An Unexpected Arrangement

by Heidi McCahan

  As he pulled a soggy dish towel and a men’s fitness magazine off the granite counter cluttered with baby formula and used bottles, movement on the video monitor screen he’d unpacked from the box Miranda brought caught his eye.

  One of the babies was awake and snuggled up next to her sister, babbling softly. He had to admit they were cute, even though they’d reduced him to a bumbling idiot. He’d hesitated putting them in the same portable crib to sleep, but Miranda’s notes said they were used to sleeping together and he wasn’t about to mess with their routine. The poor things had endured enough change already. Besides, his options were limited. There was no way he was calling Skye and Gage and asking to borrow a crib. The clock was ticking on Laramie’s seventy-two-hour deadline to tell his family about the babies, and he needed every possible minute to come up with a viable plan.

  Although he was exhausted and had little time to spare, he couldn’t help but stare at the monitor. He wasn’t sure if he was watching Charlotte or Macey, but she was adorable in her purple-polka-dotted pajamas as she made those innocent little cooing sounds. Jack forced himself to turn away and stay on task. He couldn’t afford to waste precious minutes staring at the babies. His daughters. He still couldn’t fully grasp the fact yet.

  After flinging the towel in the general direction of the laundry closet in the hallway, he went into the living room and pawed through the baby supplies scattered across the leather sofa. Normally he didn’t mind a bit of disorganization and clutter, but this mess was over the top, even for him. His phone wasn’t anywhere to be found.

  Without warning, the sweet coos morphed into the alarming whimpers of impatient, hungry babies. The search for his phone would have to wait. So would coffee, breakfast and a shower, apparently. Man, he hoped Laramie showed up soon.

  The stench that greeted him when he entered the small bedroom he’d put the crib in made him cough and cover his nose with the edge of his T-shirt.

  “Oh my.” Jack leaned over the frame of the portable crib and lifted Macey into his arms. “C’mon, let’s get you cleaned up and ready for breakfast.”

  She didn’t cry any louder as he tucked her against his shoulder and tried to do that bouncing-shushing move Laramie had done yesterday. He felt so foolish, and Macey didn’t cry any less, either. Or was it that Charlotte was so much louder?

  As Jack carefully lowered Macey to the changing pad he’d arranged on the floor, Charlotte rolled onto her side and ramped up the crying, her pale blue eyes churning out fat, pitiful tears.

  “I’m sorry, sweet girl, I’m trying to hurry.” Why were there so many snaps on the legs of these pajamas?

  “Need some help?”

  He glanced up to see Laramie standing in the bedroom doorway, wearing a pink V-neck T-shirt and denim shorts. She’d twisted her long blond hair into two braids, and Jack tried not to stare at her tan legs or the bright pink nail polish on her bare toes.

  “Boy, am I glad to see you.” Jack breathed a sigh. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”

  Her green eyes gleamed with amusement. “It’s a little loud and I’m sure you’re distracted.”

  “True.” Jack turned his attention back toward Macey. He’d made zero progress on the diaper situation and she was slurping noisily on her tiny fist.

  Laramie sank to her knees beside him. “Why don’t you go prep the bottles and I’ll change their diapers.”

  He wanted to hug her. “Thank you. Seriously, you have no idea.”

  “Oh, I think I do.” Laramie grinned at Macey. “Your daddy will be here all day trying to figure out how to clean you up, won’t he?”

  “Hey.” Jack pretended to be annoyed. “I changed them both—twice—during the night.”

  Laramie’s eyes widened. “No way.”

  Jack pushed to his feet. “But we didn’t sleep much because it took me so long.”

  Laramie laughed and Jack hesitated, staring in amazement as she stopped Charlotte’s crying with a small stuffed animal attached to a pacifier. He’d always liked her laugh. Spontaneous and unhindered. But what he really admired right now was her ability to soothe Charlotte.

  “How did you do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Get her to stop crying so easily?”

