“Shh.” Xander pressed a finger to my lips. “Sleep.”
29
XANDER
“A little birdietells me that you have a new boyfriend,” Muriel said the moment she stepped into the bakery, eyes gleaming like she’d stumbled on buried treasure.
You couldn’t say anything tooneperson in this town. Not even a nurse whose name I hadn’t caught in all the excitement.
I should’ve known Muriel would somehow be the first to know.
“Oh honey, don’t look like that,” Muriel said. “I’m happy for you! Milo seems like such a sweetheart, not to mention those eyes. If I were ten years younger…”
And a man, I didn’t say.
I thought she’d need to be a little more than ten years younger to be in Milo’s age range, too, but I also didn’t say that, because I was in a good mood and Muriel wasn’t about to ruin it.
The last lingering kiss Milo had stolen on the way out of the bakery this morning, like he didn’t ever want to leave, was still playing through my mind on a loop. His mouth had still tasted of vanilla ice cream, and his fingers had been curled in my t-shirt, and justthinkingabout it was enough to make my insides melt.
Muriel was right. Milo was a sweetheart. And hedidhave the most gorgeous eyes.
And mouth.
And… all the rest of it.
“Look at you blushing!” Muriel enthused as my phone went off where I’d set it down behind the counter.
A glance told me it was a message from Milo.
“That’s him!” Muriel said. “Don’t leave it on my account honey, I’m just here for some cinnamon rolls to bring to Dawn. I hope the twins get their looks from their mother’s side of the family. I never liked… whatever his name was. Brian? Simon? His eyes were too close together,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
I didn’t exactly disagree, and I took her up on the offer to check my phone.
starving.in.seattle: they’re actually more precious than I can handle?
The picture he’d attached, of both twins in the same crib, hands touching, made me smile. I pulled it up so it filled the screen and passed Muriel the phone.
“Ohh,” she squealed, clasping the hand not holding the phone over her heart. “Look at them. And theydoget their looks from their mother!”
I wasn’t sure how she could tell—they just looked like babies to me—but I loved Milo’s enthusiasm for them.
Okay, I’d fallen in love with them, too, but they weren’t my nieces.
Except that they felt a little like theywere, and I was still trying to work out what kind of gifts I could give them. Normally I defaulted to baked goods, but I didn’t think newborns had a lot of use for those.
I’d think of something. I’d ask Milo what kinds of things Dawn still needed.
“Almost makes me wish I’d had some of my own,” Muriel said, handing the phone back. “What about you? Setting your paternal instincts off?”
“They are cute,” I admitted. “Think I’ll see how Dawn copes with them first, though. The kittens are enough of a handful.”
“Well, I suppose these two come with Milo now, anyway,” Muriel said, looking carefully at me.
I supposed they did.
It didn’t change how I felt about him, though.
I’d just opened my mouth to say so when the bell over the door chimed. I expected it to be Dante, coming in to get the same gossip Muriel had been after.
