As dawn stretched across the sky and the sunlight spilling through his bedroom window grew brighter, Will knew his chances of getting any decent rest were dwindling. His longest stretch of sleep all night had only been an hour long. It wasn’t that Tommy had been unreasonably demanding. He’d only needed one bottle, around four in the morning. Will had stubbed the hell out of his big toe while maneuvering through the dark room for diaper supplies, but the night had been otherwise uneventful. Still, he’d been plagued with uncharacteristic insomnia.
Will had spent plenty of nights on call at the station house; firefighters had to rack out and grab sleep whenever they could. But having a baby in his care was unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It made him feel both fiercely protective and uneasy. His senses had been on high alert as he listened to the baby’s every shift and sigh, adrenaline surging each time he thought Tommy was about to wake. Meanwhile, Will’s overtired thoughts had returned to Megan Rivers again and again.
Will had periodically complained to buddies about Megan’s surly nature, but perhaps he’d misjudged her. We misjudged each other. Now that he had a better idea of how challenging it could be to take care of one child, he marveled at her ability to raise three alone. She’d mentioned a divorce last night, and he idly wondered about her ex-husband. Will’s parents had tried to teach their sons that family was sacred. Had Megan’s husband fought to hold on to his wife and children? Did her ex do anything to help her parent? Will couldn’t recall a man visiting next door.
Then again, you’ve been busy with your own social life.
It occurred to him he might need to cancel some plans, like his date for the movies with Leanne on Tuesday. This evening, he was attending the town square Christmas tree lighting ceremony with his family; he’d told Anita Drake that if they ran into each other, they should grab dinner at a new restaurant he’d been wanting to try. I wonder if Anita likes babies. Regardless, he certainly wouldn’t be having any overnight guests while Tommy was here.
He turned his head toward the crib, glancing down at the reason his love life was on hiatus. Tommy slept on his front, knees scrunched up beneath him with his butt in the air. Since there were currently no odors coming from that direction, Will could appreciate that the baby looked kind of cute. His face was to the side, his cheeks round and squishy.
What is wrong with you? He had no idea how long this peace and quiet would last, but instead of making coffee, he was grinning over a baby’s “squish” factor? Insane. He swung his feet to the floor, moving as silently as possible. He hadn’t been so afraid a mattress would squeak since sneaking Tasha into his bedroom when they were high school seniors.
He tiptoed into the kitchen, brewing coffee and pulling out ingredients for breakfast while straining to listen for any movement from Tommy. Maybe he needed to get one of those baby monitors like the one Megan had carried when she’d stormed over here Friday night. Megan, again. He shook his head briskly, as if he could dislodge thoughts of her.
The phone rang on the kitchen counter, and he dove for it before it could ring again, potentially disturbing Tommy. “Hello?”
“Good morning, William. Hope I didn’t wake you,” his mother said. “You keep such unpredictable hours.” Occasionally, he worked strings of double shifts. It meant late nights, but then allowed him three or four days off in a row. “And I never know if you’re...um, entertaining.”
His mother wasn’t as approving as his father about Will’s dating habits, but since she hoped he would find someone to settle down with, she didn’t lecture him. Mostly, she pretended his sex life didn’t exist, which, as far as Will was concerned, was what all parents and grown children should do.
Actually, Mom, I’m not alone. What was the best way to tell her about his new roommate?
“Anyway.” She cleared her throat. “I noticed you tried to call me yesterday. Everything okay?”
Not exactly, but breakfast should help restore his optimism. In his experience, the world always looked brighter after caffeine and bacon. “There’s no reason for you to worry, I promise. But I would like to talk. In person. Could you maybe come by later?”
“Well, now I’m curious. Is this wedding-related?”
“No.” Although he might need her help finding a babysitter so that he could fulfill all his best man duties.
“Need suggestions on what to buy for Christmas gifts?”
“No.” Would Amy be back by Christmas? As he stirred a spoonful of sugar into his coffee, it occurred to him that maybe he would need to do some Christmas shopping for Tommy. No way could he let the little man’s first Christmas pass without any presents.
His mother sighed. “Well, I do. I’m drawing a blank for what to get Kate’s son. I want something that says welcome to the family without it seeming like I’m trying too hard. I don’t want to make the holiday awkward for him. And what do I know about fourteen-year-old boys?”
“You raised three of them.”
