Just then, Sassy bellows from the dining room table. “Eden!” My mom’s friend bolts past me to meet the woman—Eden, I assume—at the door. “Oh my God,” Sassy cries again. She takes the little girl from Eden’s arms and plasters her face with kisses, then turns to me and holds out her arms. “Vito, hold my grandniece for a second. I need a hug from this one.”
Before I know what’s happening, there is yet another kid in my arms. “Uh, hello there,” I say, holding the stranger’s child awkwardly in my arms.
The little girl looks like she’s about to start crying, and I don’t blame her. I’m a strange man, and she was just yanked from her mama’s arms. I plaster on a bright smile and sort of jiggle her up and down in my arms the way I do with Ethan. While I try to stall a meltdown, Sassy wraps Eden in her arms and rocks her wildly back and forth, tears literally streaming down her face.
“I’m so glad you’re here now, baby. We’re going to take good care of you.”
With keys and my magazine in one hand and this kiddo in the other, I’ve literally got my arms full.
Sassy finally releases the woman whose cheeks are red even though she’s wearing a smile so beautiful my heart cracks a little. She wipes tears from her eyes and leans her head on Sassy’s shoulder, which takes some effort since Eden is tall.
“Vito, this is my niece, Eden. Newly landed in Star Falls from the City of Angels.” Sassy hasn’t released Eden for even a second, and I can’t exactly extend a hand to shake hers, so I nod.
“Nice to meet you,” I say, my words coming out slow as I look her over. I don’t mean to be creepy, but this woman is a fucking knockout. But it hits me all at once that I’m holding her child. Her daughter. Which means a baby daddy or husband can’t be far away. I steel my reactions to her and grin down at the little lady in my arms. “And who’s this?” I ask.
Eden releases herself from her aunt’s choke hold and wipes the last of her tears from her cheeks. “I’m sorry,” she says. “You must think I’m a hot mess, just handing my baby to a stranger. This is my daughter, Juniper.”
I drag my eyes away from Eden and grin at her child. “Juniper? What a gorgeous name for a gorgeous little lady. You know my nephew Ethan is about your age, and I’ll bet you two are going to get along great.” I raise my brows at Sassy, hoping she’ll get the hint and take the kiddo so I can get going.
But Sassy is in no real rush to do anything but introduce Eden to absolutely everyone. She drags her niece into the living room, and I follow, keeping hold of Juniper while my mom, sister, Bev, and Carol all make their introductions to Eden.
“Ma,” I say quietly, hoping I can appeal to her maternal instincts. As much as I hate to break up the party, if I’m late to meet the chief after we both agreed to come in on our day off, I can kiss this opportunity goodbye. “Ma, I’ve…”
But just as I’m walking up to my mother, hoping she’ll take the baby from me, Juniper grabs everyone’s attention by ripping out a belch so big that everyone in the room starts cracking up. Everyone but Eden.
“Oh no,” she says, her arms out. She’s moving toward me, her eyes fixed on her daughter as if she knows what’s about to happen.
I’m still laughing in shock at the man-sized belch from the little kid when my shock turns to horror. Little Juniper looks up at me, her little lower lip trembles, and then she projectile vomits all over my dress clothes.
2
EDEN
This is notthe reunion I’d imagined when my auntie invited me to her best friend’s house. First of all, I was promised a ladies’ brunch.
I know Auntie Shirley has a group of friends she’s been tight with since high school. But nobody mentioned that any of those friends had hot sons. And the last thing I want anything to do with is a man. Any man. And especially a hot man.
Vito Bianchi is gorgeous. He had this heart-melting, youthful look about him when he was being playful with Juniper, but now, as he shrugs off the shirt that Juniper inconveniently threw up all over, it’s like the gods of love and sex are tormenting me. He’s got muscles for days. I can almost hear angels singing as he strips off the orange-splattered dress shirt.
I stare, stunned, while Lucia and my aunt grab Juniper and go wash her face in the kitchen. That leaves me with a whole bunch of people I don’t know, including him.
“I’m so sorry,” I blurt out. “She’s not sick, I promise. She gets a little carsick sometimes, and I gave her some cold water with a tiny bit of orange juice in the car, but apparently that did not help.”
Once the shock of what’s happened wears off, I go immediately into damage-control mode. I rush toward the man and try to help him ease off the shirt so none of my daughter’s throw-up touches his skin.
He shakes off the dress shirt and stands before me wearing just a sleeveless white tank and gray dress pants. My mouth opens a little at the sight of his sculpted chest dusted with a tiny hint of dark hair. His arms look so smooth, my fingers itch to touch the well-defined muscles.
“It’s all right,” he says, his voice sounding sincere. We’re almost the same height, so when I lift my chin, our eyes meet. “I, uh… I’ll just… I should change.”
I’m holding the sticky shirt in my hands like it’s yesterday’s garbage while my traitorous eyes take in the length of him. “Your pants,” I say, biting my lower lip.
He bends his head down to look, and he must see the big wet spot on the front of his pants, right over the zipper.
I want to die.
“I’m so sorry,” I say again. “I’ll have them cleaned. I’ll replace them. I’m so sorry.”
For a second, a look that is almost heartbreakingly sad passes over his face. He closes his eyes, then pulls his phone from his pocket. He’s got a magazine and a set of keys in one hand, and with the other, he punches in a number on his phone.
