by Gina Wilkins
“So are y’all still taking her kids to the arcade Saturday?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever actually been to one of those places?”
“Well...no. But I’ve heard about them. Pizza and games, right? I can play some Skee-Ball with the kids.”
“Mmm.” Tate gave him a look that might have held a hint of sympathy.
Evan pushed himself to his feet. “I think I need some more iced tea. Want me to bring you a glass?”
Tate tossed Daryn a few inches in the air, catching her on a fit of giggles. “Yeah, sure, thanks.”
Carrying their empty glasses for the refills, Evan moved toward the kitchen. He heard the women talking as he approached, and he couldn’t help overhearing what they were saying. He held back a minute before entering, not wanting to interrupt.
“Tate is so cute with Daryn,” Renae remarked. “It’s obvious that she adores him. And vice versa.”
“You should have seen him when he first met her,” Kim confided in amusement. “He was terrified of her. So afraid he would do something wrong with her. He’d never been around babies much before.”
“He’s obviously gotten over that.”
Kim chuckled. “You could say he had an immersion course in child care. Daryn and I were sick and he had to take care of her on his own for a couple of days. We’re talking feverish, cranky baby with nausea and toxic diapers. And I couldn’t even crawl out of bed to help him.”
“Wow. That would be a challenge for anyone.”
“He handled it beautifully. And oddly enough—” Kim’s soft laugh held lingering incredulity “—he asked me to marry him that very weekend.”
Realizing abruptly that he was eavesdropping, Evan started forward. He stopped abruptly when he heard Renae say, “Tate’s one of a rare breed then. Seems like a lot of men like the thrill of a new romance, but they find the day-to-day grind of marriage and kids too repetitive and restrictive.”
“Ouch. Sounds like you’re quoting. Bad dates?”
“Something like that.”
Evan clinked the glasses together lightly then stepped through the doorway, saying as he entered, “Any more of that iced tea? Tate and I worked up a thirst out there.”
Kim moved immediately toward the fridge. Renae gave Evan a sharp look, which he met with a bland smile.
“You should come out here and see Daryn get across the living room,” he advised her. “She’s only been crawling for a month or so and she’s already starting to pull up on furniture. Cute as a little button. I’m betting Tate she’ll be full-out running in another month.”
Filling the tea glasses, Kim groaned heartily. “You guys and your bets.”
Evan smiled, unable to stop thinking about the things Renae had said.
Had she been talking about him? Or thinking back to Jason’s preparenthood cold feet?
What would it take to prove to her that he was fully prepared for the challenges inherent in joining a ready-made family?
Chapter Ten
Though he had thought himself prepared for the experience, Evan was overwhelmed by the sheer chaos of the arcade. Shouldn’t there be a limit on how many kids were allowed in one building? Because he figured there were almost enough to make the walls of the place bulge out—or maybe that was just the impression he got from the running, squealing, laughing, pushing and crying kids that were everywhere he looked.
“You did ask for this,” Renae reminded him after the first deafening fifteen minutes. She’d had to raise her voice to be heard over the din of children, bells, whistles and buzzers all underscored by shrill-voiced kiddie songs piped from hidden speakers.
“Yeah,” he said with a nod, watching the twins crawling through a clear plastic tunnel over his head. “It’s...interesting.”
Most of a pizza sat abandoned on the booth table where they had sat rather briefly after arriving. The bland pie hadn’t really appealed to Evan nor, apparently, to Renae. The kids seemed to like it okay, but they were much more interested in playing than eating.
They had accepted Evan’s presence with remarkable aplomb, considering they had met him only once before. They’d chattered away as if they knew him well, proving that both had inherited their father’s gregariousness. He’d kept up pretty well, though they tended to drop names of their friends and neighbors as if he was supposed to know everyone they did. Occasionally Renae supplied some information for him, but mostly she simply held back and left him to interact with them on his own.
A test, perhaps? If so, he thought he was doing pretty well so far.