“Yes, but I try to repress the memory. Your collective high school years were the most harrowing of my life. Worrying about college admissions, sports injuries, your brother spiking the prom punch... Cole wasn’t too bad—although he was the first one to get his license, and I had an anxiety attack every time he drove anywhere—but Jace was always finding new ways to get himself in detention.”
“I wasn’t a troublemaker.” He hadn’t meant to sound smug, but years of sibling rivalry momentarily eclipsed maturity.
“Maybe not, but you and Tasha were all over each other. I lived in terror that she’d end up pregnant before the two of you graduated.”
“Mom!” So much for pretending his sex life didn’t exist.
“Never mind. It was insensitive to bring her up. But teenage boys...” She said it with a shudder in her voice.
He quickly changed the subject. “Come have lunch with me after church. I can give you suggestions about gifts for Luke, and we can talk.”
They were saying goodbye when a cry came from the bedroom. Will disconnected the phone, hastily snagging a crunchy piece of bacon before hurrying down the hall. By the time he reached his room, Tommy had worked himself up to a full-force wail.
Leaning down to pick him up, Will winced. Guess it could be worse. At least you’re not a teenager.
* * *
“WORK WITH ME, little man. Our goal here is to make a good impression. And to keep you from catching a cold.” Will’s house was almost forty years old; he loved its character, and the beautiful oak trees in the yard, but it could get drafty in the winter.
With his mother due to arrive soon, Will had the baby in the center of the bed and was attempting to change him into his second outfit of the day. When Will had burped him during his bottle, formula had erupted out of the baby like water gushing from the fire hydrant. Will had successfully replaced the long-sleeved onesie with a dry one and was trying to secure the baby’s kicking legs into a pair of corduroy pants that snapped up the inside seams. Tommy tried to roll over, his partially fastened pants flapping around like tiny cowboy chaps. Meanwhile, Tommy’s flailing atop the soft blanket was creating static electricity. His sandy-colored hair stood straight up.
When the doorbell rang, Will swore. Oops. How early did babies start processing language? “Forget you heard that.” He scooped up the baby, who protested vocally, and headed for the front door. Earlier, Will had thought it would be better to tell his mother about Tommy in person. Now he regretted that decision and his failure to prepare her. She wasn’t expecting to find him holding an angry baby with Albert Einstein’s hairdo and only one sock. There had been two earlier; Will had no idea what happened to the other one.
Taking a deep breath, he swung open his front door. “I’ll bet you—”
“Oh my God!” Gayle pressed her hand to her heart. “You did get some girl pregnant.”
“The hell I did!”
Her eyebrows shot skyward, and suddenly he was ten years old, caught roughhousing with his brothers.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he mumbled. Shifting the squirming baby against his hip, Will took a step backward. “Why don’t you come inside?” Across the street, Abe Martin was wrapping Christmas lights around his mailbox post. The man had turned to wave at them, but Will hoped his neighbor was too far away to have heard Gayle’s exclamation.
As Will closed the front door, his mother shrugged out of her coat and hung it on one of the wooden wall pegs. Then she turned toward him. “Let’s try this again. Son, you look awful.”
Did he? He hadn’t given his own appearance much thought. But now that she mentioned it, he hadn’t shaved or showered, his eyes were probably red from lack of sleep and there was a damp patch of spewed formula drying on his shirt.
“I’m babysitting,” he said inanely. “For a friend, a platonic friend. Do you know Amy Reynolds? She works at the bar with Jace.”
Gayle nodded. “And answers the phone at the salon sometimes. She had to quit her cosmetology program when she got pregnant.”
“Well, I’m watching her son while she’s out of town.”
“Why you?”
“Because she left rather suddenly, and Amy didn’t feel like she had many alternatives. Not positive ones, anyway.” He went into the living room so that he could set Tommy down and let him roll around to his heart’s content. “That’s part of what I want to discuss with you. You’re a force of nature in this town. Maybe when she gets back, you can help her find a better job?”
“I don’t know. If this woman is the type of person who leaves her baby on a whim, is she a reliable, diligent worker?”
“Mom, she had her reasons for going. Trust me.”
Gayle sat on the couch, silently considering his request. “All right. When your friend gets back to town, tell her to call me. But if you want to help her change her situation, the person you should really win over is Becca Johnston. Talk about a force of nature.”
