by April Wilson
The closer it gets to two o’clock, the elevator chimes non-stop as more guests arrive. We’re going to have a full house today. Shane’s family is coming, and mine. Plus, my friends from the bookstore, namely Erin and Mack, and also Gabrielle. Some of the McIntyre Security guys are coming, and Peter Capelli, Gina’s older brother and the owner of Renaldo’s, the five-star restaurant where Gabrielle works as a sous chef.
Everyone’s here, except for Jake. His absence is sorely felt.
Sam and Cooper arrive in plenty of time and set themselves up as bartenders for the afternoon.
My mom and Shane’s mom, Bridget, join me on the sofa, waiting for an opportunity to hold the little guest of honor. Shane brings me Luke, whom I just recently nursed before guests started arriving. Shane changed his diaper and his clothes.
Calum intercepts Shane and reaches for Luke. “Here, son, let me hold the little guy, before the ladies hog him all afternoon.”
Shane hands Luke over to his dad.
“Calum, you need to wait in line,” Bridget says to her husband. “Ingrid and I were here first.”
“You two aren’t good at sharing,” Calum says. “Besides, a boy needs to spend quality time with his grandpa.”
Calum walks away with Luke, heading over to the bar to hang with the guys. Bridget rolls her eyes at me, shaking her head in exasperation. “That man! I swear.” And then she gets up and follows her husband.
Erin O’Connor, my dear friend and assistant manager at Clancy’s Bookshop, comes to join us, taking Bridget’s vacated seat. “You look amazing, Beth,” she says, displaying a darling set of dimples that make her look far younger than her twenty-two years of age. “When are you coming back to work?”
“In a few weeks maybe,” I say. “If Shane will let me. I would like to come visit the store this week and bring Luke with me. I’m planning to convert the storage room next to my office into a nursery so I can bring Luke with me to work. I’ll need to hire someone to help out with childcare.”
“Oh, my goodness, it would be fantastic if you brought him to work with you,” Erin says.
“Beth?”
I turn to see Hannah standing behind the sofa. Her hair—the same rich chestnut brown color as Shane’s—hangs in a single braid down her back. Dressed in a University of Colorado hoodie, jeans, and well-worn hiking boots, she looks every inch the wilderness adventurer she is. I’m so glad she came. We don’t get to see her very often.
“We’re ready, Beth,” Hannah says, nodding toward the dining room table, which holds a feast of hot and cold hors d’oeuvres. At the center of the table is an elegant display of frosted cupcakes decorated with tiny gold beads.
I follow Hannah to the table, where Gina and Sophie are making last minute touches. “You guys, this is so fantastic. I can’t thank you enough.”
Sophie hugs me. “It’s our pleasure, sweetie.” Then she addresses the room. “Food is served, everyone! Come fill your plate and get something to drink. Make sure you get a cupcake, but don’t bite into it until we tell you to, or there will be hell to pay.”
Erin joins me at the table, and we get in line. I skipped lunch, so I’m starving, and I’m really eyeing those gorgeous cupcakes, wondering what Sophie and Gina are up to.
I glance around the room, looking for Luke, and find him nestled in his Uncle Tyler’s arms.
Shane comes up behind me in the food line. “Do you need some help?”
“No, I’m fine. Thank you.”
Erin puts a tiny quiche, a few broccoli florets, and two baby carrots on her plate, then steps aside.
“You forgot your cupcake, young lady,” Mack says, appearing out of nowhere and placing a cupcake on her plate. He looks at her plate and scowls. “Erin, that’s not enough food to keep a bird alive.”
Erin’s cheeks turn pink, and she glances around, mortified that someone might have overheard him. “Mack, please!”
Mack’s holding a plate piled high with food, and a cupcake, but he needs all those calories to fuel his six-foot-plus body packed with muscle. “I’m serious,” he says. “You need to eat.”
He looks expectantly at me, as if wanting me to back him up. I had noticed that Erin looked like she’d lost some weight. Her round cheeks are a little less round, and her clothes are fitting looser. Still, she’s adorable.
