Harlequin Heartwarming June 2021 Box Set

by Patricia Johns

  She was going to miss him...

  “I think you’ll like my sister,” Noah said. “She’s less scrappy than your grandmother, but they have a similar no-nonsense vibe.”

  Taryn chuckled. “Granny is a handful, but you can count on her—always. I don’t think she’s quite as frail as my parents were afraid she was, either. And she wants to help—she just tends to offend you first, and help you second.”

  “She means well...deep down,” he said.

  “That sums it up.”

  “Laura, too,” he said. “You’ll see. Except Laura won’t offend you first. And, um, I should probably mention that I told my sister about our situation.”

  “Oh!” She looked over at him. “Okay. That was the plan, right?”

  “Yeah,” he agreed. “At least we don’t have to explain all over again.”

  The house was a broad, low ranch-styled house with bushes out front and a tangle of bikes leaning up against the garage. They parked in the driveway next to a minivan, and when they got out, two preschoolers came running outside—a boy and girl.

  “That would be the twins, Micah and Libby,” Noah said.

  They were also eating Fudgsicles that dripped onto the ground in the summer heat.

  “Uncle Noah!” Micah said, bouncing up and down.

  “Wait...have you grown?” Noah asked, and he measured the boy’s head against his thigh. “I think you grew! You’re bigger!”

  “Yeah, I’m bigger!” Micah said proudly.

  “This is my...my friend, Taryn,” Noah said.

  Friend. It would do. Although it felt like they were something deeper and more complicated than friends. Micah looked at her shyly. He had big brown eyes and a hand that was sticky from his frozen treat. Libby, his sister, was a little smaller, and she hung back, her eyes fixed on Noah in adoration.

  “Uncle Noah,” Libby whispered, and Noah bent down and picked her up.

  “Hi, Libby,” he said.

  She put a sticky hand on his shoulder, and Taryn chuckled as Noah visibly winced.

  “It’s okay,” he said over his shoulder. “After an evening with these guys, you just hose off. You’re going to be sticky—guaranteed.”

  Inside, there were two other children—boys. One looked to be about five or six, and the other was tall and sullen and looked like a preteen.

  “Thanks so much for doing this!” Noah’s sister came bustling out of the kitchen, obviously dressed up for their date night. Her husband was a slim man, and he smiled good-naturedly at them.

  “It’s so nice to meet you!” Laura said, and she put her arms around Taryn and gave her a squeeze. “Don’t hate Noah, but he told me. And we’re thrilled! We really are.”

  “Thanks. And it’s fine that he told you—really.”

  “I don’t have time to have the whole baby gab right now,” Laura said, scooping up her purse, “but if we don’t leave now, something is going to stop us, and I’ve been counting on this night out just a little too much.” Laura laughed, and shot her husband a grin. “You ready to show me a good time, Henry?”

  “Always,” Henry said.

  “Okay, Aaron, you know your chores, and I want them done by the time we get home,” Laura said, addressing the older boy. “And Nicholas, if I hear that you pinched Micah again, there will be trouble, capital T! You hear me?” Laura glanced at Taryn and Noah. “There’s been a tiny bit of pinching...”

  “I didn’t do it!” Nicholas said.

  “And a tiny bit of fibbing...” Laura added, then she rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, okay,” Henry said. “Be good, kids. Love you. If Uncle Noah has to call us because you’re acting up, we’re going to buy ice cream and then eat it all in front of you. Come on, beautiful. It’s you and me tonight.” Henry held out his hand for his wife, and they beamed at each other.

  They looked happy, Taryn realized. All these kids, and Laura and Henry still had eyes for each other. The parents headed out the door, and Noah shut it firmly behind them.

  “Hi,” Libby whispered, and Noah passed the girl over to Taryn. Her little arm twined around Taryn’s neck. Her heart melted.

  “Baby?” Libby asked.

  “Yes, there’s a baby in there,” Taryn said.

  Libby smiled and squirmed against Taryn’s belly. Taryn followed Noah into the house. Toys were spread all over the living room floor, but the kitchen looked relatively tidy. Libby hummed happily to herself, seeming quite pleased to have landed with Taryn.