That was putting it mildly. Becca was on the town council and ran everything from the elementary school PTA to the annual Watermelon Festival. Becca was also a divorced woman around his age. Was his mother, known for her occasional meddling, trying to point him toward a suitable potential match?
“Maybe you can talk to Becca at the tree lighting,” she suggested. Then she frowned. “You are still going, aren’t you? Do you have a car seat for...?”
“Tommy. And yes, I do.” Amy had left the base for it in his driveway before making her surprise departure.
She glanced down to where Tommy had pushed himself onto his hands and knees and was lurching wildly back and forth. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s mobile soon. Are you sure you’re up for this?”
“Well, I could use a little help.” He cast her the same beseeching look he’d used during childhood to get the occasional extra cookie.
But she only laughed. “Don’t look at me. Between your brother’s wedding, Christmas and three different charity events, I’ve never been busier. Although I suppose I can stay with him while you go take a shower.”
He’d take what he could get. “I appreciate that.”
She wrinkled her nose. “So will everyone who has to be around you at the ceremony tonight.”
* * *
ONE HAND BRACED against a picnic table, Jace doubled over in hoots of laughter, unconcerned with the curious stares of nearby townspeople. “And of all the possible citizens of Cupid’s Bow, she picked you to babysit?”
Will glared at his brother. “You were the one who told me to call her in the first place.”
At that, Jace straightened. “Can I get anyone some hot cocoa? Kate? Cole? I’m feeling the need for a strategic exit.”
“Extra marshmallows for me, please,” Kate said. “Although, I suppose I’ll have to pass this sweetie pie to someone else if I’m going to be holding a hot beverage.”
She’d been cuddling Tommy for the last ten minutes, obviously a natural with babies. Judging from the beatific expression on her face and the adoring way Cole was watching her, Will wouldn’t be surprised if the two of them decided to have a child together, adding to their blended family. Currently, Cole’s twin girls were in line with their grandparents to meet Santa Claus, while Kate’s teenage son was talking to some classmates over by the high-school-sponsored gingerbread scale model of town square.
“Um, Kate? Something you neglected to tell me?” Sierra Bailey approached, hand in hand with Jarrett Ross, one of Will’s best friends. Sierra raised an eyebrow as she nodded toward the baby.
“We’re helping Will watch Amy Reynolds’s son while she visits some family out of town.” Kate passed Tommy back to Will so she could turn and hug the pretty redhead. “Did you survive the visit with your parents?” Sierra came from a wealthy Houston family, and they’d just made their first ever trip to Cupid’s Bow to meet Jarrett before he accompanied her to her brother’s high-society wedding.
“Barely.”
Jarrett chuckled. “They weren’t terrible. Although they did ask several times if I’d be willing to give up ranching, leave Cupid’s Bow forever and find a more lucrative job.”
“Total snobs,” Sierra said. “How do you not find that terrible?”
“Well, they love you a lot. So we had that in common.”
She stretched up on her tiptoes to kiss him. “Thank God you’re coming with me to my brother’s wedding.”
He gave her a mock scowl. “I don’t know how I ended up having to wear a suit two weekends in a row.” If the former rodeo star ever got married, he’d probably show up at the altar in jeans.
Then again, Jarrett was crazy about Sierra. Assuming she was the bride in question, she might be able to talk him into a tuxedo complete with tails and a top hat. When Sierra had first come to town, Will had flirted with her and taken her dancing once, but he had to admit, she and Jarrett were made for each other.
Sierra gave her cowboy a sympathetic smile. “Yeah, back-to-back weddings are going to be a little crazy.” She elbowed Kate. “You couldn’t have picked a different time?”
“Blame me for thinking a December wedding would be romantic,” Cole said.
“I guess my future sister-in-law had the same idea,” Sierra said. “At least I’m not in her bridal party. The bright red bridesmaid dresses she picked would clash.” She pointed to her auburn hair.
“Nah.” Jarrett smoothed a strand away from her face. “You’d just end up rocking the look.”
“I would, wouldn’t I?” She grinned happily, and then her gaze caught on something beyond him. “Uh-oh. Looks like Megan Rivers and her girls are here. Will, do you need me to cause a distraction while you go hide from the scary florist?”
He turned in the direction she was looking. Sure enough, there was Megan, in a leather jacket and a light blue scarf the color of her eyes. She was carrying one of the girls while the other two toddled along in candy-cane-striped leggings and puffy jackets. He would bet that the one clutching the leg of Megan’s jeans was Lily and the one a step ahead of her was Daisy.
