Fellow employees were leaving the hospital, and she didn’t want one of her coworkers to see her crying in her car. Quickly starting the engine, she exited the parking lot and had just merged onto the street when her cell phone started vibrating in the pocket of her scrubs. Luke had tried calling her several times throughout the day, but she couldn’t bring herself to answer. She’d rationalized not taking his calls because she was at work, but he would know her shift had ended forty minutes ago.
He’d also texted her multiple times, but she’d ignored those as well. She was too afraid of what he might say to her. The possibility of him being the father of Vivian’s baby changed everything. At the very least, Luke would want to relocate back to Montana so he could be part of Crew’s life. But what if he wanted to give his ex-wife another chance while he was at it?
The phone stopped buzzing and when she hit a red light, she pulled her cell from her pocket and saw Luke had been the caller. Her finger hovered over the button to return the call, but she decided to wait until she was at home and in her room to call him back. She tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and proceeded through the intersection when the light turned green.
The rest of the drive home, she tried to think of what she would do if Luke didn’t want to see her anymore. For once, she wished she were more like her twin sister and could quit her job and run away to do something else.
Then she remembered the unanswered email about the international neonatal program. She needed to give them an answer soon, and if she said yes, maybe that was her answer. Except the hollow feeling in her stomach didn’t convince her it was the right thing to do. She would miss her family so much. Right now, she felt like she needed them more than ever.
There was one other option that might be a perfect solution. She could move to Macon and go back to school to become a nurse practitioner. The director over the program had talked to her graduating class and Taylin had been very interested. It wouldn’t hurt to email her former clinical leader to find out what she needed to do to apply for the program.
Having an alternative plan made her feel a tiny bit better. At least she would have a backup plan if Luke did tell her it was over.
Her temporary peace of mind ended when she pulled into her driveway. Luke’s SUV blocked the way. Her heart rate tripled when she saw him standing with his back pressed against the car and his arms crossed over his chest. The scowl on his face only made him look more appealing.
Her fingers trembled as she turned off the engine, pulled the key from the ignition and climbed out of the car. Luke didn’t move, his muscles so rigid he looked like he was made of stone. His gray eyes glistened like chips of ice as he focused solely on her. Goodness, how could a man look so angry and so sexy at the same time?
Tentatively, she closed the distance between them. As she drew closer, his eyes softened and he dropped his arms to his sides.
“You’ve been crying,” he said in a gruff voice.
“No I haven’t,” Taylin said, not sure why she was denying it. While her makeup was waterproof, her red-rimmed eyes were a dead give away.
He held her gaze for a few more seconds and then sighed heavily. “I was all ready for a fight about why you wouldn’t talk to me, but I’m guessing you’ve had just as bad of a day as I have.”
Without warning, her lower lip started to quiver and tears stung the back of her eyes. She was so selfish to think only of herself. Luke looked miserable too and her ignoring his attempts to reach her today had probably only added to his stress.
“I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you,” she said as a tear slid down her cheek.
“It’s okay.” He pushed away from the car and opened his arms. “Come here for a minute.”
Taylin rushed forward and threw herself against his chest, her hands slipping around to his back. As Luke’s arms enclosed around her, she buried her face into his shirt, loving the familiar spicy scent of his cologne. She heard his heart beat quicken as he tightened his hold and pressed a kiss against the top of her head.
“I wanted to warn you about Abbie seeing me in the lab with Vivian and Crew,” he said after a long moment. “She did tell you, right?”
Taylin edged back to look up at him. “Yes.” She sniffed. “But I didn’t tell her anything, other than admitting I already knew they were here visiting you.”
“I’m not worried about that, Taylin.” He leaned down to rest his forehead against hers. “I was just worried about you.”
Fighting back the tears again, she pulled away and shook her head. “You shouldn’t have to worry about me. Not with everything you’re dealing with right now.”
A baby’s cries sounded from Luke’s car. “Is Crew with you?” Taylin asked.
“Yeah, he fell asleep on the way over here.” Luke released his hold of her and twisted around to open the back door. He ducked inside the car and came back out holding the little boy. “Hey, little guy, it’s okay,” he said, trying to calm the child by gently jiggling him up and down and patting him on the back.
Mixed emotions swirled through Taylin as she watched the pair. She loved children, and she loved Luke. She knew she could easily love Crew if she and Luke ended up together, but what about when she and Luke decided to have children of their own? Could she really love the child of another woman as equally as her natural born children? Plus, she knew Luke’s ex-wife would always be present in their lives.
Luke glanced up and caught her watching him. A worried look crossed his features, and she knew her face must have revealed her troubled thoughts. “I hope it’s okay I brought him with me. I needed to see you, Taylin, but when Vivian found out where I was headed, we argued… and then she left Crew with me for the evening. I think he needs a diaper change and he’s hungry and I have no idea what I’m doing… if you could just—”
“Stop, Luke,” Taylin said, placing her hand on his arm. “Of course it’s all right.” She knew it was her fault he felt like he couldn’t ask her for help. Without asking for permission, she took Crew from him. “Yep,” she said, getting a whiff of something unpleasant. “He definitely needs a diaper change.”
