“You did this for me?” she asked, and there was no anger or annoyance in her tone, just a whole heap of adoration.
This was so much better than fighting with each other.
“I had help,” he said, because he’d been the maestro, but everyone had pitched in—mostly the moms and Irina.
“When is my surprise baby shower starting?” she asked, doing the thing where she never moved her gaze from his. He loved this between them, the ability to just be the two of them in a room full of… elderly women and Tanner.
“Now?” he asked.
“Then I guess I need my shoes.” She held them up, and he grinned. He was sort of going to miss when she could buckle her own shoes again.
So he knelt before her, helped slip them on her feet, pulled the straps up over her ankles, and let his fingers trace circles over her skin there. Once they were buckled, he pressed a kiss to her shin.
She shivered.
Yeah, he dug that, and wished like hell they were home so he could take her to their bedroom and take off everything but the shoes.
“I have brought you gifts.” Nadzieja practically shoved him aside, and pressed a crocheted yellow blanket in Courtney’s hands.
“Thank you.” Courtney studied the stitching, then looked back at the elderly woman. “Who are you?”
“I am Nadzieja. You call me Babushka.” She held her hands together. “I have made you gift.”
Rolling her bottom lip under her tongue, Courtney held up the blanket, which in hand-crocheted detail read,Welcome, Harvey.
“Oh,” Courtney said, sliding her gaze to Bax. “I love it. So much.” That was remarkably unconvincing.
“Vhat is vrong?” Babushka asked. “You do not love this.”
“Nothing. It’s perfection.” Courtney held it to her chest. “I love it. Thank you.”
“I know lies vhen I hear them.” Babushka did the MRI thing to Courtney, and this time Courtney shivered for an entirely different reason.
“It’s just that her name is Harley.” Courtney squeezed the blanket in her grip. “Not Harvey.”
“I tell Tanner that Harvey is not good name, but he says it’s vhat you pick. Zat boy.” Babushka scowled.
“Yeah. No. But I still love it.” Courtney did sound convincing there.
Bax reached for the blanket, but Babushka snatched it back and huffed, scuttling toward Tanner.
This was the start of what seemed to become a knitting circle where all the elderly women were tearing out stiches and restitching the correct name onto the blankets, hats, and even crocheted diapers—diapers that he would like to point out had lots of holes for seepage. He wasn’t an expert, but it seemed like that might be a bad idea.
By the time the shower was in full swing, the bar was dark, except for some laser lights and spotlights on platforms throughout the room. Women dressed in Denver Broncos cheerleading outfits go-go danced to the music on the risers. Some of the elderly women took time away from their crocheting to hop on a riser or two and boogie. Frankly, he was worried someone would break a hip and he’d be liable.
Meanwhile, an entire LED wall along one side lit the room while a woman hung upside down from a trapeze in front of it, contorting her body into all kinds of pretzel shapes. Thankfully, none of the elderly women had tried to dothat. Yet. The night was still young.
“Having a good time?” he asked Courtney, even though he knew the answer.
Courtney’d been laughing like he hadn’t heard in weeks. Mostly because she’d gone all Knox on him when the pregnancy stopped being comfortable. At least when she complained, she was cute, he gave her that.
Knox? Not so much.
She nodded. “Just getting tired. I have a headache.”
“We can stay, or we can go. Your call.” Seemingly of its own accord, his fingertip reached up to trace her collarbone.
“Funny how the things you want change, huh?” she asked, shifting her gaze longingly around the room.
