“Yeah.”
“So what was ‘the look’ for? Think he’s exceptionally handsome?” she asked, doing her best to keep the moment light as all the embarrassing things her aunt had said in their presence replayed in her mind.
Kendry shook his head and said, “No. We think you make beautiful babies. He’s got to be the prettiest baby I’ve ever seen.”
“Thanks. Please, sit down. I’m so sorry you had to hear all those things my aunt said.”
Jared leaned forward in his chair and she could see the indignation still burning in his eyes. “She shouldn’t talk to you like that.”
Looking down at Whit, she said, “Guys, there was a kernel of truth in what she said. Before this little guy came into my life I was a self-centered Daddy’s girl. He’s taken care of me all my life, until recently. She’s right. I’m spoiled.”
“Funny, you sure don’t act it,” Jared said. “Everyone has a right to a past.”
Heat filled her cheeks once more as she said, “Depending on whom you asked, people would tell you that I deserved the way she spoke to me. But I appreciate that you defended me, both of you.” She turned Whit so that he lay swaddled in her lap and stroked his cute baby nose, marveling as he wrapped his tiny hand around her finger.
Jared touched Whit’s foot through the blanket. “I wasn’t saying that for your aunt’s benefit.”
“He meant it, Presley Ann,” Kendry affirmed. “We both did.”
She looked up at them while continuing to stroke her son’s hand. “You barely know me. You’re incredibly protective gentlemen, and I find that endearing, but I don’t think you’d feel the same if you knew me better. I’m…”
“You’re what?” Jared asked in a quiet husky tone. “Not good enough? Too complicated. A bad risk?”
Heat traveled up her neck and she blinked hard as she nodded. “I wouldn’t hurt you for the world.” She looked up at them through teary eyes and mentally cursed her hormones as she whispered, “Can’t we leave it at that?”
Kendry traded a look with his brother and then pulled his chair a little closer as he settled those gray-blue eyes on her and the baby. “For now, yes. We didn’t mean to upset you.”
Blotting at her tears, she tried to laugh but it came out more like a croak. “I’ve read that new mothers can be very emotional because of all the hormones. I’m finding out firsthand.”
The understanding in their eyes was a precious gift, which she wanted to somehow return to them. “I think all three of us are worried about the same thing, namely not hurting each other. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Kendry said, “Can I ask just one thing, though? Is Whit’s father still in your life?”
Surprised they hadn’t already heard through the gossip mill, she shook her head. “Whit’s father isn’t…isn’t in his life. I don’t know where he is.” Or who… Shame mingled with regret, twisting like a knot in her chest, and she prayed that they asked no more questions.
Jared nodded and Kendry’s posture relaxed but his shoulders and chest seemed broader as he took a deep breath and let it out.
She frowned. They were relieved about that?
Evidently realizing the way she could take their reactions to her plight, Kendry said, “We don’t want you to think we’re happy that you’re on this road alone. Please don’t be offended.”
Jared sighed and shook his head. His mesmerizing pale blue-gray gaze held hers. “What we’d really like to know, is whether there’s another man in our way.”
“In your…way?” she said, her eyebrows nearly reached her hairline. Her inner devil pointed out that, although she was out of commission, Jared’s alpha tone was a total turn-on.
Because she didn’t know what to say after that, she changed the subject. “Thank you for the roses. They’re beautiful. You shouldn’t have gone to such expense.”
“It was our pleasure,” Jared murmured. “Could I hold him?”
It was a perfectly normal request but it floored her. He wanted to hold another man’s baby? “Of course.”
She lifted Whit, and Jared leaned forward and took the tiny baby in his big arms as if he’d handled a baby many times before. The half-smile that bowed his lips as he stroked the baby’s cheek was a direct contrast to his earlier protectiveness and the possessiveness in his tone just moments before. He looked perfectly capable of handling Whit. He glanced up at her and said, “I see his mama in him. He’s a handsome boy.”
She felt herself being drawn, like a sunflower turning toward the sun, and it scared her a little.