“Thank you,” Luke said, giving her a smile for the first time.
“Do you have a clean diaper?”
“Yeah, let me get the diaper bag.”
Crew continued to whimper so Taylin started for the house. Luke joined her a moment later and opened the front door for her. Once inside, she carried the baby to the family room and knelt down, laying the baby down on the carpet. Crew didn’t try to roll over and crawl away, like some of her nieces and nephews tended to do at this age. He just calmly stayed put, sucking on his pacifier as she removed the cutest pair of tan corduroy pants and then the soiled diaper.
“Wow,” Luke said from behind her. “No wonder he wasn’t happy.”
“You feel a lot better, don’t you?” Taylin asked the little boy as she used several diaper wipes to clean the baby. She was rewarded with a wide grin that showed off two bottom teeth.
Luke handed her a clean diaper and crouched down beside her. “You make this look so easy.”
“My job has given me a lot of practice.” Taylin put the child’s pants back on and then sat him up.
Crew started to reach for the dirty diaper, but Taylin snatched it away. “Oh no you don’t,” she said in a sing-songy voice. “We need to find you some toys.”
She stood up and Luke held out the diaper bag. “I’ll trade you and take the diaper out to the trash.”
“Thank you,” she said as they made the switch. While Luke took the diaper outside, Taylin rummaged through the bag and found a couple of toys, two containers of baby food and a small bottle of hand sanitizer. Using a small amount of hand sanitizer, she rubbed her hands together and then picked up one of toys and placed it in front of Crew. Taylin laughed when his pacifier popped out and he grabbed the toy and started chewing on it.
Luke came back inside and washed his hands before coming to stand beside her so their arms t
ouched. “Thank you again.”
She turned her head to look up at him. “You’re welcome.”
Their eyes met, and Taylin immediately fell under whatever spell Luke had cast over her. The attraction between them was like the invisible force of two powerful magnets that when placed in close proximity couldn’t help but be drawn together.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said as he brought his hands to her face and threaded his fingers into her hair.
“I’ve missed you too.” There was so much more to say, but with his lips so close, all she could think about was how much she wanted his kiss.
Slowly, Luke lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her softly. She melted into his arms, letting her hands drift over the hard muscles of his arms. The kiss ended when Crew let them know he didn’t like being ignored by tugging at Taylin’s pant leg and jabbering baby talk.
“Somebody feels left out,” Taylin said. She bent down and scooped up the little boy, kissing him on the cheek. Crew grabbed a chunk of her hair and put it in his mouth. Taylin laughed at the face he made. “I think we need to feed this little guy.”
She looked to Luke for a response, and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. She longed to ask him what he was thinking, but Crew was done being patient and started to cry.
Taylin freed her hair from the baby’s chubby fists and handed him to Luke. “My mama has a portable high chair we can use to feed him.”
“Okay, but what do we feed him?” The I-have-no-idea-what-I’m-doing look was back on his face.
“There’s baby food in the diaper bag.”
After securing the high chair to one of the kitchen barstools, she helped Luke strap the baby in. Then she found a baby spoon in the back of the silverware drawer and handed it to Luke.
“This stuff smells weird,” Luke said when he peeled back the lid to the chicken and applesauce combination. Crew reached for it and almost succeeded in getting the plastic container, but Luke pulled it away. “He seems to want it pretty bad though.”
Taylin pulled up a barstool and sat next to Luke. “My sister-in-law will attest that it doesn’t taste much better than it smells.”
“She ate this stuff on purpose?” Luke asked.
“Yeah,” Taylin said with a laugh. “She decided to taste test a few of the flavors before feeding them to her daughter. Most of them were bland, but some she claimed were downright disgusting.”
“Brave woman,” Luke said, dipping the spoon into the food.
Between the two of them, they managed to feed the baby without making too big of a mess. The moment was kind of sweet, almost like a glimpse into the future—their future—but Taylin wanted the child in the high chair to be their child, not his and Vivian’s.
While Luke cleaned the little boy up, Taylin found a box of baby toys her mama kept for when grandkids came to visit. She hoped it would keep Crew content long enough for Luke and her to talk before her parents returned home from their dinner party.
“He’s so cute,” Taylin said, settling next to Luke on the loveseat.
“I know.” Grasping her hand, he slipped his fingers between hers and turned his head to look at her. “I’m trying not to get too attached until I get the test results back, but I think it’s already too late.”
Anxiety lodged like a heavy stone in her stomach. If the test proved him to be the father, she had no doubt that Luke would want to be located near his son. Taylin hated the idea of him moving for more reasons than being separated from him. He’d be in close proximity to Vivian. While it was evident he didn’t like his ex-wife very much, that could change because of their mutual love for Crew. And Luke had a history of forgiving Vivian for cheating on him over and over again. What if Vivian asked him to give her another chance so they could be a family?
“When will you get the results back?”
“In three days.”
Swallowing, Taylin shifted her gaze to the baby. “What will you do if Crew is yours?”
“I’ve been asking myself the same thing,” he said with a heavy sigh.
He didn’t elaborate, and Taylin didn’t press him. Besides, it wasn’t fair to make him give her a concrete answer right now.