“Leave her alone, Mack,” I say. “It’s a party.”
Erin gives me a grateful smile and returns to her spot on the sofa.
Mack remains at my side. Once Erin is out of earshot, he says, “She’s practically starving herself, Beth. I hardly ever see her eat anything. It’s not healthy. The girl needs to eat.”
I feel bad because I’ve been away from the bookstore for quite a while now, leaving Erin to manage things on her own. She’s doing a fantastic job as acting manager, but I know it stresses her out. I think it’s time for me to return to work, at least a few days a week to give Erin a break.
“Is she doing okay?” I ask him. “Managing the store, I mean. Is it too much?”
“She does a great job,” he says. “She’s a natural leader, and the store’s running smoothly. She just has it in her head that she needs to lose weight, when she sure as hell doesn’t. She’s perfect just as she is.”
“Have you told her that?” I ask him, giving him a small smile. It’s no secret that Erin is crazy about Mack. The only problem is, he’s quite a bit older than she is, and Shane has warned him to stay away from her.
Mack frowns as he observes Erin across the room. She’s busy chatting with my mom and my brother, who has Luke in his arms. Erin laughs as Tyler hands Luke over to her.
“No, I haven’t told her that,” Mack says. “It will only make matters worse. I don’t want to lead her on.”
I don’t think I’m imagining the longing in Mack’s gaze. “If you told her she was perfect the way she is, would you be leading her on? Or would you simply be telling her the truth?”
Mack looks down at me. He’s a big guy, well over six feet tall, and built like a Mack truck. He’s all muscle and brawn, and even I can admit he’s hot as can be. And for such a big, strong guy, he looks a little bit lost at the moment as his gaze fixes on Erin.
“Mack? Are you okay?”
He shakes himself free of his thoughts and looks at me. “I’m fine.”
“Shane told me he warned you off of Erin. But honestly, Mack, if you have feelings for her, then you should tell her.”
Mack shakes his head. “She’s so young, and so inexperienced. She doesn’t know the first thing about men.”
“Then maybe you should teach her. Somebody’s got to be the first, otherwise women would stay virgins their entire lives. I was a virgin when I met Shane. If he thought the way you do, I wouldn’t be standing here right now, happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life, and that precious little baby over there wouldn’t even exist.”
Mack turns to me, shocked. “Jesus, Beth, I can’t. She’s so damn innocent. The things I’d want to do to her. Christ, I can’t even have this conversation.”
“Yes, you can. She’s crazy about you, Mack. If you think you might have feelings for her—”
“I don’t just think it, Beth. God, I need a drink. I’m sorry,” he says, excusing himself as he heads across the room to the bar.
After everyone’s had a chance to eat, Sophie stands and taps a spoon against her glass, capturing everyone’s attention. “Time for cupcakes,” she says, a grin on her face. “Does everyone have a cupcake? Good. One of these cupcakes has a surprise in it. A tiny plastic baby figurine. Take a bite of your cupcake, and if you find the baby, then you’ll be the next one to either get pregnant, or get someone pregnant. And if you win, the filling inside your cupcake—either pink or blue—predicts what you’re going to have.”
Lots of chuckles fill the air. Some eagerly unwrap their cupcakes, while others shy away from taking a bite while they watch the others.
Shane plucks my cupcake off my plate and hands it to his fath
er. “Nope. No more babies for a while. We’re still recovering from the one we have.”
“Hey! I want a cupcake!”
“I’ll get you a safe one,” he promises. “After the coast is clear.”
Many of the guests take tentative bites out of their cupcakes and are relieved to find their treats baby-free.
Lia bites into hers, then spits her mouthful of cupcake into a napkin, her lips stained with pink filling. “Oh, no!” she cries, dropping her cupcake onto her plate. “I’m not having a baby. No way! Not going to happen.”
Jonah reaches over and snatches the remaining cupcake off her plate and shoves it into his mouth.
“You spit that cupcake out right now!” Lia demands, grabbing the back of his neck. “We are not getting knocked up, pal.”
“Oh, come on, tiger,” he says, leaning over to kiss her with pink frosting on his lips. “It’ll be fun.”