  “How old are you?” Taryn asked.

  “Three!” Libby held up two fingers, and Taryn laughed.

  “Three? Wow. That’s a very big girl!”

  “Do you want to see my dollies?”

  “I do!” Taryn bent down to put the little girl on the floor, and she dashed off toward the living room to find her dolls. Taryn straightened just as Micah howled.

  “Nicholas pinched me!” he hollered, pointing at a telltale red mark on his arm.

  Nicholas stood next to him, his face arranged in exaggerated innocence, and Noah looked over at Taryn. Before Noah could do anything, however, Aaron marched over to Nicholas and punched him solidly in the shoulder.

  “That’s for pinching!” Aaron said. “Cut it out, you little twerp!”

  Nicholas started to cry, and he flung himself at his older brother. They went down in a tangle of fists and sneakers. Micah stood there watching them in mild amusement, and just then Libby came back into the room with an armload of Barbie dolls. She looked at her brothers for a moment and then headed for Taryn.

  “Come play dollies,” Libby said. “Come? Come play?”

  Taryn stared at Noah, and he stood there, frozen.

  “Do something!” Taryn said.

  “Um—” Noah reached into the fray, receiving a kick to his face for his efforts, and he grabbed an arm and pulled on it. Aaron seemed to be owner, because he was the one Noah hauled out.

  “Aaron, what are you doing?” Noah said. “Now you beat up your little brother?”

  “He hit me first!” Nicholas complained from the ground.

  “After you pinched Micah!” Aaron shot back, his face red.

  “Well, one of you kicked me in the face,” Noah said, rubbing a hand over his jaw. “So cut it out! I don’t want any more of that. Aaron, tell your brother you’re sorry.”

  “No!” Aaron retorted. “I’m not sorry! He’s spoiled and he’s stupid!”

  Nicholas then started crying again. “I’m not spoiled!” he wailed.

  “But you’re okay with being stupid?” Aaron yelled. “See? And he’s always doing stuff and pretending he didn’t!”

  “I did not!” Nicholas wiped his nose on the back of his hand, and there was a smear of blood. The boy paled. “You made me bleed! I’m telling Mom!”

  “You can’t tell Mom,” Aaron snapped. “They’re gone! Tell Uncle Noah!”

  Taryn could hear the victory in those words. None of the kids expected their uncle to do anything, and Noah stood there, looking down at the boys with a frown.

  “Aaron, go to your room for a few minutes,” Noah said.

  “Or what?” Aaron retorted.

  “Or I make you!” Noah said, raising his voice, and Aaron jumped at the suddenly loud bass. Taryn had startled, too. Aaron went stomping off, and hollered something over his shoulder about the unfairness of it all and how his siblings were brats.

  Nicholas and Micah stared up at Noah, openmouthed, and Noah shot Taryn a panicked look.

  “What now?” he said.

  “Why don’t we put the TV on?” Taryn suggested.

  “Yes!” Noah looked relieved. “TV!”

  After a small tussle over which show to watch, Noah flicked on some old-school Tom and Jerry, and the kids all settled in. All except Aaron, of course.

  “Mayb
e you should talk to your nephew,” Taryn said quietly.

  “He’s fine,” Noah said. “His parents just send him to his room.”

  “But he seems really frustrated with his brothers,” Taryn said. “And I think he was actually trying to help there.”

  Noah looked in the direction of the bedrooms, and Taryn could feel his reluctance.

  “I’m not good at this,” Noah said.

  “Talk to him!” she said. “Or we will have mutiny on our hands. If you hadn’t noticed, we’re seriously outnumbered here.”

  “A solid point,” he said, and Noah pushed himself to his feet and headed out of the living room, stepping over toys as he went.

  These kids were more than Noah could handle. Would he be better with their son? She could see how frustrated he was, definitely not a man who was naturally inclined toward children...

  “Play dollies!” Libby said, pushing a Barbie into Taryn’s hand.

