by Susan Stoker
Alexis hopped around excitedly as if not sure who she needed to hug or what she needed to say.
Bailey simply stood there and soaked in the love that was emanating from the Anderson brothers. It was easy to see how much the three men loved each other, and the fact that there were two more humans to welcome into their inner circle and shower with affection was simply icing on the cake.
“So, don’t keep us waiting. What’d you name ’em?” Blake asked.
“Well, we had a few names in mind, but Grace wanted to wait until we saw our sons before making the final decision.” Logan paused dramatically before continuing. “The oldest will be Ace Blake Anderson, and the second will be Nate Bradley. We wanted to name them after the men in our lives who mean the most to us.”
Bailey would’ve missed it if she hadn’t been looking right at Nathan when he heard his nephews’ names for the first time. Disbelief, shock, and so much love it hurt to see it. His eyes filled with tears, and he immediately shut them, trying to hold back his emotion.
Without thought, Bailey’s hand went to his back, and she laid her palm on his arm. Supporting him, congratulating him, and telling him without words that she understood his emotions.
Blake grabbed his brother and gave him a bear hug. The two men pounded each other on the back and laughed with joy. Alexis was next, hugging her almost brother-in-law tightly. Then it was Nathan’s turn.
“You named your son after me?” he asked, hesitantly. “Are you sure you wanna do that? He’ll probably end up a math geek like me if you do.”
Logan looked his brother in the eyes and said sincerely, “I would be proud as fuck if my son was half the man you are, Nathan. I know you think you’re the odd man out, that you’re somehow lacking in some way because you don’t have the build we do. But, Bro, what you don’t realize is how everyone you meet admires and looks up to you.”
“Shut up,” Nathan choked out, then grabbed his brother. They stood still for a long moment, holding each other. Blake wrapped an arm around Nathan’s shoulders, and the three Anderson brothers—the men no one in Castle Rock thought would amount to anything, the men who appointed themselves protectors of the abused and neglected men and women of the area—unashamedly celebrated their love and the creation of a new generation of Anderson men.
Bailey wiped a tear off her cheek, embarrassed until she looked over at Alexis and saw her doing the same thing. The two women grinned at each other and waited for the brothers to compose themselves.
Nathan finally pulled away from Logan and said in a slightly shaky voice, “Looks like I need to go shopping for a newborn Star Wars T-shirt for my namesake.”
Everyone laughed, and Logan wrapped his arm around Nathan’s shoulders. “Want to see your nephews?”
Both Blake and Nathan said “Yes!” at the same time.
“I’ll wait here with Joel,” Bailey said quietly to Nathan when he looked at her expectantly.
“He’ll be okay, come with us,” he requested quietly.
Bailey shook her head. “No, you guys go. I’m sure I’ll see them soon enough.”
“Come on, Bro. Wait until you see Nate. He’s an inch taller than Ace. He’s definitely gonna look just like you,” Logan said easily.
“Are you sure?” Nathan asked Bailey, his eyes going from her to the doorway that led into the depths of the hospital and his nephews.
“I’m sure. Go. We’ll be here when you get back,” Bailey assured him.
Forty-five minutes later, Nathan emerged through the doors. Joel hadn’t said much, but hadn’t been rude to her either, which Bailey thought was an improvement over earlier that morning.
Nathan made a beeline for Bailey, and she stood up in alarm. He looked serious, not happy and carefree as he had before he’d gone back to see the babies.
“Is everything all—”
He cut her off by wrapping his arms around her waist and spinning her around in circles.
“Nathan! Put me down!” Bailey exclaimed, laughing.
When he finally stopped and let her down far enough so her feet could touch the gray tiles, he looked down at her and said softly, “Thank you for being here. For sharing this with me.”
Bailey bit her lip, and instead of protesting that she still wasn’t sure exactly why she was there and why she’d been included, merely said, “You’re welcome. Are they cute?”
“Are they cute?” Nathan echoed incredulously. Instead of answering, he pulled out his cell phone and pulled up the photos.