  Laramie shrugged. “She seems to like the pacifier, and when it’s clipped to a stuffed animal, it’s more comforting, I guess.”

  She was a natural at caring for others, while he had to work so hard to even notice what another human needed. And now he had two babies living in his house with no end to their neediness. He was in way over his head.

  * * *

  “Have you thought about how you’re going to tell your family you have twins?”

  Laramie hadn’t meant to go there quite so fast. Real subtle, girl. As they sat on opposite ends of Jack’s leather sofa, each feeding a baby a bottle, she could tell by the tightness in his jaw that her question aggravated him.

  “I’m taking this one minute at a time,” he said, his eyes riveted on Macey, snuggled in the crook of his arm.

  For a guy who hadn’t known about his twins until yesterday, he was taking care of the babies with remarkably little complaining. Laramie had to give him a tiny bit of credit for that. Macey stared at him, then extended one chubby finger and explored his chin, which made Laramie’s chest constrict.

  Jack was already the kind of guy who drew the attention of every woman in the room when he made an entrance. Now, with his jeans, bare feet, a moss green T-shirt and that golden stubble clinging to his chin, he was making it difficult for Laramie to pay attention to Charlotte, who was almost finished with her bottle. If the world could only see Jack smiling at his baby girl and holding her as if she might break, every single woman from here to Kansas would be lined up outside his door.

  The thought made Laramie’s stomach tighten for a completely different reason. Not a protective, older-sister feeling, either. No. A jealous, territorial kind of reaction.

  She mentally blocked the notion, just like she coached her volleyball players to block an opponent’s attack. Jack was handsome and funny and spontaneous, but look what those qualities had led to. He’d had a fling with some girl in Vegas and now he was a father of two. Laramie wasn’t a fan of that kind of dangerous spontaneity. These babies were his. As in forever. He couldn’t just leave when life was hard and let somebody else take care of them, which was what she feared might happen. Jack was accustomed to letting other people deal with messes while he conveniently disappeared. And she refused to be the enabler. Not this time.

  Charlotte pushed her bottle away, then grinned and cooed, demanding Laramie’s attention.

  “All done, cutie pie?” Laramie smiled and set the bottle aside, then carefully sat Charlotte upright and patted her on the back. “You are such a good girl.”

  Charlotte babbled in response, and Laramie couldn’t help but laugh at the baby’s timing. Her pudgy cheeks, long eyelashes and porcelain skin were irresistible, too.

  “Have you figured out how to tell them apart?” Jack leaned forward and set Macey’s empty bottle on the coffee table. “And how do I burp her again?”

  Laramie demonstrated while she studied both babies for a trait or a detail that distinguished their identity. “They both have your blue eyes. It seems Macey has more hair than Charlotte, at least for now.”

  Macey leaned forward, intent on grabbing the remote control wedged in the sofa cushions. Her blond hair was thicker than her sister’s and twisted into the beginnings of curls at the nape of her neck.

  “I don’t think so, little girl.” Jack rescued the remote and set it on the dark wood-and-metal-framed coffee table. Macey’s features crumpled and she started to wail.

  “Oh no.” Jack’s eyes grew wide. “What do I do?”

  Laramie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Welcome to the rest of your life, dude. Kids don’t like
it when their parents say no. You might as well get used to it.”

  Macey cried louder, which somehow prompted Charlotte to join in. Laramie bounced her knee up and down, hoping motion might help.

  “Seriously, Laramie.” Jack raised his voice to be heard. “What do we do? I don’t have time for this.”

  “Oh, and you think I do?” Laramie narrowed her gaze. “I don’t have kids, Jack. I’m flying by the seat of my pants, too. By the way, I’m giving up time with my family and friends to help you out, so how about a little gratitude?”

  Wow, okay. Where did that come from?