  Taryn made the Barbie talk to Libby’s doll, and Libby beamed up at her. Taryn looked over at Nicholas and Micah just as Nicholas pushed a foot into Micah’s back. Taryn sighed. She was tired already. The baby was standing on her bladder, and she adjusted her position.

  “Nicholas, I saw that,” she said, just loud enough for the boy to hear. He looked back at her innocently. So this was how it was going to go. “But I have a special job for you.”

  The boy didn’t look impressed.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked.

  “Yeah!”

  All three children turned at that, and she laughed. “Okay, let’s go find a snack for everyone, but you have to put the exact same amount on every plate...”

  The promise of food brought all three kids into the kitchen, and she directed Nicholas in the making of peanut butter crackers for all of them.

  “And a plate for Aaron,” she said.

  “He’s in time-out,” Nicholas said with a firm shake of his head. “No food in time-out. Those are the rules.”

  “You’re about to join him,” she replied curtly.

  Nicholas eyed her for a moment. “Okay, a plate for Aaron.”

  There would be peanut butter just about everywhere, but maybe a snack could unify these kids. It was worth a try.

  Taryn stopped to look at a few pictures stuck to the side of the fridge with magnets. Laura and Henry looked happy together—more than happy; they looked in love, even when they had kids between them and around them, and climbing them like trees. It looked hectic, but this was what Taryn wanted—the kind of relationship that could weather the kids at any phase, and come out stronger in the end.

  How many people got that these days? How many people found it after forty?

  * * *

  NOAH SAT ON the side of Aaron’s bed, while Aaron stood across the room, his face red.

  “Aaron, look—” Noah sighed. “I’m here for one evening. Do you miss your parents, or something?”

  “No!” Aaron scowled.

  “Okay, so not that.” He glanced around the room, his gaze passing over a desk that was covered in drawings of trucks. They weren’t half-bad. The kid had some talent. “Here’s the deal. I’ve got to make sure you all get along well enough that your parents can have dinner out. It’s a rare luxury for them, and I’m not letting any of you call them to tattle.”

  Aaron was silent, chewing the side of his cheek. This wasn’t going to be an easy night, and he wasn’t sure whether he was happy Taryn was here. Was it a good idea to show her the very real limits of his abilities with kids? But that was why they needed to be friends above all—because they couldn’t be lying to each other to impress them. They had to be real and honest. She had to know just how much she could realistically expect from him.

  “What’s it going to take to get you to help me out?” Noah asked.

  “I don’t know...” Aaron picked at a fingernail.

  “How about ten bucks?” Noah asked.

  Aaron was silent for a moment. “I need fifteen.”

  “Seriously? You’re negotiating with me?” Noah said. “Your mother would already kill me if she knew I was paying you!”

  “I’m saving up for a LEGO set, and I need fifteen more dollars to get it,” Aaron replied.

  “What set?” Noah asked with a frown.

  “It’s a semitruck, with a trailer and there’s a cop on a motorbike that chases it down,” Aaron replied. “And I’ve been saving for it.”

  The boy had a goal. That seemed valuable in itself.

  “Can you break a twenty?” Noah asked.

  “What?”

  “If I give you twenty bucks, can you give me five back?” Noah asked.

  “I don’t want to give you money!”

  “It’s giving me change. You’re still fifteen dollars ahead—” Noah let his head sink into his hands. He was exhausted already. “Okay.” He looked up. “Twenty bucks. I will give a crisp twenty-dollar bill if you help me keep everything going smoothly tonight.”

  Aaron brightened. “Okay!”

  “Wait—” Noah put up a hand. “But you can’t do anything I can’t do. No punching. No kicking. No brawling. No pinching. No verbal threats. None of it. And everyone is in bed by eight, on the dot. Including you.”

  “Libby and Micah go to bed at seven-thirty,” the boy replied.

  “Even better,” he said. “You help me make that happen.”

  “Okay. Can I read in bed?”

  “Yes, but if you beat on any of your siblings, the deal is off,” Noah said. “And I duct-tape you to a wall until your parents come home.”

  “What happened to verbal threats?” Aaron said, narrowing his eyes.

  “I was joking!” Noah said. “A joke. I wouldn’t actually duct-tape you to anything. I’ll just call your mother and let her do it.”

