Baby By Christmas (The McIntyre Men Book 5)

by Maggie Shayne

  She was the one he wanted to pull into his arms, and out onto the dance floor.

  In hindsight, he wondered if his growing feelings for Allie had been obvious to everyone else at the table. Had Adam noticed?

  He almost didn't care. It didn’t matter that he’d only known her a short time. He knew her well enough to know that he’d like to know her better. He wanted to learn everything about her, every mood, every nuance, every habit. He wanted to hear every childhood story she had to tell, and watch all her favorite movies, and for her to watch all his.

  Nothing like this had ever happened to him before. Could this be…could this be…something? The thing?

  He stood by the dessert tables and waved at the woman who’d just placed a giant platter of Christmas cookies there. She was one of the owners, he thought.

  “My friend isn’t feeling well,” he said, when he had her attention. “Is there any way I could pack up some of these desserts for her?”

  “That depends. Is your friend Allie Wakeland?” the girl asked.

  “That’s right. How’d you know?”

  “Spotted you walking in together. Allie’s a friend. She helped put this place on the map. I’ll pack up all the best treats and bring them to your table.”

  Logan winced. “What if I just wait here?”

  The pretty redhead smiled. “Ah, you two are ditching Adam and the Thompson sisters, huh?”

  “No. Well… kind of.”

  “No problem. I’ll tell Adam Allie didn’t feel well and you took her home. He’ll believe me.”

  Five minutes later, Logan had their coats, a plastic container of desserts so large he thought there must be one of everything inside, and he was walking along the stone path behind Haggerty House.

  The air was cool outside, but not too cold. Nothing like the cold New York winters he’d seen as a kid. Oklahoma winters were mild by comparison.

  The outside of Haggerty House was magnificent. The patio opened onto a stone footpath that led to a flower garden. He bet it was spectacular in the summer, but it couldn’t compare to what it looked like tonight. Hundreds of tiny white Christmas lights sparkled in the night, illuminating the walkway all the way to the garden, and twinkling from every branch and twig in it. Elegant wire reindeer grazed. A pretty pagoda, entirely twinkling, stood in the center, and Allie was sitting right there on the top step. She had her head back and her palms up.

  “It’s snowing,” she said when he got close enough to hear.

  He’d noticed a few stray flakes coming down, but hadn’t thought much about it. “I take it that’s rare here?”

  “Not rare. But special.”

  She looked out over the garden covered in twinkling lights and decorations, a slight smile on her face, and he would have been content to stand there watching her for a long time. But then she shivered, just a little. He could see her breath make tiny puffs in the air and he was moving before his body consciously decided to take a step.

  “I almost thought you’d changed your mind,” Allie said.

  “Not a chance. I just had to enlist the help of an ally.” He held up the covered container of deserts as he sat down beside her on the steps.

  He set the take out container down and draped Allie’s coat around her shoulders. Then he left his arm around them, too. Just couldn’t convince himself to move it.

  “How did you find allies in a room full of strangers?” She leaned a little closer.

  “Apparently, people around here like you.”

  “Ah, I see. You’re trading on my good name.”

  “Whatever it takes to impress a lovely lady.”

  Allie looked up at him in surprise. It was all the encouragement he needed. He brushed his lips across hers. Soft, gentle and brief. He wanted it to be more, but he didn’t want to scare her away, either. She placed a hand on his chest and gave him a firm shove.

  “Stop trying to charm me,” she said.

  “Why?”

  “Because I haven’t figured out why you’re doing it.”

  “I’ve only just started figuring that out myself.”

  She blinked at him. “Really?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “You gonna tell me?”

  He smiled. “What I’ve come up with so far is that it’s because you’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, not to mention, absolutely stunning, and drop-dead sexy.”

  Her eyes widened. He knew it wasn’t the answer she was expecting. That was good, because he hadn’t intended to say it. It wasn’t a line or flattery, he meant it. He just hadn’t known it until the words came out of his mouth.