They were adorable. But what made Bailey’s heart stop was the picture of Nathan holding one of the babies, most likely his namesake, Nate. He was sitting in a chair cradling the tiny baby. There were tubes coming out of the baby’s nose, probably oxygen, but it was the looks on both of their faces that made Bailey want to cry.
Nate’s eyes were open and he was staring up at his uncle as if he could really see him. And Nathan was looking down at the baby with the most incredible look of awe on his face. Like he couldn’t believe the baby was really there.
The Anderson brothers might not have grown up with their mother’s love and affection, but they still had it in spades to give out. The lump in Bailey’s throat continued to grow as she saw picture after picture of the brothers and the babies. She pointed to one and told Nathan, “Frame that.”
Logan was standing with a baby in each of his arms, and Nathan and Blake were standing on either side of him. Each had an arm around Logan’s shoulder, and one hand under the baby closest to them. Nate and Ace were sleeping, but all three brothers had huge smiles on their faces. It was easy to see the family resemblance among the three men in the photo, and their love for each other was front and center. It was an awesome photo. One that should be on the wall in each man’s home.
“I will,” Nathan reassured her. “You ready to go? I’ll walk you out.”
Bailey nodded. It was still early, since their day had started at the crack of dawn. They didn’t have plans that day, but knowing her brother and the way his moods were, she needed to get him home so he could take a nap, and hopefully lose the attitude that seemed to still be hanging around him, like a cloud hovers around a mountaintop.
“Come on, Joel. Time to go,” Bailey told him.
“But I’m in the middle of something. I’m almost to the next level,” Joel complained without looking up.
“Your sister said it was time to go,” Nathan reiterated. “You can play again the next time I see you.”
Joel didn’t respond but continued to tap on the screen as if his life depended on it.
In a quick movement, Bailey reached down for the iPad, and Joel finally moved.
His hand holding the tablet swung upward, as if trying to keep it out of his sister’s grasp, and the corner caught Bailey in the face.
She spun around, her hands moving to cover her cheek. Pain radiated out from where the iPad had whacked her, and she inhaled sharply. She closed her eyes as she tried to breathe through the discomfort.
Nathan was there in a second. Standing in front of her, his large hand resting over her smaller one on her face. “Let me see,” he told her in a firm yet tender tone.
“I’m okay,” she protested, not wanting to move her hand just yet.
Nathan took hold of her shoulders, steered her until her back was to the row of chairs, and gently pushed until she sat. Then he knelt down in front of her and put his hands on her wrists, holding her gently.
Bailey kept her eyes closed and tried to get her equilibrium back. Joel had hit her. Granted, she didn’t think he’d really meant to, but still. He’d hit her. Donovan used to smack her all the time, and she didn’t think much about it. But being hit by her brother devastated her.
“Let me see, Bailey,” Nathan repeated, pulling gently on her wrists to try to get her to move her hands away from her face.
She opened her eyes and looked into Nathan’s as she let him tug her hands down. Nothing showed in his face as he gently checked to make sure nothing w
as broken. He probed her cheek with his thumb, pressing, but kept his touch light so he didn’t hurt her.
“It’s red, but it’s not bleeding,” Nathan told her. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone where she’d been hit. He didn’t really touch her, it was more a wisp of air, but it made Bailey shiver in reaction nevertheless.
“I didn’t mean it,” Joel said in a soft, scared voice next to her.
Forgetting about her own injury, and only wanting to reassure her brother, Bailey said, “I know, it’s okay.”
“What did you mean then?” Nathan asked, still crouching in front of Bailey.
“I . . . uh . . .”
“You swung your arm up as if you were mad. Were you upset your sister was making you stop playing the game and leave?”
“Yeah, but—”
Nathan pressed. “You were mad and didn’t want her to take away the iPad.”
“Nathan,” Bailey protested, uncomfortable with the pressure he was putting on Joel.
But Nathan didn’t take his eyes from Joel. “Look at her face, Joel. It’s red and will probably bruise.”