  The expression on Jack’s face indicated he was thinking the same thing. Heat warmed her skin as she stood, balanced Charlotte on her hip and dug through the supplies their social worker had brought. She’d packed plenty of clothes and a few blankets, but not a lot of toys. Finally, tucked under a pair of pajamas, Laramie found a book about animals with vinyl pages suitable for a baby to play with.

  “Here.” She handed it to Charlotte, who immediately stopped crying and put the corner of the book in her mouth. Laramie settled her on a blanket in front of Jack’s leather recliner.

  Macey, apparently still wounded over Jack’s decision to take the remote away, kept crying while Jack held her on his lap, paralyzed with indecision.

  “Macey, look.” Laramie found a stack of rainbow-colored plastic cups in the box with the clothes and blankets. “Want to play with these?”

  Macey paused and drew a breath, giving Laramie the opportunity to pluck her from Jack’s lap and put her next to her sister. Maybe that would buy them a few minutes’ peace and give her time to come up with an explanation that justified her outburst.

  “Laramie, I’m sorry.” Jack’s deep voice sounded genuinely contrite. “It was a long night and I wasn’t thinking clearly. I never meant to imply that caring for babies was just for women. And I—”

  “Don’t worry about it.” She pulled the clothes and blankets from the box and arranged them in neat stacks on the sofa. Creating order out of chaos always calmed her.

  “I am worried. You’re obviously upset and the last thing I want to do is offend you.”

  She forced herself to meet his gaze. The concern and regret swimming in those fathomless pools of blue softened her defenses. “It’s okay. I know you’re in shock and feeling overwhelmed. You need to find reliable childcare, Jack. As soon as possible.”

  “Got it.” Jack held up both palms toward her. “A long-term solution is my first priority. And thank you for helping me. Helping us.”

  “You’re welcome.” Laramie quickly emptied the rest of the box. “Now where can I put these clothes and blankets?”

  Jack palmed the back of his neck, still watching her, as if he had more to say but decided against it. “How about in the bedroom where the girls are sleeping? There’s space in the dresser.”

  “Got it.”

  “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Please,” she called back over her shoulder as she strode from the room, a stack of blankets and baby clothes in her arms. Putting Macey and Charlotte’s things away did little to erase her embarrassment. Her harsh words had surprised her. Jack, too. Even though she’d apologized, and he was quick to extend grace, she couldn’t stand the feelings still nagging her. Instead of feeling proud of herself for giving Jack boundaries and a deadline, she felt melodramatic and confused. The fact that he looked devastatingly handsome holding his baby girls wasn’t helping, either. She’d help him with Charlotte and Macey this weekend, but she wouldn’t allow him to steal her heart.

  While a husband and children were all she’d ever wanted, Jack and his twin daughters were not the answer to her prayers.

  * * *

  Jack ended the video conference call, then buried his head in his hands. It was only nine fifteen and he needed a third cup of coffee. Plus a whole lot of courage to tell Laramie he had to be on the next flight to Kansas City to address this security breach.

  She was going to have a fit.

  He’d tried telling the CEO that he was dealing with a family emergency, but that didn’t fly because the CEO didn’t have a family. As far as the man was concerned, a cybersecurity threat was the only acceptable kind of emergency. Maybe pouring himself into his career hadn’t been the smartest move after all. He’d trained his clients to assume that he would always be available.

  Dreading his conversation with Laramie, he pushed back his desk chair and crossed the guest room that doubled as a home office. In the kitchen, Laramie silenced him with a finger to her lips and a fierce glare.

  Jack halted his steps and let his gaze sweep around the room, which was the cleanest he’d seen in a very long time. Quite possibly since the day he’d moved in.

  “They’re both napping,” she whispered. Her unspoken message was crystal clear. Don’t mess this up.

  “That’s amazing.” He tiptoed past her to the coffee maker. “How did you manage that?”

  “Pacifiers and the white noise app on my phone.”

  “Genius.” Jack offered his palm and she slapped it with her own. “Thank you.”