He’d picked them up at their house. Lucy had been nowhere to be seen—he was quite sure she’d made a point to be gone when he arrived—but he hadn’t said a word about that. Renae had made sure the kids were safely strapped into the backseat of the pickup, and then he’d driven them all straight here.
Disentangled from the tunnel, the twins ran toward them. “Want to play air hockey with me, Evan?” Daniel asked. Though Renae had initially suggested that the kids should call him Mr. Daugherty, Evan had urged them to use his first name instead. “I’m pretty good.”
“Sure,” he said, making a mental note to let the kid win. “Show me your skills.”
The kid slaughtered him. Rather than generously throwing the game, Evan had to make an effort just to score a couple of points. He blamed it on the many distractions around him. Besides which, the kid was fast.
“That’s okay, Evan,” Leslie consoled him afterward. “Daniel always wins air hockey. You should play Skee-Ball with him. He’s not as good at that.”
Evan and Renae exchanged an amused glance over the girl’s head.
They played Skee-Ball. And video games and Whac-A-Mole and a couple of other games he couldn’t identify. He was nearly mowed down a couple of times by oblivious kids, and had pizza sauce smeared down the leg of his jeans by a runaway toddler. His head was starting to hurt.
Renae was different with the kids. He’d figured she would be, but still he found the changes striking. Even when she was talking to Evan, her attention was focused on her kids. She knew where they were and what they were doing at all times, and she had a way of communicating with them without words, letting them know when to settle down or be more careful, stopping a couple of potential quarrels with only a stern look. She cheered them on and high-fived them when they played well. And when Leslie was pushed down by a girl racing her to a game they both wanted to play, Renae gave her daughter a hug and stopped her tears by leading her to another game they could play together. Evan was tempted to give the other girl a piece of his mind, but Renae stopped him with a calming hand on his arm.
She was very...motherly, he decided. In comparison to the woman who’d made love with him beneath his tree, the difference was a bit unsettling. But was he as attracted to her now as he had been then?
He watched as Leslie clapped her hands with a squeal when bells rang and a light flashed and a long ribbon of prize tickets spat out from a slot on a machine. Looking almost as excited as the child, Renae hugged her daughter tightly, giving Evan a bright smile over Leslie’s head. His stomach tightened.
Oh, yeah. Definitely still attracted.
It was time he stopped fighting it and started chipping away at the barriers that had been troubling them both so far.
* * *
Renae had to give Evan credit for effort. He had survived the past ninety minutes with remarkable aplomb, considering it was glaringly obvious he had little to no experience with kiddie arcades. He even remained outwardly patient while the twins dithered for what seemed like an eternity over the cheap trinkets for which they wanted to trade their prize tickets.
Leslie, especially, had a hard time deciding between a glittery plastic bracelet and a cheap-looking stuffed unicorn. She spent so long debating that Daniel, his hands full of his own carefully chosen awards, grew impatient and began to nag at her to hurry up. Leslie snapped back at him, which caused him to snarl a response.
&nbs
p; Tears and anger threatened when Renae interceded quickly. “Daniel, leave your sister alone. Leslie, you have two minutes to make your choice or we’re going to have to leave without either.”
“Can’t I just pay for one of them?” Evan asked her in a low voice. “I mean, those things can’t cost this place more than a buck apiece, if that.”
Renae wasn’t sure if he’d made the offer because he wanted Leslie to have both toys or because he was past ready to get out of the place. She shook her head.
“She needs to learn to make choices, and that she can’t have everything she wants,” she explained in a murmur. “One minute, Leslie.”
A few minutes later, they walked out to Evan’s truck. Tired, overstimulated and still looking a bit pouty, Leslie carried the stuffed unicorn. Evan opened the back passenger door for the girl.
“I like the unicorn better,” he assured her. “The bracelet was kind of gaudy.”
Preparing to climb into the high vehicle, Leslie paused to look up at him doubtfully. “You like the unicorn?”