Joel’s eyes came up to his sister’s face, then quickly fell back to his lap, where he fingered the iPad.
“Donovan always does that when he’s mad,” Joel said quietly. “But I really didn’t mean to. For a second I thought it was you, Nathan, and you were gonna hit me for talking back.”
Bailey gasped, all thoughts of the pain in her face gone. Jesus. She opened her mouth to reassure her brother, but Nathan beat her to it. He moved so he was squatting in front of Joel. He took his little chin in his hand and forced him to look at him. “We talked about this, buddy. I know you remember. But it’s not right to ever hit a woman. Ever. Got that?”
He waited until Joel nodded before continuing. “But it’s also not okay for anyone to hit a kid either. I would never hit you. Ever. And we already established that Donovan isn’t a good person, right?”
“Right,” Joel whispered.
“You have the right to be mad. I’m not saying you don’t. But you don’t have the right to strike out against anyone because of it. Or be mean to your sister. You can say what you want as long as it’s respectful. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Now, are you all right?” Nathan asked, letting his fingers drop from Joel’s chin.
“Me?”
“Yeah. Did you hurt your hand with the iPad when you connected with your sister’s cheek?”
Joel looked down at his hand, then back up at Nathan. “Why do you care when it’s Bailey who has a red mark on her face?”
Nathan smiled then. “Because I like you, buddy. And I want to make sure you’re okay too.”
The little boy looked up at his sister then. “I’m sorry, Bail. I won’t do it again. Promise.”
“Thank you,” she told him honestly. “That means a lot to me. I’m sorry you saw Donovan hit me. It’s not right. I shouldn’t have brought you over to his house as much as I did.”
“He’s not nice, is he?” Joel asked tentatively.
“No, Joel. He’s not nice,” Bailey confirmed.
As if he were four years old again, Joel climbed awkwardly into his sister’s lap, put his arms around her neck, and laid his head on her shoulder. If it hadn’t been for Nathan being right there, she probably would’ve dropped him, as he was a heavy armful. Nathan pulled a chair over and put his knees right next to hers, helping prop Joel’s butt on her lap. But he didn’t say a word.
Bailey held and slightly rocked Joel for a few minutes, stroking his hair and murmuring nothing important to him. Finally, he lifted his head. “Can we go home?”
“Yeah, Joel. We can go home,” Bailey told him.
Nathan helped Joel stand, then did the same to Bailey. Without a word they headed out of the busy hospital waiting room and to the parking lot. Bailey wanted to tell Nathan that he didn’t need to walk them all the way to her car, that they’d be fine, but secretly she was glad. She couldn’t be sure Donovan wasn’t already looking for her, and having Nathan at her side made her feel safer.
It wasn’t until Joel was buckled safely inside the car that Nathan spoke. “He needs to see a counselor, Bailey.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I’m still scared that they’ll think I’m a horrible guardian and take him away, but it’s obvious what he saw and what Donovan did has affected him a lot more than I’d thought.”
“Grace has been seeing someone who she really likes. I’ll get her name and see if she might be appropriate for Joel to talk to. And if not, we’ll find someone who is, who specializes in trauma in children.”
Hearing him say it out loud made it sound even more awful.
“Are you really okay?” he asked, his hand coming back up to the side of her face, his thumb once again brushing over the slight red mark on her cheek.
Bailey nodded. “I’ve had a lot worse.”
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Nathan informed her sadly.
Raising her hand and feeling bold, Bailey rested her palm over his hand and leaned her head into his touch for a short moment before saying, “Thanks for talking with him.”
“Anytime. I was serious when I told you yesterday that I wanted to be your friend, Bailey. I won’t lie and tell you that I don’t want more, but I’m here for you. For both of you, as long as you need me to be.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Ha. It’s me who doesn’t deserve you,” Nathan retorted, then leaned in, kissed her forehead, and took a step back. “Get home. Relax. You’ll both feel better after a nap. I’ll call tonight to check on you both.”
“Congrats on your new namesake,” Bailey told him with a smile.