“Okay, you had him long enough. My turn,” Kendry said as he held his hands out. Jared glanced up, and at her nod passed Whit to Kendry. “Lookie there, he smiled at me.”
Jared chuckled and said, “That was a gas bubble.”
“Nah, he likes me.”
“His eyes are closed.”
Kendry bantered with his brother as he held Whit, setting her at ease with the confident way he, too, handled the baby. They explained where their ease with babies came from. It turned out their cousin Marty and his wife, Felicia, had twelve kids, one of which Kendry and Jared had personally delivered, thanks to their EMT training, when they hadn’t been able to leave their house during a flash flood and she’d gone into labor. They’d helped with baby duty on numerous occasions.
Their deep voices lulled her as they talked to her, and when it was time for them to leave it seemed like the most normal thing in the world to reach out to hug them. They smiled as they obliged her and planted a kiss on her cheek as well.
“You need to rest,” Kendry said, standing beside the bed after straightening from placing Whit back in her arms. The warmth in his eyes kindled a flame inside her.
The heat grew when she switched her gaze to Jared and saw the same heat reflected there as he said, “Congratulations on your little boy. We’ll see you soon.”
She bit her lip, remembering that they’d told her they were returning to Abilene to finish their packing and tie up loose ends. “Please be careful on your drive back home.”
Jared stroked her shoulder and then squeezed it. “Divine is our home now.”
Unsure what to say, she nodded as she watched them leave.
The warmth grew in her heart and that unsettled, fish-out-of-water feeling she’d had since being left alone with Whit began to right itself. Taking a deep breath, she realized that Whit needed another diaper change. Leah was correct in her reminder. It was always nice to know someone cared. They’d understood and hadn’t pushed the issue and she was grateful. All her energy was needed for taking care of Whit now.
A while later, her phone buzzed on the tray table, signaling an incoming text message. Her heart lurched a little when she saw who the sender was.
“This is your auntie. I know you were saying all that for the benefit of those two men, because you want to seem noble. But Jules and Marvelle are still willing to pay your medical expenses as well as a generous sum for your ‘pain and suffering.’ That nurse implied that I’m being paid but I’m just helping out friends. Give it a few endless days of diapers, spit up, crying, and no sleep, and you might come to your senses. They said the offer still stands.”
Her reply was quick and to the point. “Stay away from me and my baby. You and I are finished.”
She deleted Dorothy’s contact from her phone and let out a breath, and then groaned. She still had to work with Willie. No matter what she did, no matter how good she was, there would always be people happy to remind her of what she’d been like.
Exhaustion crept up on her and her eyelids were heavy as she looked down at Whit and sighed. She needed sleep but he needed attention. More of those darned hormonal tears filled her eyes.
“I hope I’m not making a huge mistake, honey.” Whit gave her that endearing little scrunchy face she was already in love with and started rooting. He was her highest priority. Resolve hardened inside of her as she put Whit to her breast.
She could do this. Lucky her that
Kendry and Jared seemed to understand that…or at least she thought they did.
Chapter Two
Kendry pulled into the parking lot of the quaint two-story home that had been converted into a business, housing Marvin’s Computer Repair. They’d been in town for three weeks and he hadn’t seen Presley Ann once even though her tiny upstairs apartment was just across the street from the firehouse they worked at. He and Jared had agreed to not press her because she had her hands full with Whit but the blonde beauty was never far from his thoughts.
Presley Ann Woodworth had sparked his interest from the moment he’d met her, something in her eyes and her earnest manner. She’d been so thin, despite the fact that she was expecting. When he’d asked her, she’d told him that she was single and had left it at that. Each time their paths had crossed she’d grown more beautiful, more self-confident, and more appealing to him, to the point where she’d become his main reason for visiting Divine. And still, there was no man, no father to her baby, at least not that they’d heard of, and he and Jared had begun to wonder what it would be like to fill that role.
When he’d asked Leah in private about the baby’s father, Leah had only said, “You need to ask her about that.”
