Chapter 1
Mason
I accidentally mentioned to Jesse that Megan and I plan to start trying for a baby as soon as we get married in July.
That confession has landed us stranded at his and Ella’s house, babysitting their two girls while they’re off doing God knows what.
Cora’s two and a half, and she and I have readBrown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?thirty-six times. I’m not even exaggerating.
“Read again,” she demands, flipping the pages back to the beginning, her little pigtails bouncing with the force of her nod.
“How about a different book,” I say.
“No.” She crosses her arms with a determined pout. Lips pressed tight. Brows scrunched. Like she’s ready to go to war for this bear book.
I glance toward the kitchen. Megan’s trying not to laugh at me as she stands there watching Hallie, who’s almost one. The kid couldn’t care less about the mountain of toys scattered across the living room. No, her interest consists of yanking open the cabinet doors and then slamming them shut.
“Needa nack,” Cora says and slides off my lap toward the kitchen.
“A what?”
Megan snickers. “She needs a snack.”
We watch her pull open a lower cabinet door. “Cookies.” She points.
“No, not cookies. How about—”
“Yeah, cookies!” Cora screeches. It catches me off guard and Megan jumps, her eyebrows shooting up. Hallie starts crying and immediately crawls over to me, away from her sister who’s threatening to riot over some Oreos.
“Hey, hey,” Megan says, kneeling down to Cora’s level. Calm, gentle…that’s Megan. “Mommy said no cookies because it’s almost bedtime. How about these?” She pulls out a box of something else.
Meanwhile, I have no clue what Cora’s still arguing about because Hallie’s busy scream-crying directly into my ear. I take a slow lap around the living room, bouncing her like I know what I’m doing.
I stop by the window. “Look! Outside,” I say, like she’s gonna suddenly appreciate the view of her backyard. Nope. Louder cries.
I point to Jesse’s deer mount hung on the wall. “Look. Daddy’s big buck.”
She doesn’t let up, not even a breath. She flails her head back like the deer just insulted her.
I take a look back at the situation Megan got herself into. Cora’s got her little arms crossed, only a split second away from stomping her little foot. Megan’s still in front of her, her lips tucked like she’s trying not to laugh at the toddler’s attitude.
Hallie’s still wailing in my ear, so I trek across the house and up the stairs to her room, shushing her along the way. With every step, she quiets down, sniffling.
She stretches one chubby arm toward the crib. I snag the only stuffed animal inside—a long-eared pink bunny.
“This?” I hand the bunny to her.
She grabs it instantly, tucks it under her arm, and lays her head against it like the thing just saved her life. Her wet blue eyes blink up at me—Jesse’s eyes, through and through. And just like that, she’s not the screaming siren anymore. She’s got the sweetest little face staring back at me.
I hear a vehicle pull up and I go to the window to see it’s Cody’s black truck. I head out of the room and back down the stairs. Megan’s now standing at the counter, guarding Cora, who’s seated on the edge, eating something out of Megan’s hand. She’s calm now. No screaming and no tears.
“We settled on the Goldfish,” she tells me with a thankful expression.
“Good. Cody’s here,” I say as I continue toward the door, Hallie still in tow.
I open the front door and there’s Cody, a smug grin on his face, two-year-old Emma balanced on his hip. His wife Karissa is beside him, her very pregnant belly staring me down.
“Is there a reasonweweren’t informed about the free babysitting tonight?” Cody asks as he heads up the porch steps, Karissa trailing behind him with a small bag in hand.