  He poured a mug full of coffee, then angled his head toward the bare countertops. “You did not have to clean up my kitchen.”

  “Oh, but I did.” She grimaced. “How can you live with so much...stuff everywhere?”

  Jack lifted one shoulder. “Get used to it after a while.”

  “Gross.”

  He chuckled and stirred a generous helping of sugar into his coffee.

  “How was your conference call?”

  Stalling, he leaned against the counter and faced her, silently praying she’d see things from his perspective. “Not good. There was a huge data breach with my biggest client overnight. I need to leave for Kansas City, so I was wondering if—”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “I haven’t even asked yet.”

  “I already know what you’re going to say, and the answer is no.” She tipped her chin up, green eyes flashing with irritation. “I’m sorry to hear about the data breach, but you’ll have to tell your client that you’re not available.”

  “I tried that.” Jack sipped his coffee, wincing as the liquid burned all the way down.

  “Then tell him again.”

  “Please, Laramie. You’re the only person I can ask to stay with the babies.”

  “That is so not true. Your mom, your brother, Skye and Gage are all less than ten minutes away.”

  “But I’d have to tell them about the twins and ask them to spend the night. That’s not going to be a short conversation. Besides, they’re strangers to the girls.”

  “And I’m not a stranger?” Laramie’s brows arched. “I’ve spent less than five hours with them.”

  “That’s five hours more than anyone else we know.”

  It was a weak argument and he knew it. Especially after their tense conversation earlier, when he’d accidentally implied his time was more valuable than hers. He really needed to convince Laramie she could do this, even if she claimed she wasn’t the ideal person to rescue him. After all, she’d known exactly how to feed, change and soothe the twins, so he could get to work feeling confident Macey and Charlotte were in very capable hands.

  “What about Trixie and her puppies? I can’t leave them alone, either.”

  “Bring them here.”

  “That’s crazy. You’re going to add a goldendoodle and two puppies to this circus?”

  A smile tugged at his mouth. “I love that you’ve diagnosed my life as a circus. It’s an accurate description, by the way. And yes. What’s not to love about Trixie and her puppies? You can set them up in my office.”

  “Jack, no.” Laramie jammed her fists on her hips. “This isn’t going to work. You’ll have to come up with a plan B.”

  “That’s the problem. There isn’t a pla
n B. And I have to be in Denver by noon to make my flight. While I’d love to call my mother and let her know she’s a grandmother of twin girls, this isn’t the right time. If you’ll bail me out, I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “Define as soon as you can.” She quoted the air with her fingertips.

  He set his coffee down and mentally calculated how long it would take him to assess the situation, then get a project manager in place. “I’ll be back tomorrow night.”

  “Fine. On two conditions.”

  “Name them.”

  “You’ll shop for groceries on your way home. Diapers, wipes, formula plus everything I need for the picnic on Monday. I’ve got pies to bake and I’m not showing up to my parents’ house empty-handed because of you.”

  “Done and done.” Before he realized what he was doing, he swept Laramie into a hug and pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

  Man, she smelled good. And she fit nicely in his arms. Wait. What? His whole world slowed. Suddenly he wasn’t in such a hurry to leave, and the hum of the dishwasher faded into the background, and all he could think about was why he hadn’t hugged her sooner.

  She eased out of his embrace and grabbed her car keys off the counter. “I’ll go get Trixie and her puppies and pack a bag.”

  “Sounds good.” She avoided his gaze. The air in the room felt thick. Why had he hugged her, anyway? “I need a few minutes to get my stuff together anyway.”

  “I’ll be right back.” She strode toward the door and slipped out quietly.

  Instead of getting ready to go, he cradled his mug in both hands and watched Laramie through the window above the kitchen sink. She was beautiful, kind and loving. He didn’t get to see her feisty side very often and he kind of liked her spunk.

  “Laramie Chambers, someday you are going to make a man very happy,” he whispered and drained the last of his coffee.