He’d just dropped off groceries at the station, a favor for one of the firefighters who was putting together a Thanksgiving meal for the firefighters who would be on duty during Thanksgiving.
Leah had told them she talked with Presley Ann every day. She was tired, of course, but claimed she was doing fine. But he’d also noticed the subtle concern in Leah’s voice when she’d said, “She keeps claiming she’s fine and just needs time to settle in.”
She keeps claiming she’s fine. Maybe it’s time to see for myself.
He took out his phone and dialed the number Leah had given him and waited for Presley Ann to pick up.
“Hello?” a soft, shaky voice said on the other end, barely distinguishable over the sounds of a wailing infant. “Hello?”
“Presley Ann? It’s Kendry. Are you okay?”
He heard sniffling and a rustling sound and then she said, “I’m just fine.”
“Is Whit okay?”
More sniffling. “He’s fine. Just fussy right now. He needs a nap.” He could hear her soft whispers as she soothed the baby, which didn’t seem to help. “How are you?”
“I’m at your back door. Will you let me in?”
Her apartment entry was located off the kitchen of the first floor and could only be reached by coming in through the locked back door. Marvin took his security and keeping his niece and great nephew safe pretty seriously.
“I look a mess and the baby is—”
“It’s okay. I just wanted to see you for a few minutes.”
“Oh. Okay. You’re at the back door?”
“Yeah. Just unlock the doors and I’ll come up.”
“Okay.” More sniffling and the phone went dead. She sounded off kilter.
As firefighters, he and Jared had received medical training, and he knew postpartum hormones could wreak havoc with new mothers, especially first time mothers. He wished they’d checked on her sooner as he climbed from his truck and went up the back steps.
His concern grew as he heard the wailing baby through the exterior wall as she came downstairs, and the full volume hit him as she opened the back door. Holy Mackerel. Whit wasn’t just crying, he was screaming.
She cupped her hand to her face, shading her eyes from the bright sun, and backed away to let him in.
“Hi. Are you okay?”
“Hi, I—” Whit’s frantic wailing cut off whatever she might’ve said, and she winced and beckoned him through her door and up the stairs. “Come on up. I need to get back to him.”
Kendry hurried up the stairs behind her and smiled when he reached the landing of her cozy one room apartment. The closet was placed strategically to divide the bedroom from the rest of the living space. The shades and curtains were all drawn, and only a dim lamp was lit.
“Honey,” she whispered soothingly, and he followed the sweet cooing sounds to the bedroom, where she was bent over a crib. She was dressed in a gauzy red flowing skirt and a soft V-neck top and standing in profile, he got a glimpse of her full bust and curvy bottom and hips.
What a goddess.
Whit began wailing again. The sound was so loud that it created reverb inside his ears.
Reaching out, he switched on another lamp and she shielded her eyes and winced. Whit screamed even louder, his face beet-red and big tears rolling down his cheeks. She jostled him and bobbed, attempting to soothe him, but the crying only grew worse. She looked up at Kendry and he could see that her eyelids were red and swollen as if she’d been crying for a while. There were dark shadows under her eyes. She cringed and tears leaked from her eyes and she looked as though she was nearing the breaking point. His heart thumped hard as the need to fix the situation overtook him.
He caressed her soft shoulder and squeezed gently to get her attention because neither of them could hear each other over all the noise.
He held out his hands to Whit and looked at her for approval and said, “Let me?”
More tears leaked from Presley Ann’s eyes and her brows furrowed as she handed Whit off to him. The baby felt warm and a little sweaty in the sleeper he was wearing. With pure defeat written on her features, she placed the receiving blanket over his shoulder.
“Little man, you have got a set of lungs on you. Where did you get those from?”
Whit sucked in a breath and stared wide-eyed at Kendry, his mouth hanging open as if he’d forgotten what he was doing in mid-wail. In the short space of silence, he heard Presley Ann draw in a ragged, shaky breath.
He turned his gaze to her and said, “Are you okay?”
Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she shook her head. As if on cue, Whit began howling again and Presley Ann started crying, too.