* * *
The baby shower is a great success, with lots of fun and raucous laughter. Everyone gives Lia a hard time about the baby cupcake. Mack makes himself scarce, staying as far away from Erin as humanly possible, and she makes sad doe eyes at him all evening. It’s enough to make me want to shake him!
After playing a few more silly baby shower games, opening gifts for Luke, and eating up lots of food, folks start heading home, until just a handful of people are left. Shane takes Luke to the nursery to change his diaper, while I help Gina and Sophie and Hannah clean up.
“I can’t thank you guys enough,” I tell them. “It was a wonderful party. I’m very grateful to you.”
Sophie puts her arm across my shoulder and gives me a squeeze. “Are you kidding? You’re the one who did all the hard work—having Luke. Compared to that, planning a baby shower is a walk in the park.”
Shane and Luke return to the great room, along with Killian. “Luke’s ready for bed,” Shane says, bringing the baby to me so I can kiss him goodnight. Then Shane carries Luke to our suite to put him in his bassinette.
“Hi, Killian,” I say. “I’m so glad you came today. It’s always a pleasure to see you.”
“Thanks. It’s good to see you too. And it’s really good to see Luke doing so well.” He gives me a hug and pats my back. “I’m happy for you guys.”
I notice his gaze keeps darting across the room at something. When I look in that direction, I see Hannah clearing off the cupcake tower.
“Have you met Hannah, Shane’s sister?” I ask him.
“No, I have not.” And before I can say another word, he marches right up to Hannah, bold as can be. “Hello, cher,” he says, holding out his hand to her.
She shakes his hand, staring at it as if she’s afraid he’s hiding a rattlesnake up his sleeve. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but Hannah’s looking up at him with a highly skeptical expression. He says something more, and she shakes her head, biting her lower lip in an effort not to smile at him. Finally, he grabs a cupcake off the display with a flourish and walks away.
“She shot me down faster than a gator chasin’ his Sunday supper,” he says to me as he heads for the foyer, a big grin on his handsome face.
Oh, my God, did he just hit on Hannah?
“Night, Miz Beth!” Killian calls back to me, sounding pretty pleased with himself despite the fact it appears Hannah gave him the brush-off. “See ya around, cher.”
After Killian’s gone, I join Hannah at the table. “What did he say to you?”
She shakes her head. “How arrogant! Like he’s God’s gift to women.”
I laugh. “You did notice that he’s hotter than hell, right?”
“Who’s hotter than hell?” Shane says, returning to the great room.
I smile at him. “You are, dear. You are.”
Six Weeks Later
Beth
I can stare at my baby for hours, marveling at how perfect he is, with his sweet little face and big blue eyes. His blond hair sticks up in little tufts, reminding me of his daddy after he wakes up. Luke’s nearly caught up with his gestational age now. He’s right on track.
Our nursing time has become a special ritual and the highlight of my days and nights. When it’s time for him to eat, we disappear into the nursery and snuggle in the cozy rocking chair, and I stroke his face gently as he nurses. His tiny fist rests on the swell of my breast as if he’s holding onto me.
When I think back to his birth, to that traumatic day that nearly cost me my son, I can barely breathe. We came so close to tragedy. Thanks to Lia and Shane and our friends and family, we made it through that dark day, and the days that followed.
The door opens quietly, and I glance back to see Shane come into the room, closing the door soundlessly behind him. With a satisfied smile on his face, he takes a seat on the footstool, facing me, and watches his son nurse.
He strokes the baby’s round little cheek. “I’m envious, pal,” he says. His gaze moves from my breast up to my face, and he offers me a sheepish look.
The suggestive comment makes me blush. It’s the first remotely sexual thing he’s said to me since Luke was born. Oh, he spoons with me every night, sleeping plastered to my back with his arm securely around my waist. When I awake each morning, I feel him nuzzling my hair as he kisses the back of my head. He holds my hand when we walk to the kitchen. The physical contact between us has been perfectly platonic since Luke was born, and I was starting to think he’d lost interest in sex. Perhaps not.
