What Makes A Father (HQR Special Edition)

by Teresa Southwick

  He met her gaze and there was a tender look in his. “We’re a family and as soon as the court recognizes me as their father, we’ll be official.”

  “That won’t be long,” she said. “But I’m officially starving right now.”

  “Let’s go eat. Mom—”

  “On it, honey.”

  Adjacent to the main bar area was a restaurant where tables had been arranged in long rows to accommodate the family. Two high chairs had been set up on the end for the babies. Florence herded everyone to their assigned places, with Annie and Mason surrounded by their maid of honor and best man.

  When they were all in place Flo said, “If Annie and Mason have no objection, I’d like to make the first toast.”

  He looked at her and she nodded. “Take it away, Mom.”

  “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Annie to our family. My son is a lucky man.” She held up a flute of champagne. “Peace and long life.”

  Her husband frowned a little. “Isn’t that from Star Trek?”

  “Maybe, but it fits.” Flo shrugged and nodded at him. “Okay, best man, it’s your turn.”

  John stood and looked around the table. “It’s a blessing to be surrounded by my children and grandchildren to celebrate this happy occasion. Mason, you’re a lucky man. Annie, I’m very happy to have another daughter. Congratulations.”

  For the second time she felt emotion in her throat and tears gather in her eyes. She blinked them away and smiled at him. Everyone clinked glasses, and soon after food was served. There were many volunteers to help keep the babies occupied so that they could eat their wedding dinner without interruption. The meal was followed by a beautiful red-velvet cake garnished with roses around the base. Everyone was mingling, chatting and having a good time.

  Then Annie and Mason somehow found themselves alone in the crowd. He had a glass of champagne in his hand and said to her, “So, I have a toast.”

  “Oh?”

  “I’m not a man of words, so don’t expect profound.”

  She smiled. “You do okay.”

  “Right.” He held up his glass. “Here’s to us.”

  “To us,” she said, touching her glass to his. “It was a nice wedding.”

  “Agreed. But on the one-to-ten nice scale, that dress is a fifteen.” There was more than a little male interest in his eyes. “Why red?”

  “Symbolism and maybe a bit of superstition.” She sipped her champagne. “Red can be a sign of good luck, joy, prosperity, celebration, happiness and long life.”

  He nodded and slid one hand into the pocket of his suit pants, striking a very masculine pose. “All good reasons. And not traditional.”

  She couldn’t tell whether or not that bothered him. “I know we took this step to have a traditional family for the twins, but—”

  “You think I’m upset that you didn’t wear white?”

  “Are you?” she asked.

  “No. This couldn’t be more different from my first wedding and that’s a very good thing. Only—” It looked as if something had just occurred to him. “You’ve never done this before. It’s a really bad time to ask. And, for the record, I’m an idiot for not thinking about it until just now. Are you okay with a small wedding?”

  “If I wasn’t, you’d have heard. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not shy about standing up for myself.”

  “Yeah, I figured that out the first time we met. And I quote, ‘Do the swab and leave your contact information. Now please go.’”

  “Yeah.” She grinned. “Not my finest hour. In my defense, I was tired and the twins were teething.”

  “No, I get it. You’re independent and it’s one of the things I like about you. I just wanted to make sure you’re fine with the size of this wedding because having something bigger would have meant waiting—”

  “Speaking of that—” Gabriel Blackburne joined them and had apparently overheard. He had a tumbler in his hand containing ice and some kind of brown liquor. “Why didn’t you?”

  “Didn’t we what?” Mason asked.

  “Wait to get married.”

  Annie guessed Mason hadn’t discussed with his brother why they’d decided to take this step. And she couldn’t read the other man’s expression. It wasn’t animosity exactly, more like concern. There was also something dark and maybe a bit bleak, but she sensed that was personal to Gabriel and had nothing to do with her and Mason.

  “Don’t get me wrong.” Gabriel took a sip from his glass. “I wish you both all the best. But why rush things?”

  “It’s about being a family,” Mason explained. “My escrow closed. Annie and the kids were half moved out of her apartment because of the broken leg. It seemed a good time to merge households.”

  “A merger. My job is turning around failing businesses, but...” His brother’s expression was wry. “Be still my heart.”

  “Annie and I talked this through and we agreed it was the best thing for the children. We want to give them a conventional home. Like you and I had.”

  “Yes, we did.” Gabriel’s expression grew just a little darker. “But a successful family starts with a strong core.”

  “It does,” Annie said. “We are in complete agreement about the twins and raising them in a stable and loving environment.”

  “So you are in love?” Again he glanced at Annie but his gaze settled squarely on his brother. “Because if I’m not mistaken, you were never going there again.”

  Mason’s eyes narrowed but his voice was even and casual when he responded. “Annie is the most courageous and warm woman I’ve ever met. And it seems to me that if you’re this cynical, you aren’t the best person to be working in a business that is supposed to help people find their life partner.”

  “You are so right. That’s why my goal is to make that business profitable again as quickly as possible so I can leave.” He finished the last of the liquor in his glass. “I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know, but this ‘merger’ will change everything.”