  He put his hand on her cheek and tilted her chin up so her eyes met his, and then his lips were on hers. He kissed her gently, sweetly, and he didn’t draw back this time. There wasn’t a need, because her arms wrapped around his neck. Her fingers caressed his nape and she pushed herself closer to him. His tongue darted across her lips, tracing the shape of them and feeling the silky smoothness of her mouth. He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her closer. She was plastered against him. Her hands raced up and down his back and he imagined how they would feel running over other parts of his body. He wanted to find out. He wanted to push her backward on the pagoda and find out exactly how much of their first encounter they could relive. He’d been remembering that night for nine long months.

  He felt a strong jab in his stomach and then another. It took a second for him to realize what it was, then he looked up at Allie in surprise. “Was that…?”

  She smiled. “Yeah. Your kid has great timing, huh?”

  “Wow!” He was awestruck. “Is he… I mean she… I mean… always that active?”

  “Not always, but a lot. Mostly when I’m trying to sleep. Here.” She grabbed his hand and placed it on the side of her belly. “Feel that?”

  As if on cue the baby moved, twisting beneath his hand. He wanted to stay just like that. To sit in the cold air and feel his baby move under his hands and stare at the beautiful woman in front of him and believe for just a second that things could work out for them.

  The French doors on the patio opened and Logan dropped his hands, just as Adam came stalking toward them. “Lexie, I’ve been looking all over for you,” he said.

  She looked nervous. Her cheeks were rapidly turning red, but he didn’t think Adam had noticed that. “You found me.”

  Adam’s gaze cut from Allie to Logan and back again. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I’m taking the girls home and then I’ll meet you back at your house.

  “I’m fine, Adam. Really. Don’t let me ruin your night. I was feeling a little queasy. That’s all. Honestly, you should have fun. I already texted Angie and told her I’m on my way. I want to check on her and the kids again. It’s a rough time of year for them.”

  Adam’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he glanced toward Logan. “And what about you?” Adam asked.

  “I’m driving her.” Logan smiled at Adam. “I’m still pretty jet-legged.”

  Adam didn’t look entirely convinced, but he didn’t argue.

  “Fine. Text me when you get home so I know you’re all right.”

  “Of course.” Allie smiled at her brother.

  “And when I get home, Lex, I think we need to have another talk about your situation.” His tone was firm and Allie didn’t think she was going to be able to put him off for much longer.

  Adam kissed Allie on the cheek and gave his friend a searching look before turning around and returning to the restaurant.

  * * *

  Chapter Nine

  * * *

  Angie’s house was a brick split-level a few miles west of Big Falls proper, near the giant construction site with the sign that read, “Future site of Big Falls Reservoir and Park.” Lighted pine garland wound around the posts and draped from the white railings of the small front porch. It felt like the kind of place where weary strangers would be met at the door with a welcoming smile, and brought inside for a cup of hot cocoa
beside a crackling fire.

  They’d both been quiet on the drive. Allie didn’t know what to say. Things between them had changed. He was attentive. He was charming. He was attracted to her and letting her know it, and that didn’t make sense.

  She shivered, thinking about that kiss. It had been full of fire. What the hell was Logan doing? He kissed her like he meant it. Did he mean it? Could he mean it? Or was he just trying to convince her that they should get married, and using every tool at his disposal?

  That had to be it, she thought. He probably thought he could charm her into marrying him just as easily as he’d charmed her into his arms that fateful night. And it wasn’t nice, playing with her that way, trying to make her believe there might be something real between them.

  She ought to turn around and smack him, she thought as she stood at her sister’s Christmassy front door, nose-to-pine cones with a wreath big enough to encircle her middle. But instead, she rang the bell and tried not to think about the man standing behind her. Her sister was more important. Holidays were hard without Jeff.