“So,” Luke said, gently squeezing her fingers, “how bad is the gossip at work?”
Taylin thought about the stories circulating around the floor. None of them put Luke in a favorable position. She decided to be honest, since she’d want to know what was being said about her. “Basically, that you divorced your pregnant wife and abandoned her and your son to move to Georgia.”
Luke pressed his mouth into a tight line. “Before I even had a chance to say anything, Vivian introduced herself to Abbie and then introduced Crew as our son.” He shook his head and let out a sarcastic laugh. “I didn’t know what to say after that. I certainly wasn’t going to explain we were there for a paternity test.”
“Maybe you should’ve,” Taylin said.
“What?” Luke’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. “Why would I?”
“Well, I’m sure Vivian wouldn’t appreciate you tellin’ everyone that she has no idea who had fathered her child. It would make her look like the cheating wife she was.”
His mouth twisted wryly. “I like the way you think.” He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss across her lips. “Remind me never to make you mad,” he said against her mouth.
Before Taylin could point out the times he had made her angry, he kissed her again. Long and slow, making her forget all about her worries.
They jumped apart when a door slammed shut. Taylin glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see her parents, but it was her sister Ashlee. “Y’all are never gonna guess where I’m going this weekend!” she said, practically bouncing into the room.
“Where?” Taylin and Luke asked at the same time.
“Oh my goodness,” Ashlee squealed, kneeling down in front of Crew. “What a cute baby.”
Her enthusiasm startled the little boy. Eyes wide, Crew dropped the set of plastic keys he’d been chewing on and scrunched up his little face.
“Ah, don’t cry.” Ashlee picked up the baby, along with the plastic keys, and stood up. “I’m nice.” She gave him an exaggerated smile and then used her hand to play peekaboo.
After several rounds of the game, Crew’s face relaxed and he giggled. After that, each time Ashlee hid her eyes behind her hand and then removed it with a “boo”, Crew would giggle. It was so adorable, and Taylin could see how Luke had already grown attached to the little boy.
“He’s so sweet,” Ashlee said, sitting down on the coffee table. She kept Crew on her lap, letting him play with the toy keys. “Did you find out if you’re his daddy?” she asked Luke point blank.
A red flush crept up his neck, and he cleared his throat. “Uh, not yet.”
“The test takes three days,” Taylin said. Then, for Luke’s sake, she asked, “So are you going to tell us where you’re goin’ this weekend?”
“Yes.” Ashlee’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’m going to Disney World to audition for the part of Cinderella.”
Taylin smiled at her sister as she explained how a girl she’d met at the Halloween costume party the week before had sent a picture of Ashlee dressed as Cinderella to her aunt, who happened to be the director over the actors and actresses employed at the Disney park. Auditions were open for a few of the princesses, including Cinderella and Ashlee had been invited to Florida this weekend to try out for the role.
Part of Taylin wanted to ask if she could come too. Then she could escape the reality of her current situation, but Ashlee didn’t need Taylin to go with her. Her boyfriend Grayson had already volunteered to drive her there.
“The only drag is I wouldn’t get to wear the dress from the newer version of Cinderella,” Ashlee said, snuggling Crew closer. The little boy’s eyes drooped as if he could barely keep them open. “Plus, I’d have to wear my hair up in a bun.”
If only Taylin’s worries were as insignificant as th
at. Right now, she envied her sister and her carefree way’s.
Ashlee got a call and transferred a sleeping Crew to Luke’s arms. The tender look on his face as he gazed down at the little boy made Taylin’s heart melt. One thing was certain: Luke would make an incredible daddy some day.
She was just about to suggest she set up the portable crib her mama kept on hand when Luke got a text from Vivian.
Two lines creased his forehead as he read over the message. “I have to go,” he said, lifting his gaze to meet Taylin’s. “I’m sorry, but Vivian’s home and wants Crew.”
It annoyed Taylin how quick he was to jump to Vivian’s demands. Instead of saying something negative, she forced her lips up into a smile. “I’ll get the diaper bag.” It was hard keeping her feelings hidden as they made their way out to his car. She couldn’t help wondering if this is what life would be like if she and Luke eventually married. Vivian would text or call him about Crew and he’d drop everything to go to them.
Crew didn’t wake up, even when Luke struggled to get the straps secured and Taylin had to step in to help him.
“What would I do without you?” he asked when she quickly finished the job.
“You’ll get the hang of it.” She handed him the diaper bag and took a step backward. Her emotions were close to the surface, and she needed to leave before she started crying again. “Well, have a good night.” Her voice sounded shaky and she felt her eyes sting with unshed tears. Not wanting to cause a scene, she spun on her heel and took two steps before Luke grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop.
“Taylin,” he said in a soft voice. “I’m sorry.”
Unable to look at him, she nodded her head. “It’s okay.” The words came out choppy and she sniffed as a couple of tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks.
Placing a finger under her chin, he lifted her face to his. “Please don’t cry,” he said, looking as tormented as she felt. “We’ll get through this.”
Just a Kiss in the Moonlight: Georgia Moon Romance Book 2 Page 25