  “For the better,” Mason said.

  Annie knew the man meant well but she shivered at the words. Before she could think that through, she recognized Sarah’s tired cry and knew Charlie wouldn’t be far behind.

  “Mason, I think the grace period on the twins’ good mood has just expired.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I sincerely wish you all the best,” Gabriel said again. “You have a beautiful family. I envy you, brother.”

  Mason smiled and held out his hand. His brother took it then pulled him in for a bro hug. “See you Sunday at Mom’s.”

  They said good-bye and went to retrieve their children from Mason’s mother and father. Annie took Sarah and Mason grabbed Charlie, who rubbed his face against his father’s shoulder. It was a classic sign of being overtired.

  “We need to get these guys home,” she said to Florence.

  “Why don’t you two stay?” his mother said. “I can keep them at my house overnight.”

  And that was the exact moment it really sank in for Annie that being married did change everything. When you married a man, he became your husband and you were his wife. A couple. And couples had sex on their wedding night.

  Chapter Nine

  After his mother offered to keep the kids, Mason could have kissed the woman. A wedding night alone with Annie sounded just about perfect to him. Not that he didn’t love his children to the moon and back, but... Taking that sexy red dress off his new bride sent his imagination and other parts of him into overdrive. There hadn’t been a specific conversation about sex but after that kiss he figured they were good. If one of the babies hadn’t interrupted them, their first time would already have happened.

  But it felt right to have waited until after they were married. Right for Annie somehow. That was probably stupid, but that’s the way he felt.


  “What do you think?” he asked her.

  Annie looked a little pale and her smile was forced. “That is so sweet and thoughtful. I can’t thank you enough for the offer. But we got married to be a regular family. It doesn’t seem right not to have them with us on our first night.”

  Mason had mixed feelings. He felt like biomedical waste because it crossed his mind that he wanted her all to himself. That made him a selfish jerk for not wanting to share her. The other part of him realized how important it was to get this right.

  “We appreciate it, Mom. But I agree with Annie.”

  This was better, he told himself. No pressure on either of them. The twins came first and that meant bathing, feeding and rocking them to sleep. That might happen by midnight and they would fall into bed exhausted, too tired for... Anything.

  Mason tried not to be disappointed and almost succeeded. Almost.

  They bundled the kids into jackets because the October evening was chilly. Buckling them into the carriers that fit into the car was more of a challenge. Being overtired and out of sorts, they cried and fought the restraints, but he and Annie out-stubborned them.

  She hugged his mom and dad. “Thank you for everything.”

  “You’re so welcome, sweetheart.” Flo smiled. “I think you’ll make my son a happy man.”

  Annie glanced at him but her expression was impossible to read. “I’m glad you think so.”

  Mason looked around the pub’s dining area and noticed a busboy busy loading dirty dishes from their dinner into a plastic tote. Still, he had to ask. “You’re sure you don’t need us for anything here?”

  “No. We have it covered. Take your family home.”

  “I like the sound of that.” He looked at Annie and she nodded. “Good night, all. Thanks for coming.”

  His parents had picked up Annie and the twins, so her car was at the house. They walked outside, each carrying a crying infant. Even after they were secured in the rear seat of his SUV the crying continued. It was impossible to have a conversation over the high-pitched wails. Fortunately it didn’t take long to get home.

  He pulled into the driveway beside her small, compact car. Annie opened the front passenger door and the overhead light came on.

  “I’m glad they didn’t fall asleep,” she said.

  “Why?” Because she didn’t want to be alone with him? Was she trying to tell him something?

  “Because I’d be tempted to put them to bed without even undressing them. They need baths, jammies and bottles. Never too soon to start a routine.”

  “Good point.”

  In the house they set Sarah and Charlie facing each other on the family room rug. The settling-in process was ongoing so boxes were scattered throughout and furniture was still scarce. Shopping for it hadn’t been a priority. The babies’ nurseries were put together, each with its own crib. But the cartons lined the walls in the rest of the rooms and needed to be unpacked.

  Annie looked around ruefully. “Is this all my stuff or yours?”

  “Fifty-fifty.” He settled his hands on his hips, pushing back his suit coat. “And I have one more load from my storage unit.”

  She sighed. “It doesn’t feel like we’ll be settled anytime soon.”

  Was she trying to get a message across? Or was he reading too much darkness into that conversation with Gabriel tonight? Until then he’d felt just fine about this whole thing. Now... Time would tell.

  The twins had been quiet since coming into the house, both of them looking around with wide eyes. Charlie rubbed his face, a sure sign of an imminent meltdown.

  Annie saw it, too. “I’m going to get out of this dress.”

  It had been a long shot at best, but there went any chance of him sliding the sexy material off her. She was probably going to slip into something more comfortable but it would likely be sweatpants not lingerie. He wasn’t proud of these thoughts, but he was a guy.

  “Okay. I’ll entertain them while you change for operation bath time.”