“Yeah, that’s the one I’d have picked. What are you going to name it?”
“Peaches,” Leslie replied without hesitation.
“Oh.” Evan blinked. “Sure, that’s a great name for a unicorn.”
He boosted her into the seat, then stepped back to let Renae check the seat-belt buckle. She noted that Leslie was smiling now, and playing with the unicorn with a new appreciation.
Daniel had climbed into his side of the truck without assistance. “Do you like my dinosaurs, Evan? They’re cool, huh?”
“Very,” Evan assured him, looking around from the driver’s seat to admire the six-inch-tall plastic figures. “I especially like the velociraptor, though the stegosaurus is pretty cool, too.”
Daniel looked suitably impressed that Evan had correctly identified the plastic creatures. “Yeah. Look, they’re fighting. Rowr, rowr.”
He clashed the two figures together, providing noisy sound effects for the battle. Renae gave him some leeway until he attacked his sister’s unicorn with the velociraptor, eliciting a yelp of protest from her.
“That’s enough, Daniel. Leave Leslie alone and play quietly until we get home.”
It wasn’t a long drive. Remembering that Lucy had said she would be spending that evening at the church decorating for an upcoming Christmas pageant, Renae invited Evan in for coffee. It seemed only polite to do so, and he accepted immediately.
While she made the coffee, the twins insisted on showing Evan their Christmas tree with the growing stack of wrapped presents beneath, their rooms and toys, and their backyard swing set. Excited by having someone new to admire him, Boomer yapped and bounced around their feet, wagging frantically when Evan rubbed his ears. Daniel was almost as demanding of Evan’s attention as his puppy.
She sent the children off to play while she and Evan drank their coffee in the kitchen. Though he didn’t actually say so, she suspected he appreciated the peace that fell over the room.
“It was your idea,” she reminded him with a slight smile.
“I know. It’s been...interesting.”
She was amused by his choice of adjective. “I’m sure it has.”
“You’ve got good kids, Renae. Compared to some of those little monsters at the arcade, yours are almost angels.”
She laughed wryly. “Not quite, but thank you. Lucy and I have worked hard to instill good manners in them.”
“Um. Yeah. Where is she, anyway?”
“She’s working at the church this evening. Her Sunday school class planned to have dinner out, then decorate for the Christmas pageant this week. Which, by the way, is Wednesday evening, so I won’t be able to see you then. The kids are in the pageant.”
He nodded, looking at her steadily across the table. Was he waiting for an invitation? Though she knew she should extend one, she bit her lip, the words trapped inside her.
“I’ll miss seeing you,” he said when her silence continued.
“I’ll miss you, too,” she admitted with a sigh.
Those simple statements were hardly earthshaking, but she sensed their significance. They were becoming entangled in each other’s lives in more ways than the no-strings fling she had initially thought she was entering into. Introducing him to her children was a huge step. Integrating him into family holiday traditions with Lucy was much more problematic. And perhaps way too soon.
A burst of childish laughter came from another part of the house. Renae cocked her head to listen, but relaxed when she decided the kids were just playing in the living room. She looked back at Evan, noting that he was watching her closely. Was he aware that her attention was always divided when her children were nearby?
“Is there any other evening this week when you’d be free to see me?” he asked.
She hesitated, thinking of the busy weeks ahead. “It’s going to be pretty hectic around here between now and Christmas. The kids are out of school after next week. They have several parties to attend, and I have a few functions, myself—my office Christmas party and a baby shower for one of my friends.”
Evan was frowning now. “You’re saying we can’t see each other again until after Christmas?”
“I didn’t say that, exactly,” she murmured. “I just said it’s going to be a little tricky finding extra time.”
“Well, let me know when you find a few minutes to work me in.”
She supposed she couldn’t blame him for sounding peevish—she was sure he was busy, too. Still, she added, “You knew about my obligations when we started this, Evan.”