He traces Luke’s arm, from the tiny fist up his arm to his shoulder and over to his cheek. Then his blue eyes lift to mine. “Would you like to go on a date with me tonight?”
His invitation catches me completely by surprise. We haven’t left the apartment, other than to take Luke to his doctor appointments, since we got home from the hospital. “Tonight?” My heart starts racing. Leave the apartment? Leave Luke?
“Yes, tonight. I’d like to take my wife out on a date tonight. Cooper and Sam have offered to babysit.”
Even though I’d love to go on a date with Shane, I don’t want to leave Luke. I’m not ready for that. It’s not that I don’t trust Cooper and Sam to take care of our baby, because of course I do. I trust them with his life. It’s just that…I don’t want to leave my baby. But I also don’t want to disappoint my husband. “Um.”
“Um?” He grins. “Is that the best you can do?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave Luke.”
He gives me a sympathetic smile. “What if I told you we weren’t leaving the building?”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s a surprise, so I’m not going to explain. You have to trust me.”
“But we’re not leaving the building? Really?”
He nods. “Yes, really. I promise.”
“Okay then.” I grin stupidly, excited by the prospect of going on a date with my husband.
He leans forward and drops a quick kiss on my lips, and then he rises, towering over me. “After you’re done nursing, Cooper and Sam will take over with Luke so you can get ready. I’m going to go grab a shower now and get dressed.”
I grab his hand. “Wait—what should I wear?”
He smiles down at me, looking suspiciously pleased. “Whatever you feel like wearing. Dress comfortably.”
Excitement bubbles up in me as I wonder what Shane is up to. I don’t see how we can go on a date and still stay in the apartment building. Nevertheless, I’m excited. We’ve been keeping a low profile here at home since we brought Luke home from the NICU. The thought of doing something special with Shane gives me goosebumps.
“I wonder what your daddy’s up to?” I whisper to Luke, whose eyelids are getting heavy.
When he finally releases my nipple and closes his eyes, I hold him against my shoulder and pat his back until he gives me a good burp. Then I carry him into the great room, expecting to find Sam or Cooper, but neither one of them is there. I head to their suite and knock on their door.
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A moment later, Cooper comes to the door, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, his hair damp, and a towel slung around his shoulders. “I was just about to come find you,” he says, smiling at me as he reaches for Luke. “We’re ready to babysit.”
Cooper rocks Luke gently in the crook of his arm as Sam walks out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his lean waist. “Oh, hey, there you are,” he says, smiling at me. “You ready for your big date?”
“No. I need to change. Do you know what Shane has planned? He wouldn’t say a word to me—he said I had to trust him. And that we’re not leaving the building.”
Cooper grins. “I guess you’ll find out soon enough.” He makes a shooing gesture with his free hand. “Go get dressed.”
“I don’t know what to wear.”
“Wear something girly,” Sam says, coming up behind Cooper to rest his chin on Cooper’s shoulder as he peers down at Luke. “Something that shows a bit of cleavage.” And then he winks at me.
When I head back to our suite, Shane is in the bathroom, so I go to our dressing room to scan my wardrobe for something suitable. It’s difficult to choose when I don’t know what we’re doing. I end up choosing a backless sundress with spaghetti straps. It’s one of Shane’s favorites because the aqua print matches my eyes—plus it shows a bit of cleavage. And thanks to nursing, I still have some cleavage to display.
When he comes out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, Shane stops in his tracks, his gaze eating me up. “Holy—wow,” he says, giving me a heated look. “You look insanely gorgeous.”
“Oh, stop.” I point toward the bathroom. “I just need to freshen up a bit, and I’ll be ready to go.”
While I’m in the bathroom brushing my teeth and hair, Shane gets dressed. When I rejoin him, he’s wearing dark gray trousers and a white dress shirt with the collar open, looking at once both casual and debonair.
When he turns to me, my gaze latches onto the strong column of his throat and the portion of his chest visible through the opening of his collar. My belly clenches in anticipation as heat washes through me. It’s been so long, and suddenly my body feels like it’s roaring back to life.