  “Roger that.” She smiled then hurried out of the room.

  Charlie’s whimpers turned to full-blown wails, so Mason unbuckled him and lifted the little guy into his arms. That was Sarah’s cue to commence with her own high-pitched vocal demonstration of unhappiness. She arched her back against the straps holding her in, but he didn’t want to undo them and have her sliding out of the seat.

  He put his son on the rug. Don’t judge, he thought, grateful the germ police weren’t around. He was getting a bath soon. Then he freed Sarah and cuddled her close for a moment while her brother took off on another crying jag.

  Mason went down on one knee and put a hand on the boy’s belly. “I honestly don’t know how your mother did it all by herself.”

  “It wasn’t easy.” Annie had quietly entered the room and moved closer.

  He looked up. “And yet somehow you made it look easy.”

  “I doubt that. But thanks.” She held out her arms for Sarah. “Now, unless you want soap and water all over that nice suit, you should change into a slicker and rubber boots.”

  “Understood.”

  Mason put on jeans and a T-shirt, then grabbed his son off the floor and followed Annie into the bathroom that connected the twins’ nurseries. Their small tub was already out on the counter by the sink and she filled it with warm water before handing her baby off to him. He had one in each arm and watched her set out two sets of PJs, diapers and two fluffy towels.

  She took Sarah and stripped off the dress, tights and diaper before lowering her into the water. Little hands and feet started moving. Crying stopped and splashing started.

  “They do love the water, but there’s no playing tonight.” Annie washed, rinsed and lifted Sarah out before quickly wrapping the towel around her.

  Mason had removed Charlie’s clothes while his sister was being bathed. They handed off babies and he took Sarah into her room and dressed her in the clothes Annie had put out. By the time he finished, Charlie was in a towel and on the way to his room. He stood in the doorway, holding his sweet-smelling daughter.

  “Assembly line works like a charm,” he said.

  She looked up for a moment and smiled. “An extra pair of hands makes this so much easier.”

  “We make a good team.”

  “Yes, we do.” She finished putting on Charlie’s one-piece blue sleeper. After picking him up, Annie held him close and brushed a hand over his back while he rubbed his eyes again. “You’re a tired boy. Let’s give them a bottle and put them to bed.”

  “The same crib? Or their own?”

  She met his gaze, thinking that one over. “I don’t know. Thoughts, Doctor?”

  “Not a pediatrician but... Sooner or later they have to be in their own rooms. This is a new environment anyway, so it might be a good time to try. The worst that could happen is they won’t go to sleep and we put them in the same crib again.”

  Annie nodded. “And if it works, they might sleep through each other’s fussiness and we’d only have one awake at a time. That sounds too good to be true. But I vote we give it a try.”

  “It’s unanimous,” he said.

  After bottles, the twins were asleep. They carefully put them in their respective rooms then met in the hall to wait for the crying to start. Five minutes went by and all was quiet. Annie held up two fingers, indicating they should give it another couple of minutes. They both held their breaths but there wasn’t a sound.

  She angled her head toward the family room and he followed her there. “I am cautiously optimistic that this just might work.”

  “A wild prediction.”

  “You’re a pessimist,” she scolded. And sure enough, ten minutes passed without a peep. “Cautious optimism rules. It would appear they’re in for the night. What are we going to do with ourselves?”

  Then her eyes widen
ed and a blush covered her cheeks. Any other time the kids would have been fussy and out of sorts, but not now. It had been smooth and easy getting the twins to sleep, but Mason sensed a whole pile of awkward in the room. He knew her pretty well now and there was no question that Annie looked tense.

  He had wanted her practically from the first moment he’d seen her and now she was his wife. But he’d been getting vibes from her and not the ones he was hoping for.

  There were so many ways this could go sideways and he didn’t want to do the wrong thing. He didn’t want to be another jerk in her life. That was no way to start out. On the other hand, they were married. But one of them had to address this situation.

  He cleared his throat. “Annie, you’re probably really tired and—”

  When he stopped and let the meaning of his words sink in, a charged silence joined the awkwardness dividing them like the wall that once separated East and West Berlin. Her eyes changed color, as if a light had gone out. But that was probably his imagination.

  Finally she nodded. “It has been a long day—”

  “Right. Sure.”

  She half turned toward the hall. “I think I’ll turn in now.”

  “Okay.”

  When she was gone, Mason poured himself a Scotch and leaned against the island that overlooked a family room empty of furniture. If one was into symbolism, this would be a doozy. He had thought marrying her would solve problems and fill up his life. He’d had no idea it would be just the beginning of complications.

  What was it she’d said? It was never too early to get into a routine. What did this say about the routine they were starting?

  * * *

  Annie barely slept on her wedding night but not for the reason she should have not slept. And a week later nothing had changed. They slept in the same bed but his long shifts at the hospital and caring for the twins became an excuse for him to avoid intimacy. The rejection hurt on many levels, but what stung most was her poor judgment. How wrong she’d been about the sparks between them. Well, half-wrong, anyway. She was the only one who’d felt them.