weeks, her gait had grown considerably more unsteady. Charlene assured her balance issues were perfectly normal for most women at this stage in their pregnancy. Normal or not, she was tired of the room spinning around her. A gasp escaped her lips the moment William opened up the door to the nursery. “It’s so pretty!”
For days, William worked tirelessly to setup the nursery before the babies were born. Sometimes, Calista and Morgan joined in; they’d especially enjoyed helping him paint. Both girls wound up with almost as much paint on each other as they’d splattered on the wall. What used to be a drab white wall now glistened with a brilliant coat of sky blue.
“We used sponges to make the clouds.” William pointed towards the array of colorful clouds that gave the newly painted room a cheery feel. The fluffy cloud colors alternated between pale pink, pastel yellow, and mint green throughout the entire room. Most of the clouds spanned several feet wide with a light dusting of glitter in the center of each. Strategically placed white stars dotted the walls in between.
Lynn smiled, turning towards the other side of the room. Along the base of the wall were the most adorable teddy bears she’d ever seen. She walked closer, tempted to kneel for a closer look, but knowing it would be impossible to regain her equilibrium. With her rounded stomach, she doubted she could even bend that low even if she could find a way back up. “Aw. Did you draw these?” She glanced back at William, her smile growing.
William nodded. “I drew the bears onto the wall and then I let the girls help me pick the colors and paint them.” He knelt, pointing to the cerulean bear, and the neon pink one. “Morgan picked out these colors and Calista chose those two.” He moved his finger to the fuchsia bear, and then to the orange one. Two bears had ice blue eyes, one sported striking emerald eyes, and the other one had coffee brown eyes. They reminded Lynn of Care Bears in a way, except with rounder faces, and brighter eyes.
“I love it.” She tilted her head when she realized that William had painted one bear for each child. Beneath each bear, a mint green ribbon stretched out so that each child’s name could be written in the blank space.
William always loved to paint when Lynn was a child. His artistic talents annoyed her overbearing mother who frowned upon what she’d referred to as wasted performance. Any form of creativity was wasted behavior in Susanna’s eyes. A pang of sadness hit her and she realized just how much she missed having a mother of her own around. Often times she still questioned her abilities as a parent since her own mother was so lousy. Lynn shook her head, pushing away the melancholy thoughts and the inane doubts when William looked up.
“Did you see the two over there?” William pointed towards two larger bears, situated a few feet from the smaller bears. A petite yellow bear with bright blue eyes smiled back at her. A lankier bear stood next to it, its arm draped around the smaller bear, and molten chocolate eyes sparkling beneath the overhead lights.
“Oh, that’s so cute. You did a bear for Alexis and me too.” Lynn stepped nearer, giggling when she peered into the bulbous eyes of the elfin bear. “You matched the color of Alexis’s eyes perfectly.” She sighed, glancing up at William when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Tears clouded her vision when she spoke. “I love it. Thank you so much.” She leaned over, kissing his cheek.
“It’s the least I can do, Lynnie Bear.” William released a breath when Lynn’s head came to rest against his shoulder and she closed her eyes. “If you’re tired, sweetie, I can help you back to the bed.”
“No.” Lynn adamantly shook her head. “Lying in that bed is making me even more fatigued. I’d rather stick around and watch you finish the final touches. That is if you can stand the company of a bitchy pregnant lady.”
William laughed. “I love your company.” He kissed her cheek. “Wait right here and I’ll go get your ball so you can sit down off your feet.” William disappeared out the door, returning shortly with Lynn’s oversized birthing ball. He dropped it on the floor, placing it well away from where he would be painting.