I take hold of her and she cries all the harder for a handful of seconds while I adjust my top in the dark. Cal averts his gaze and then a second later Bea’s angry fussing cuts off abruptly as she latches on. I adjust the loose flowing shirt over the both of us, and by some miracle, she doesn’t try to shove it off of her head.
Cal places his hands on Scottie’s shoulders, massaging them, and she groans, tipping her head forward until her chin nearly touches her chest. He chuckles. Dusk is fully settled around us, the only light the single citronella candle that sits in the middle of the table, though it does little to break up the darkness, shrouding each of us in deep shadows.
My brother notches his chin toward Xander’s side of the townhouse, then asks, “Are you ready for them to come home for bed? Penny is sacked out on the couch.”
“Probably should,” I say, resting my head on the back of the chair. “Just give me a couple minutes to finish here and get her changed for the night, and then I can come get them.”
“We’ve got it,” Cal says, leaning over to squeeze my shoulder before dropping a kiss to the top of Scottie’s head. He disappears around the corner.
“This is amazing,” Vi mutters, sinking lower in her chair, her eyes closed. “I could definitely get used to them taking over kid duty.”
My chest twinges with a hit of envy. She gets to go homewith her man, as a family, the three of them. In an hour, I’ll be alone again. Putting my kids to bed and then going to bed alone. Just like every night. Switching Bea from one side to the other, I sigh, closing my eyes. It was fun to think about while it lasted, anyway.
When she’s finally had her fill, I lift her up to my shoulder and rub her back gently until her tummy settles, and then I heave to my feet. Both women follow suit, and I hug Violette with one arm and say good-bye with a promise to meet up for coffee later in the week, before they head over to Xander’s. I slip inside my own house to change the baby and get her into a set of footed pjs. Carrying her with me back to the living room, I smile when Dalton comes in through the sliding door in front of Cal and Scottie. Xander has a sleeping Penny cradled in his arms.
“Tiny terror just couldn’t hang with the big dogs,” he chuckles, shrugging those muscular shoulders, then winks at me. “Where would you like her?”
“In her bed,” I say, notching my chin down the hall. Xander’s heavy footfalls sound behind me as I lead the way, turning on the hall light as he enters her bedroom. “She can sleep in those clothes. If I try to change her out of them, she’ll wake up and then be up all night.”
He lowers her to the bed and then covers her with the comforter, tucking her in gently. I flip on the nightlight beside her bed, and then we exit her room as quietly as we can.
“Dalton, brush your teeth and head to bed, please.” He nods, turning to Cal and Scottie. Scottie ruffles his hair gently and Cal holds out his fist, to which Dalton bumps with his own.
“Good night, dude,” Cal and Scottie say.
“Good night, Uncle Cal, good night, Aunt Scottie,” Dalton grins, then glances over at Xander, who holds out his fist, too. My chest cracks when Dalton’s grin widens further before fist bumping Xander. “Good night, Xander. Thanks for showing me that trick with the bat.”
“Of course. You’ll be killing it next year if you keep practicing. We’ll try and catch a spring game next season when Detroit comes out to play Seattle,” he says, tucking his hands into his front pockets. Dammit, my heart…
Dalton’s brown eyes go wide and they bounce between Xander’s and mine. “Seriously? That would be wicked!”
Xander grins, shrugging. “As long as it’s okay with your mom, sure. Maybe your uncle can come with us.”
Dalton does a jump and punches his fist into the air in excitement. “Yeah, Uncle Cal! Come with us!”
“Let’s just get through fall and winter before we start worrying about spring sports,” I laugh, laying my arm across my son’s shoulder and squeezing. “Alright, big man, it’s really time for bed.” I drop a kiss to the top of his head and he squeezes me around the middle before skipping down the hallway to the bathroom. I roll my eyes and glance between Xander and Cal. “You don’t know what you just started.”
Both men chuckle. Bea is wide awake now and much happier than before, but I’m already regretting allowing her to nap as long as I did. She’ll be up for hours now. She’s waving her little arms like crazy at Cal.
“Oh,nowyou’re happy to see me,” he mutters sourly, though his eyes twinkle as he takes her out of my arm.
Dalton pops his head out of the hallway. “Good night, everybody. Good night, Mom.”
“Good night, bud, I love you,” I murmur, smiling over at him. He waves, and then his door closes. I turn back to Xander, Cal, and Scottie. Scottie leans in for a quick hug, then I slip one arm around Cal’s waist, hugging him, too. He squeezes me gently. “Good night, you guys. Thanks for coming over.”
“Coffee with Vi later this week?” Scottie asks, and I nod with a smile, before leading them to the front door. “Good night you guys!”
Cal finally hands Bea back as we reach the door after givingher a dozen kisses to each cheek. The big softie is wrapped around her tiny finger.
“See you soon, sis,” he says, leaning down to whisper, “I can kick his ass if you want.”
“That’s not necessary,” I whisper back, rolling my eyes. Squeezing his bicep, I murmur, “Love you.”
“Ditto.”
Xander exits with them, turning to give me one last look. “Thanks again for tonight. Good night, Xander.”
“Good night, Teddy.” His voice wraps around my middle, making my fingers tremble where I’m clutching the edge of the door. Those eyes are laser focused on my face. I’m too chicken to ask for a kiss in front of my brother and Scottie, so I just smile and then close the door. I blow out a long exhale, puffing out my cheeks as I sag against the closed door. I can hear their murmured words beyond the door, but it fades as they walk away.