  Aaron smiled. “Twenty bucks?”

  “Twenty bucks.” Noah sighed. “Okay, let’s go back out there.”

  Noah followed Aaron out of the room, and they found everyone else in the kitchen. Taryn picked up a plastic plate off the counter with four peanut butter cracker sandwiches in the center of it, and held it toward Aaron with a smile.

  “That’s for you,” she said.

  “Oh...thanks.” Aaron took the plate and picked up a cracker sandwich with peanut butter oozing out the sides.

  “How did it go?” Taryn asked quietly when Noah joined her at the sink.

  “I bribed him.”

  “What?” She shot him a look of surprise.

  Noah shrugged. “I’m not even going to apologize. I’m giving him twenty bucks toward his LEGO set to help us get the kids all in bed by eight. And you tell me that’s not worth the expense.”

  Taryn laughed softly. “It might be worth it.”

  “I told you I’m not good at this,” he said.

  “And I told you we’re outnumbered,” she said.

  Noah looked at his watch. “We have an hour and a half.”

  * * *

  AARON WAS TRUE to his word, and after his young siblings were all bathed, in their pajamas and in bed, he came out and eyed Noah hopefully.

  “You wanting to get paid?” Noah asked.

  “Yeah. I did it. They’re all in bed now.”

  “Are you going to help keep them there?” Noah asked, pulling out his wallet.

  “Yeah, of course,” Aaron said.

  Noah considered his nephew for a moment. It would be smarter to pay the kid later, but he didn’t plan on telling his sister about this, so he pulled out a twenty and handed it over. Aaron accepted the money with a grin.

  “Thanks, Uncle Noah!” he said, and he dashed back down the hallway. Noah heard the sound of a piggy bank emptying out. He’d ignore that. Let the kid count his money. He’d earned it.

  Taryn shot him an amused smile. “I’ll give you this�
��you got Aaron on your team.”

  “That isn’t a long-term solution,” he said.

  “No,” she agreed. “But we aren’t their parents.”

  “Laura and Henry run this zoo pretty well,” Noah said. “The kids listen to them.”

  Noah sank onto the sofa next to Taryn, and he reached out and took her hand. He wasn’t sure why he did it—the physical contact between them felt natural. An old movie musical was on the TV, and Noah let out a long sigh.

  She felt good next to him. Her hand was cool in his palm, and when she adjusted her position, her belly touched his arm and he felt movement within. He put a hand on her belly and felt the sensation of the baby moving.

  “I...heard from the Seattle hotel chain,” he said, his voice low.

  “Again?”

  He pulled his hand away from Taryn’s belly. “They offered me the job, after all. Their first choice turned them down.”

  Taryn’s gaze clouded, then she nodded. “Okay. What did you tell them?”

  “That I need a couple of days to think it over.” He licked his lips. “I should feel happier than I do.”

  “Congratulations,” she said belatedly with a weak smile.

  “You don’t have to pretend to like it,” he said.

  “This was your goal. It’s a step up,” she said. “You wanted this.”

  “It’s a plan I made before you appeared in my life,” he said. “It was the plan before I knew about our baby.”

  Taryn was silent, and her gaze moved toward the window.

  “If I’m in Seattle, it’ll be a whole lot harder to jump in the car and come to the hospital when he’s born, won’t it?” he went on.

  “You could come afterward,” she said, but her voice had lost the animation.

  “I wasn’t planning on being a father,” he said. “You know that. But now that I’m getting used to the idea, I want to be a good one.”

  “I think you’ll be just fine, no matter where you are,” she said with a quick nod, but she sounded distant.

  “Say what you mean,” he said. “We said we’d be honest, right?”

  “What am I supposed to say?” Taryn said. “We have a plan, Noah! We’re sticking to it. We’ll be friends, we’ll do well by our son and that’s that. If you have a job that takes you to Seattle, well, I was planning on doing this alone. I’m fine—” tears misted her eyes “—I don’t know why I’m going getting emotional. I’m sorry.” She dashed at an errant tear on her cheek. “I’m blaming pregnancy hormones.”