Blue Plaid

Surprise

In which Stella discovers Tyson is full of surprises. 

Ever since I’d first realized that modelling was where my heart truly lay when I was sixteen, fashion week had always been the ultimate dream. It was the goal I strove towards in each job I worked, doing my best to prove that I belonged at such a prestigious event, but now that I had actually been called to the big leagues, I’d never been more terrified in my life.

Which was why I ended up staring at the ceiling in the early hours of the day of my first runway show. We had flown in a few days before so I could attend fittings and dress rehearsals and during my down time, I’d wandered the beautiful city with my boyfriend and my son, taking in the incredible sights and just generally realizing that I’d finally gotten everything I’d ever wanted.

Until this morning, when I realized there was a good possibility that I could catastrophically screw up everything I’d worked so hard for. What if I tripped on the runway? What if my nerves got the better of me and I ended up projectile vomiting on all the celebrities in the front row? I’d never work as a model again. There was no way to recover from dropping the ball at fashion week, when every major designer and celebrity and pretty much everybody who was anybody was in attendance.

Sighing, I wiggled out from beneath Tyson’s arm, pausing after I’d swung my legs over the side of the bed to listen intently to the baby monitor, ensuring that Cooper was still fast asleep in the adjoining room. After thirty seconds of not hearing a peep, I pushed myself to my feet and padded out of the bedroom towards the kitchen, hoping a glass of water would help calm my nerves.

Making sure I opened and closed the cabinet doors as quietly as possible, I slowly turned the faucet to fill one of the small glasses our hotel suite provided and walked towards the window which looked out onto the street below. It was early morning at the sun was just beginning, lightening the colors of the sky and further confirming that I would be getting no more sleep. In a few short hours, I’d have to be headed to the venue anyway, for last minute fittings and adjustments before I was sent to hair and makeup.

I sipped the cool water from the glass, allowing the liquid to flow slowly down my throat and inhaling deeply to calm my nerves and release the tension from my muscles, my eyes not entirely comprehending what I was sure was an amazing view.

“Stella?”

Tyson’s hoarse morning voice rang out from behind and I drained the rest of my water before turning to set the empty glass on the coffee table and smiling at him softly over my shoulder. “Hey.”

“Are you alright?” he asked, taking a step forward and lifting his hands to rub his sleepy eyes. “What time is it?”

“Early,” I laughed softly, lifting one shoulder in a shrug and turning my attention back to the view. “I just couldn’t sleep.”

His arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me into his chest as he kissed my bare shoulder and mumbled against my skin. “Nervous?”

“A little,” I admitted, allowing myself to melt backwards into his embrace, my head leaning against his shoulder as he squeezed me tight.

“How come?” he whispered.

I didn’t get nervous for photoshoots; probably because there were so many chances to get it right. And I’d done runway shows before, but this show seemed to be in an entirely different league and I was having trouble processing how to mentally approach it.

“It’s just a big one,” I sighed, laying my arms on top of his. “And I can’t afford to mess it up.”

There was a moment of silence as he pondered the best way to make me feel better, finally speaking softly with his lips still pressing against my shoulder. “Maybe you could find something to focus on? Something to help you keep your mind off of messing up and overthinking everything. Something that will keep you centered and calm.”

The corners of my lips lifted into a small smile and I turned in his embrace, flattening my palms against his chest and smiling up at him. “Like you?”

Letting out a shaky laugh, his hands came to rest at my waist and he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “That actually wasn’t what I meant.”

“But it’s true,” I replied simply, scratching my fingers against his bare chest. “You make me calm, Ty. Calm and a little less insane and very, very happy.”

I couldn’t read his expression, but his cheeks did look like they got a few shades darker as he leaned in to me, his lips lifting into a small smile as he pressed them to mine, mumbling against my mouth between kisses. “The feeling is mutual. I love you, Stella.”

Sliding my hands upwards, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body as close to his as possible as I repeated the words against his lips, still finding it incredible that we were saying them at all. We’d come so far, Tyson and I. From immature self-absorbed people who couldn’t be in the same room without an argument breaking out to responsible parents who were completely devoted to each other, it was amazing how much could change over the course of just a few months. We probably weren’t any more mature and we still had no idea what we were doing when it came to parenthood, but we were trying and we were doing it as a team and that in itself was practically a miracle.

We enjoyed one of our rare moments of solitude before Cooper woke. Lying on the couch, my head on Tyson’s chest as he absentmindedly played with my hair and we talked about everything besides my monumental day. He made me laugh, telling me stories about the pranks he used to play on his sister when he was a kid and how up until the age of fifteen, he had dreamed about being in a rock band. His mind had quickly changed after his parents forced him to get a job and he started working in the kitchen of a local Italian restaurant and fell in love with cooking.

It was nice to learn about Tyson’s past, because it gave me confidence in our future together. Knowing each other’s histories was an important part of knowing who we were and who we could be as a couple. I felt like I had spent so long trying to actively dislike Tyson that I’d put no effort in trying to get to know him at all and the more I learned, the harder I fell and the more I realized that being apart while he was in Italy for his cooking program was going to be extremely difficult.

I decided not to mention it, though, figuring we could cross that bridge when we came to it, and kept the conversation light and full of laughter until we heard Cooper stirring in his room.

“I got it,” Tyson said as I pushed myself off his chest into a seated position.