“Oh, kitten,” he murmured as he wrapped an arm around her back and pulled her close so that he had his arms full of both of them and just let them cry themselves out. “Poor, poor babies.”
* * * *
Presley Ann wanted to kick the crap out of her inner angel, the self-sacrificing maternal one that had told her she could handle an infant on her own. The only thing worse was her inner devil, that remnant of the spoiled brat she’d been, rearing its ugly head, telling her that perhaps her aunt had been right.
The pain in the left side of her head was so intense that she was actually seeing stars, and crying only increased the pressure and the pain. She could barely function, so all the desire in the world to succeed as a mother was wasted, and the inner negativity only increased the feeling of failure. The knot in her throat grew as she looked up at Kendry, defeat settling uncomfortably on her shoulders as he made a sympathetic sound deep in his throat.
Whit let loose with another bloodcurdling scream and the nausea churned in her stomach. Kendry watched Whit and when the baby finally lost steam and drew a long, stuttering breath Kendry asked, “Have you slept?”
She shook her head but couldn’t speak as another pain-wracked sob rose up as she estimated the distance to the nearest bathroom. If she got sick in front of him it would be epically embarrassing. Whit’s next wail made the knot of muscles at the base of her skull tighten another degree.
With the baby’s next inhalation, Kendry asked, “Are you in pain?”
Helpless to do anything but nod, she put her hands to her temples and leaned against him.
Whit’s next shaky breath was less intense than the last one. Either that or she was finally going deaf. Kendry asked, “Got a headache?”
She nodded and managed a weak smile. “Migraine. I have an appointment with Doctor Emma later this afternoon.” She held her hands open, expecting him to hand the baby right back to her. Lots of moms dealt with migraines while caring for an infant and she needed to suck it up.
“Have you had them before?” he asked as he caressed her brow, which sent a wave of shivers dow
n her spine, leaving her feeling a little weak in the knees.
“Rarely. The normal over-the-counter meds aren’t helping, and obviously I can’t go lay down in a quiet room with a washcloth over my eyes.”
“What time is your appointment?”
Whit began wailing again, and he patted the baby on the back. His deep voice drew Whit’s attention, and he gave a piteous cry and then sucked in a few stuttering breaths. His face was red as he gazed up at him and then rubbed his eyes. He was just as exhausted as she was.
Kendry turned the baby in the crook of his arm so he faced Presley Ann and said, “Could you unzip his sleeper all the way down? Let’s get this off of him for a few minutes.”
“But he’ll get chilled,” she said, thinking a sick baby was the last thing she could deal with right now, but did as he asked.
“We’ll cover him with the blanket. There.” Whit bleated as she gently tugged the sleeves free from his arms and then eased the thick blanket sleeper down his back and off of his legs. Whit flopped his head on Kendry’s shoulder and went back to sucking his fist. “What happened?” she asked as she looked at the sleeper and then at her son.
“Maybe he was hot.” Kendry brushed his lips against Whit’s head as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do and switched the lamp back off, easing the pain behind her eyes slightly. “Let’s see if cooling him off doesn’t help. You couldn’t hear me before when I asked, but what time is your appointment with your doctor?”
“Not until this afternoon at three. They couldn’t fit me in before then, and I didn’t want to sit with Whit in the waiting room since it’s flu season.”
Kendry bobbed Whit in a gentle motion and said, “When was the last time you had a break? A few minutes to yourself?”
She hated answering because she didn’t want to sound like a whiner. Being a single mom meant she played the hand that was dealt her and breaks were a luxury she just couldn’t afford to think about, let alone indulge in.
“He conked out last night and I had enough time to take a quick shower.” Yeah, at four o’clock in the morning. She’d had to take the opportunity while it was allowed and the hot water had felt sooo good she’d nearly cried. He’d been awake and crying again before her hair was even fully dry. “I’m glad you didn’t see me yesterday,” she said as she fingered the straight ends of her hair. She hadn’t been anywhere in days, much less had the time or energy for the basics. She’d been a mess.
Absentminded Angel [Divine Creek Ranch 20] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 3