“I’ve never understood why you don’t like her,” Cole said reproachfully.
“Will told me once that she almost beat him up with a parenting magazine,” Jarrett said. “Of course, he also said she moved here a few years ago when he obviously meant a few months ago, so he’s an unreliable source.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like her,” Will defended himself. “It was the other way around. And I certainly never said I was scared of her! At any rate, that’s all behind us. She’s realized I’m a great guy. In fact, I should go say hi.” He found himself suddenly eager to talk to her. He wanted to thank her again for her help last night. Even more, recalling the humor lighting her face as she’d laughed at his diapering attempts, he wanted to make her smile again.
Will turn to Cole. “Can you hold Tommy for a few minutes?”
Kate murmured to her fiancé, “A man with a baby is so attractive.”
Cole stretched out his arms. “I can hold him as long as you need me to.”
Will made sure the baby was snugly wrapped in his blanket as he passed him over and that his knit hat was keeping his ears warm. Jace had gotten his wish with regards to the weather—it was the chilliest night so far this winter. The cocoa and hot cider vendors were doing a thriving business as the townspeople waited for the tree lighting, which would happen in another ten minutes after a brief performance of Christmas carols by a local church choir and the high school orchestra.
Barely feeling the cold, Will crossed the square toward Megan and her girls. “Evening, ladies. You arrived at the perfect time—early enough to hear the live music without having a long enough wait for anyone to get bored.”
Megan tilted her head. “How do you know we just got here?”
“I...may have been subconsciously watching for you.” If Sierra hadn’t pointed out the Rivers family, he would have spotted them soon enough. Several times throughout the night, while casually scanning the crowd, he’d felt a leap of anticipation when his gaze landed on a brunette. He could no longer pretend he hadn’t been watching specifically for Megan.
“You were?” Her voice was soft and breathy, completely unlike the tone she’d used when she chided him over his car alarm.
“Of course. I needed to find you and thank you for last night.”
“You already thanked me.”
“That diaper you helped me with—well, really more of a natural disaster than diaper—deserves a million thanks. So be warned, you still have hundreds of thousands coming.”
When Megan laughed, Iris craned her head, looking between her mother and Will. “What’s funny?”
He shook his head at the girl. “I was just being silly. Are you still excited about seeing Santa, Iris?”
While Iris nodded enthusiastically, Megan regarded him with surprise. “You can tell the girls apart? Most people can’t.”
“They may be identical, but there are telltale differences if you pay attention. For instance, Daisy is the most talkative.” Even as he made the observation, he realized Daisy hadn’t said a word since he walked up to them.
Megan glanced down, a frown creasing her forehead as if she was noticing the same thing. “Oh boy,” she said under her breath. “I learned early with this one that it’s never a good sign when she’s quiet.” She knelt to set Iris down, then turned to Daisy. “Is everything okay?”
“Uh-huh.” But her voice was weak, hardly convincing.
Megan cupped the little girl’s cheeks, peering at her face. “Oh my gosh, you’re burning up, baby.”
Daisy didn’t respond, as if she’d barely heard her mother’s announcement. Studying her more closely, Will saw that her expression looked glazed. “Is she okay?” It felt disturbingly wrong for the spirited, bossy preschooler to be so subdued.
Megan straightened. “She should be fine, but she’s definitely got a fever. I guess it was wishful thinking that nobody else would get sick after Iris’s stomach bug the other night.”
Hearing her name, Iris stopped whispering with Lily on the sidewalk and turned back toward her mother, just in time to hear Megan say, “I need to get her home right away.”
“No home!” Iris wailed. “Want to see Santa!” She threw herself onto the sidewalk while Lily watched, her own bottom lip trembling.
Last night, Megan had saved his ass. The least he could do was try to return the favor. He leaned close, close enough to register the warmth of her body and the faintly vanilla scent of her, and offered in a discreet whisper, “If you and Daisy need to leave, I could bring the other girls home after they see the Big Guy.”
Megan’s eyes rounded, and for a second she seemed too surprised to speak. “That is so kind of you. But I really can’t reward Iris’s behavior,” she said, wincing at her daughter’s escalating tantrum. “And Lily wouldn’t want to stay with you. No offense.”