  Angie came to the door dressed in fuzzy green and red stripped pajama pants and a red shirt with a sparkly Christmas tree on it. The inside of the house was dark, though it was barely eight o’clock.

  Angie looked worried when she saw her little sister. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Didn’t you get my text?”

  “No, I was busy.”

  “Well, I just ditched our brother and two bimbettes at Haggerty House and I wanted to check in on my way home. I didn’t realize it was so late.”

  “It’s not that late.” Angie held the door open for them. “Mom and dad went home right after we got our tree up. The kids and I are watching Rudolf. Come on in. I was just about to put on some hot chocolate.”

  Allie stepped through the door and Logan placed a hand on the small of her back. She turned and glared at him, but not before Angie cast a curious look their way. They walked through the entryway and down a few steps into the living room. It didn't take long to see why the lights were off. Angie had the tree plugged in, and it was big enough and twinkly enough to light the whole neighborhood.

  Jack was sitting in the middle of the couch, his arm around Shaggy, his sheepdog sidekick. He grabbed his remote, paused his program, and said, “Hey Logan! Come sit here.”

  Logan walked over to the couch and sat down and Jack immediately began telling him about what dinosaurs he suspected might have evolved into the Bumble.

  “Where’s Cassie?” Allie asked her sister.

  Angie looked around. “Oh no! Oh jeeze, I swear to God she was sitting right here two seconds ago!” She ran through the house, and Allie followed. The dining room was dark, but the kitchen light was on. They both raced through the doorway and skidded to a stop. Cassie sat in front of the fridge, exactly as she had before at Allie's house. A dozen eggs lay smashed around her on the floor. This time she held a spatula in her hand and was slapping it repeatedly in the egg-puddle, sending yolk-spatter in a hundred directions.

  “Eggs. It’s always eggs.” Angie scooped up the little girl and handed her to Allie.

  Allie took her, grasping under the arms. The kid was dripping in egg. “She does this often?”

  “Every chance she gets.”

  Relief washed through Allie in a rush that left her knees weak. She hadn’t even realized how bad she’d been feeling about the egg incident until it just whooshed away, leaving her lighter than before. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Angie sent her a puzzled frown. “It never came up. She sticks string beans up her nose, and puts pancakes in the DVD player, too.”

  Allie felt like she might cry. “I thought it was just me. I couldn’t keep her out of trouble even for a couple hours.” She pulled Cassie right in close. To heck with the sticky, gooey mess on her hands and clothes. She hugged her. Cassie grabbed a handful of hair with an egg-coated hand. “She got into my eggs, too.”

  “I knew something had happened,” Angie said. “No, sis, it’s not you. She does this. A lot. I can barely blink. But at least it’s just eggs. She’s not getting outside or sticking forks into electrical outlets or—”

  “Oh, God.” The horror of that notion ended Allie’s relief instantly. “I don’t think I’m ready for this.” Allie whispered the words she’d been afraid to say, even to herself. “Angie, what am I gonna do? I don’t know how to be a mommy.”

  “Oh sweetie, nobody is ready for this. It doesn't matter who you are, how old you are, married or single, planned or unplanned. Nothing can prepare anyone for motherhood—except motherhood.” She grabbed a roll of paper towels from under the sink. “The good news is, it starts slow. At first, they’re so little the worst thing they do is cry. Other than that, they eat, sleep and snuggle. The crying can be tough, and the lack of sleep is brutal for a couple of months, but the snuggling is worth the trouble.” She kissed Cassie’s cheek, then bent to clean up the egg mess.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know.” Allie gazed at her niece and tried to imagine living up to the love and trust in her eyes.

  “You learn as you go, you figure out what they need, and you fall in love with them. Head over heels. So by the time they start doing things like this, you love them enough that you don’t go completely insane.”

  Allie plucked a piece of eggshell out of her niece’s beautiful blond hair. “How do you do it on your own, Angie? I don’t think I’m strong enough.”