He nodded somewhat grimly. “I’m not trying to make your life any more difficult. I just want to be with you when we can.”
“I know.” He had complicated her life, but not entirely in a bad way, she mused, softening. And he had been very patient with her when she’d stalled and dithered about their relationship in much the same way her daughter had deliberated over arcade prizes.
Leslie skipped through the kitchen door, a book in her arms. She plopped it down open in front of Evan and pointed with one chubby finger. “This is you and my daddy.”
Renae hadn’t expected Leslie to unearth the photo album, and Evan obviously hadn’t, either. He looked at Renae for a moment, then almost reluctantly turned his attention to the photograph. His smile was a little strained when he spoke to Leslie. “Yes, that’s right. That’s an old picture. My hair looked pretty funny then, didn’t it?”
“It was kind of long,” Leslie agreed solemnly. “But you look the same ’cept for that.”
“You think so, huh?”
Leslie nodded. “You were my daddy’s friend.”
“Yes, I was.”
Twisting a dark strand of hair around one finger, Leslie gazed up at him. “I didn’t know him. But my Grammy says he was special.”
“He was special,” Evan assured her a bit huskily. “And he would have loved you and your brother very much.”
“Grammy says that, too.”
“Take the album back to my room now, Leslie,” Renae said, her throat tight.
“Yes, ma’am.” Leslie picked up the book, then hesitated, still looking at Evan. “We’re having a Christmas pageant at our church this week.”
Evan shot a look at Renae before nodding. “Yes, I heard.”
“Daniel’s going to be a shepherd boy and I’m an angel.”
Chuckling, Evan reached out to run a hand lightly over Leslie’s hair. “Perfect casting.”
Sensing what was coming, Renae braced herself, unsure how to stop it.
“Maybe you could come watch us?” Leslie asked Evan innocently. “They told us to ask all our friends.”
“I’m glad you consider me a friend. I’ll have to check my calendar about the pageant—I’m not sure I’ll be free that night. I know you and Daniel will be the stars of the program, though.”
“Okay. I hope you can come.” Leslie dashed out of the room again with the album.
Evan stood abruptl
y, his chair scraping on the tile floor. He carried his coffee cup to the sink, setting it on the counter. “I’d better go before Lucy gets home.”
Renae drew a deep breath and rose to her feet. “Evan? I’d like you to come to the pageant, too.”
His eyes narrowed as he frowned down at her. “You would?”
“Yes.”
“What about Lucy?”
She ran her hands over the front of her jeans. “I’ll talk to her.”
Stepping forward, Evan rested his hands on her shoulders, gazing down at her with an intensity that unnerved her a little. “I told you I don’t want to complicate your life. I meant that. I really appreciate you asking me to join you, but I won’t ruin your evening with Lucy and the kids.”
“I said I would talk to her. She won’t like it, but there’s not a lot she can do about it.”
He hesitated only a second, then shook his head with a sigh. “I would never ask you to choose between me and Lucy, Renae. For one thing, I know that ultimately, I would lose,” he said with a faint smile of resignation. “But mostly, it just wouldn’t be fair to you. She’s your family, your children’s grandmother. Maybe I don’t quite understand the arrangement you have, but I would never do anything to put a strain on your relationship with her.”
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Thank you.”
“Things will settle down after the holidays, and in the meantime, I’ll see you when you have an available hour or two, okay?”
She reached up with her right hand to cover his left. “I really would like to have you there.”
“I believe you.” He brushed a chaste kiss across her forehead. “And I’d like to be there. Maybe in the future, I will be. But this time, I’d better pass. Give the kids my regrets, will you?”
Very aware of his mention of the future, she nodded. “I will.”
It would have been easy to believe that Evan had used Lucy as an excuse not to come to the church pageant, Renae thought as she watched him drive away after he said goodbye to the twins. The thing was, she thought he would really have liked to be there. Even after what had to have been a fairly miserable afternoon for him at the arcade, he was still trying to be a part of her life—and not just in bed.