“Hey Amber,” Davis said from the chair by the fireplace. He held Tessa in his lap, her sleeping body nestled against his broad chest.
A wave of warmth and maybe even a little longing washed over her at the sight. Sometimes, in her more honest moments, Amber could admit that being a motherwould be a dream come true. Allie and Davis did parenthood so seamlessly that she wondered sometimes what it would be like to have a little one look at her with unconditional love and trust.
Life wouldn’t be so lonely, for one. For someone who kept herself surrounded by people, in her more intuitive moments, she knew she was lonely. She had her family and Val, and Sandy, and Holly, and her regulars at the pub of course, but that wasn’t quite the same as having a family of her own.
And then she remembered her track record with anything that mattered in her life. The idea was beautiful, but the reality was that she would probably mess up motherhood like everything else in her life.
“Hey,” she said to Davis. She took a seat on the couch next to him. “A little late for a nap, isn’t it?”
Davis gently stroked Tessa’s silky curls away from her face. “She’s been tired today.”
“Poor baby,” Amber said. “Want me to hold her for you?” She was itching to hold the sweet little bundle of Tessa. It wasn’t often the twins were still long enough to cuddle.
Davis grinned crookedly, his warm brown eyes crinkling, and she was reminded that her sister had married a stone-cold stud. “Coward,” he said mildly. Who was annoying.
Amber crossed her arms. “What? No. I’m just being selfless.” She peeked behind her to see if anyone in the kitchen had heard them. “And be quiet,” she hissed. “You’ll wake the baby.”
“You’re probably off the hook. They’re all distracted by Val’s news.”
“Good,” she said with feeling. She looked at Val on the other end of the couch. “What news?”
“They found out about Dylan asking me to the Midsummer Night ball.” Val rolled her eyes. “Aunt Giulia wants to do the flowers, and Aunt Sophia wants Cap to have a talk with Dylan before we leave.”
“Maybe you could bring him to Sunday dinner,” Amber said.
“That’s a good idea.” Davis nodded. “We’d all like to meet him.”
"Never. Not gonna happen," Val said, looking through the kitchen doorway just as Sophia and Giulia were fighting over a wooden spoon. Sauce splattered on their aprons, and the two women bent over laughing.
"Oh, I don't know. I think it's pretty special what we have here," Amber said.
Val crossed her arms and looked disgusted as they watched, but a minute later, she looked over at Amber and said, "Yeah, maybe.”
“This is good timing,” Amber said. “So, they don’t care about my new job?”
“Amber, you made it. I heard you were fired again." Aunt Sophia peeked around the corner and fixed her with the eyes. The ones that could make grown men squirm.
"That's old news, Auntie. Amber’s got a new job now,” Lily said from behind her. She was drying her hands on a dish towel.
"Well, don't go messing this one up too," huffed Aunt Sophia. “Come into the kitchen so we can see you.”
“Good luck,” Davis murmured. Amber stuck her tongue out and followed the women into the kitchen like she was lining up for a firing squad. Same difference.
"I don't know why you don't work at our floral shop, honey. I can't think of anything better than arranging flowers. We know plenty of men we could introduce you to while you’re there,” Aunt Giulia was saying from the stove.
Yep. No, thanks.
"Thank you, Aunt Giulia,” Amber said. “I’m all set, though. My job at the mayor’s office is going well.” Let’s hope she hadn’t messed that up with that sizzling hot encounter on Theo’s stairs.
"I talked to Cap, by the way. He told us all about the night you were fired. Really, Amber, you know the pub is a family establishment,” Sophia chided.
"What's it like working for the mayor?" Aunt Rosa asked, and Amber threw her a grateful look. Aunt Rosa was a sweetheart. She winked and grated more Parmesan cheese into the salad.
“I schedule a lot of meetings for him. Other than that, not a whole lot. I’m trying to get him to visit some more fun places to connect with a younger crowd.” Amber settled herself on a stool by the island.
“Oh, yeah? The carnival is coming up. Everybody’s there. You could put the mayor in the dunk tank. I bet that would be a huge hit,” Allie said from the sink. “Is it hot in here?” She waved a dish towel in front of her face.
The idea wasn’t without some merit. She envisioned people throwing things at him and getting him dunked. Theo, bare chested in a water tank, would earn some definite votes. Now she was just feeling horny. She could admit it.