  Angie pushed puddles of egg around the floor, trying to capture them in the paper towels. Globs kept escaping.

  “When you have no other choice, you get strong in a hurry.” She tossed the wad of paper towels into the garbage can and grabbed another bunch. “But…” Angie bit her lower lip. “I’ll shut up.”

  “But what?” Allie asked. “Go on, tell me.”

  She shrugged one shoulder. “Are you sure you have no other choice?”

  Allie shook her head. “I’m not sure of anything.”

  “Well, I don't know what’s going on with you, mostly because you stubbornly refuse to spill it. I understand that. Mostly. But just think about it. I’m not saying you need to marry the guy or even date him, but if he’s around and he’s willing to be involved, let him. Because if you don’t—babies grow up, Allie. This baby will be Cassie’s age, and then Jack’s age, and then a teenager and then an adult. Sooner or later, you’re gonna have to answer all the questions from ‘who is my father,’ to ‘why isn’t he in my life?’”

  A big hot tear erupted, and rolled slowly down Allie’s cheek. Cassie patted it with her gooey hand. “I’m gonna go start the tub.”

  “I knew I should’ve shut up,” Angie muttered as she hurried away.

  * * *

  “If I were Rudolph, I’d fly a quetzalcoatlus in there to get the Bumble,” Jack said.

  “What’s a quetzalcoatlus?”

  “It’s a pterosaur and it was the biggest flying animal of all time.”

  “You mean like a pterodactyl?”

  “That’s not their real name. ‘Member? I ‘splained that to you last time.”

  “Okay, so you say Rudolph should just use the quetzalco-whatsit, but what if Rudolph doesn’t have a …” Logan trailed off as Allie entered the room, a sticky messy toddler wriggling and giggling in her arms.

  Allie drew his focus, no matter where they were or who else was present. His eyes just stopped obeying his brain when she walked into a room.

  She was smiling adoringly at the little girl in her arms. There was something sticky in her hair and on her face, and all over little Cassie. For a second he thought about their own baby in those same arms. Or in his. The dog jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen, apparently recognizing the signs of a food-coated floor, and eager to help clean up Cassie’s mess.

  “It’s a quetz-al-co-at-lus.” Jack said the worlds slowly, forcing Logan’s attention back to him. Allie disappeared with the sticky baby, and he heard water running somewhere nearby. “If Rudolph
doesn’t have one, he should get in his time machine and go get one.”

  Logan nodded. “Sure, but what if he doesn’t have a time machine?”

  Jack rolled his eyes. “He lives in the North Pole. With Santa. He could definitely get a time machine.”

  Logan didn’t even try to argue with that logic.

  They spent a few minutes just watching the show. “I don’t understand the Island of Misfit Toys,” Logan said after a little while. “What’s wrong with that doll? She looks normal to me.”

  Jack gave him a look like he thought Logan had the mentality of an ant. “You know it’s just pretend, right?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Can you keep a secret?” Jack’s tone was serious.

  “Of course.”

  Jack leaned a little closer. “Santa’s not real.”

  Logan didn’t know what to say. He didn’t have any experience dealing with kids, but he was pretty sure this wasn’t a discussion he should be having. This was something Jack should talk to his mother about. He was afraid he was going to say the wrong thing. Pretty sure of it actually, because he couldn’t think of anything to say at all.

  “Why do you say that?” he asked, deciding non-committal was his best bet.

  “Last year, I was really good, and I only asked Santa for one thing, and I didn’t get it. I always get the stuff I ask for if you can buy it at the store, but if Santa was real, he could help with the important stuff, too.”

  Logan didn't have to ask Jack what he meant. He remembered Allie’s story. The kid had been sure Santa would bring his dad home for Christmas last year.

  Logan put his arm around Jack’s shoulders. “Some problems are so big, even Santa can’t fix them, buddy,” Logan said. “But that doesn’t mean you should give up on him.”