“None taken.” He grinned. “I recently learned that some females are actually immune to my charm. Go figure.”
She returned his smile, but only for a moment before casting another worried glance at Daisy. “Anyway, if her sisters stayed without her, Daisy would be upset tomorrow about missing out. The timing’s unfortunate, but we’ll have other opportunities this month to meet Mr. Claus. And this way,” she added under her breath, “I have a chance to talk them into less extravagant gifts first.”
“Then can I help you get the girls to your van?”
There was no parking in the square itself, which meant she had to be at least a street or two away. She had picked up Daisy, who was looking paler by the moment, except for her flushed cheeks. There was no way Megan could also carry Iris, who was now in full meltdown.
“If you start walking,” he said, “Lily will follow, right?”
She nodded. “But Iris—”
“I’ve got it under control,” he said, hoping he was right. He was well-known in town, and the spectacle of carrying a screaming child through the crowd would raise questions. But he’d helped defuse one or two of Jace’s tantrums when they were kids, not to mention his more recent experience with Alyssa and Mandy. “I’ve got nieces.”
Looking skeptical, Megan took a few steps forward, shooting frequent glances over her shoulder at Will and Iris.
He dropped to his knees next to the unhappy little girl. “Did you bring Santa the picture you drew of him?”
Seeming surprised that Will had addressed her, Iris stilled for a moment, sniffling. “N-no.”
“Because I heard that he likes artwork to hang up at the North Pole. Maybe you can see him on another night and bring him a picture.” He lowered his voice to a confidential tone. “If he saw you right now, crying and arguing with your mommy, he might accidentally think you belong on the naughty list.”
Iris sucked in a breath.
While he had her attention, he followed up with, “What kind of animal is it that pulls Santa’s sleigh? Unicorns? Flying cows?” When Iris giggled, a rush of triumph went through him.
“Reindeer.”
“Maybe we can pretend that you’re Santa and I’m one of your reindeer, helping you fly to the parking lot. Want to ride on my shoulders?”
She nodded eagerly. Will stood, then lifted her into place while she cheered with delight. The five of them headed farther away from the square. As they walked, Will made Iris laugh by suggesting potential reindeer names.
“There’s already a Dasher, Dancer and Prancer. Who could I be? What about...Pizzapants?”
“That’s silly!”
“Well, I like silly. I can be Will-Silly the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Even Lily tittered at that, and Will smiled down at her. “Do you want a turn on my shoulders, too?”
Shaking her head adamantly, she scooted closer to her mom. Moments later, they reached Megan’s van while the church choir sang the “Hallelujah Chorus” in the distance.
“That’s how I feel about having them all buckled in,” Megan said once everyone was in the appropriate car seat and she’d slid the van door shut. “Hallelujah. Thank you.”
“Hey, what are neighbors for?” Neighborly. Yeah, that was how he felt toward her. He wasn’t staring at her grateful smile with an errant urge to trace his thumb over her bottom lip. And he certainly hadn’t stolen any admiring glances at how well her dark jeans fit while he was walking behind her.
She climbed into the van, and he turned back toward the square. By the time he rejoined his family, he’d missed the tree lighting.
Cole handed him the baby, his expression shrewd. “You took an awful long time to tell someone hi.”
“One of her girls is coming down with something, so I helped Megan get everyone back to the van.”
“Megan the florist from the wedding?” Gayle asked. “Sweet girl. And single. We were just discussing that at the flower shop this week.”
Cole laughed. “Uh-oh, Will. Mom has that gleam in her eye.”
“Don’t even think about it,” Will told his mother. “If you’re antsy to fix up one of your sons, go harass Jace about his love life. I’m not looking to get seriously involved with anyone, much less the mother of triplets.”
“Oh, I know,” Gayle said reasonably. “Then again, Kate and Cole weren’t looking for romantic involvement, either, and, two weeks from today, they’ll be newlyweds. Life is full of surprises.”
Will nodded toward Tommy. “I have all the surprise I can handle right now, thanks.”
“Understood. I’ll have to come up with some other young men who might be right for Megan.”
Imagining Megan smiling up at some guy at the end of a date the way she’d smiled at Will by her van, he scowled.
“Problem?” his mom asked cheerfully.
Other than a diabolical mother, not yet having child care lined up for Tommy tomorrow and a sudden inconvenient preoccupation with his shapely next-door neighbor? “Not at all.”