“You sure?” I asked, climbing over him so I could stand up straight beside the couch. “I can feed him.”

“No worries,” he shrugged, swinging his legs to the floor and standing as well. “I got it. Besides, you have to leave before we do. Why don’t you hop in the shower and I’ll get him fed and then you can say goodbye?”

“Perfect,” I let out a sigh of relief, because the mention of the fact that I would soon have to leave only heightened my nerves as I thought about my day ahead. Breathing in deeply, I stretched my lips into a slow smile, placing my hands on Tyson’s shoulders and leaning in to press a soft kiss to his lips. “Thanks, babe. You’re the best.”

“I know,” he smirked, pecking my lips once more and smacking my ass lightly as I turned to walk away.

I rolled my eyes, but laughed as I walked towards the bedroom, stepping back into the common area thirty minutes later, freshly showered and makeup free so that I was a blank slate once I arrived at the venue. Cooper had been fed while I was in the bathroom and was now sitting on the floor of the living area, surrounded by his stuffed animals while Tyson sat cross legged on the couch, having pulled a pair of sweatpants over his boxers, sipping coffee from a mug.

“Alright,” I smiled brightly, hiking up the strap of my purse on my shoulder as I squatted down beside Cooper. “Mama’s gotta go, but I’ll see you later. Can I get a kiss goodbye, Coop?”

Nodding, he leaned forward, reaching out his hands to smush my cheeks between his palms as he smacked his lips against mine. “Byeee, Mama.”

“Wish your mama luck, Coop,” Tyson called out, leaning forward to watch our interaction. “Today’s a big day.”

“Goo Lu!” he repeated, as instructed.

Smiling, I leaned forward to press a kiss to the top of his head before standing up straight. “Thanks, buddy. Love you.”

“Lub ooo!” he grinned, clapping his hands together once before turning his attention back to his stuffed animals.

Laughing, I flashed him one last grin before turning my attention to Tyson, taking a step around Cooper’s circle of stuffed animals to stand beside my boyfriend next to the couch. “I’ll see you there?”

The question came out sounding a bit nervous, which was probably why he reached out with one hand to grab my fingers and squeeze them comfortingly. “Of course. We’ll be in the front row, cheering you on.”

“There’s no cheering at runway shows,” I laughed, though the sentiment did make me feel better.

“There will be today,” he grinned, squeezing my hand again. “Go rock it, baby.”

Leaning forward, I pressed a quick kiss to his lips, smiling softly as I pulled away. “Will do. Love you.”

I let go of his hand as I turned towards the door, feeling my heart soar when he repeated those words to my retreating back and turning to blow my boys another kiss as I stepped into the hallway, inhaling deeply and feeling the nervous knots in my stomach slowly but surely untying.

It turned out that the nerves actually helped me do my best strutting yet. And the fact that Tyson and Cooper came to wish me luck backstage and were sitting in the front row as I walked helped a lot too. I had meant what I said to Tyson about him making me calm and in the end, it was him, and Cooper, that I focused on as I strut my stuff. Using their faces in the crowd to anchor me and keep me steady as I walked and posed and felt confident as hell.

We went out to dinner afterwards and sat outside at a little café. Tyson laced his fingers through mine on top of the table and we took turns doing our best to make Cooper laugh and the entire time, all I could think was that in all of my dreams of what my perfect future looked like, this had never been it, but I couldn’t be happier with the way things had turned out.

Cooper showed signs of beginning to dose off about fifteen minutes after we finished dessert and Tyson held him close to his chest as we walked back to the hotel. He went to lay our baby boy to sleep as I retreated to our bedroom to unwind from what had been one of the most exhausting, yet most rewarding days of my life.

After the show, I’d gotten a call from Mia, who had congratulated me on a job well done before saying she had already gotten multiple calls from people interested in talking to me about future shows and ad campaigns. It seemed that the next few months of my life were going to be extremely busy.

It occurred to me that I should enjoy the moment, a thought which occurred to me as I listened to Tyson sing Cooper to sleep through the baby monitor. It wouldn’t be long before he left for his program in Italy and considering how well my fashion week debut had gone, chances were that I wouldn’t have much time to visit him, so we should make the most of the time we did have together before we were forced to be apart.

So maybe a sexy surprise was in order. I’d received some lingerie as a gift after doing a recent ad campaign for Victoria’s Secret and brought it with me in case Tyson and I ever got some alone time. Now would definitely be an acceptable time to make use of it.

Digging out of my duffel bag, I slipped out of my clothes and into the lacy black underwear as quickly as possible, wanting to be waiting for Tyson once Cooper was asleep. Remembering that it was Tyson who had packed the condoms, I turned my attention to his bag to find his stash, digging passed his mess of t-shirts and skinny jeans and boxer briefs, but stopping short on my mission to find protection at the sight of a small velvet box at the bottom of the bag.

My breath caught in my throat as I reached a shaky hand inside, forgetting about my original objective completely as I pulled the box from the bag. Logically, I knew what was inside, but I still told myself that it couldn’t be what I thought it was as I flipped open the lid.

But it was.

It was exactly what I thought it was: the world’s most gorgeous diamond ring.

My eyes widened in horror as I realized the implications of Tyson having such a piece of jewelry in his possession and as I stared at it, still attempting to make myself believe it wasn’t happening, the words which dropped from my lips came out just above a whisper.

“Oh, shit.”