He returned it. “Thanks. I still can’t believe Logan named him after me.”
“He loves you.”
“Yeah. And I love him just as much. Go on, get home. Maybe put some ice on your face so it doesn’t bruise as much. I’ll talk to you later,” Nathan told her, taking another step back. “Drive safe. Call if you need me.”
“I will. ’Bye.”
“’Bye.”
Nathan waved his silly, dorky wave at Joel, who eagerly returned it, as he walked backward out of the way of her car.
Bailey watched in the rearview mirror as she drove away and was more than aware that Nathan didn’t stop waving, and didn’t head back into the hospital, until she was well out of sight.
She sighed. If she was ever ready to get into a relationship again, it would definitely be with a man like Nathan.
Compassionate.
Understanding.
Tender.
Loving.
And totally out of her league.
Chapter Fifteen
Two months later
Bailey took in the sight of her brother and Nathan leaning over Joel’s homework. Their heads were almost touching, Joel’s black hair a striking contrast against Nathan’s light brown. Nathan had been a constant figure in their lives ever since Joel’s birthday party. Bailey tried to think back to a day when she or Joel hadn’t seen or talked to Nathan and couldn’t think of more than a handful.
He’d been a perfect gentleman, a friend, just as he said he would be. He never pushed her for more, never touched her inappropriately, and somehow in the last two months, he’d become a necessity in her life. Bailey wasn’t sure exactly how it’d happened, but every time she saw him, she kept waiting for him to do something that would reinforce her vow never to get involved with a guy again . . . but he didn’t. In fact, it had been the opposite. Everything he’d done for her and her brother only made that vow seem silly.
He wasn’t Donovan.
Not even close.
Nathan was honest to a fault, open about the information he had about Donovan and the rest of his gang, was silly, laughed a lot, and wasn’t afraid to do it in front of other people. He liked sci-fi almost obsessively, and shared that with Joel. He didn’t treat Joel like a baby, but neither did he share anything with hi
m in earshot that was too mature for his years. He drove Joel to see a counselor and took him to dinner afterward. He never talked down to her and never lost his temper with Joel or her. He hung out at the shop with her friends even though he had nothing in common with them . . . and amazingly, the guys liked him. Nathan was who he was, and made no apologies for it.
He wasn’t perfect. Not at all. But the things that he did that were irritating didn’t even come close to being things that she couldn’t live with. He tended not to rinse the dishes after eating, letting them sit in the sink and get crusty, which made them harder to get clean in the dishwasher. He left lights on all the time. They’d been to his house quite a few times, and each time every room in the house had a light on. His clothes were always wrinkled, which honestly didn’t irritate her, but it showed that he wasn’t perfect. He could not do more than one thing at once, like talk and watch TV, but since most men she knew were that way, Bailey didn’t take too much offense to it. And Nathan was constantly changing his clothes. She could wear the same T-shirt each night for a week when she got home from work, or wear the same pair of jeans two or three days before washing them, but she’d noticed his laundry was overflowing and that he always talked about needing to change his clothes, when she thought he both smelled and looked fine.
She’d asked him about it once, and Nathan had told her how when he and his brothers were younger, they didn’t have a lot of clothes, and their mom certainly didn’t care what they looked or smelled like. He’d been made fun of enough that as an adult he always wanted to make sure he was clean. It about broke her heart.
All in all, Nathan was an amazing friend. But Bailey knew he still wanted more than that. She would see his eyes following her with a longing that made her stomach clench, but he didn’t say anything to try to get her to change her mind about the status of their relationship. He didn’t pressure her or make her feel bad about taking all he had to give to Joel and her. He gave his time, energy, and friendship freely, with no strings, just as he’d promised her.
So they were friends. Period. Every time Nathan laughed with Joel, or when she heard him yawn when she was talking on the phone with him and he’d deny he was tired, and say that talking to her was better than sleeping any day of the week, or when he’d show up at Clayson’s and chat with Ozzie or Bert as if he wasn’t ten times smarter than they’d ever be . . . all it did was make her walls fall away more.