Miles threw back his head in laughter. “You are so lame, Dad. But in the best way ever.”
That’s all Nick needed to hear. Maybe one day in the future, when Miles was an adult, he would look back on this moment and laugh. So many of Miles’s young memories were tied up in profound loss. Nick considered it his job to add lightness and laughter to his son’s world. For the moment, he’d accomplished his mission.
The sound of the front door opening and closing, followed by heels clicking on his hardwood floors, announced Stella’s arrival. Within seconds she appeared in the kitchen doorway with a huge smile stretching across her pretty face. Sometimes it still felt jarring to Nick that his childhood friend had married Luke.
Miles jumped up from his seat and catapulted himself against his aunt’s chest. Nick’s heart squeezed as he watched. Stella placed her arms around Miles and pressed a kiss on his head. Although Nick knew it wasn’t the same as a mother’s love, Stella sure did a great job at mothering his son.
“Hey there, Zeus,” Stella said as the German shepherd raced to her side with his tail wagging fast and furiously. “You’re such a good boy. You need to have a play date with Coco Chanel soon.”
Nick let out a snort. He’d love to see that meeting of the canine minds. Stella would have a heart attack if Zeus got overly playful with her precious poodle. “Let’s not go there just yet. Zeus needs some home training first. He just knocked down some poor woman in the park who was simply minding her own business.” Just thinking about Harlow lying on the ground covered in leaves and ninety pounds of dog made him feel sheepish. She’d been so calm and understanding, which told him a lot about the woman. He made a mental note to make that vet appointment. Nick was very curious about Harlow Jones. She’d piqued his interest from the first time he’d seen her car dangling over a cliff, and now he had the perfect opportunity to get to know her better.
“I’m going to get my new Lego set, Auntie Stella. We can play with them in the TV room,” Miles said before running out of the kitchen.
Before Stella could even respond, Miles had vanished. Nick and Stella laughed in unison at his speedy disappearance.
“He’s fast on his feet when he wants something,” Stella noted.
“You should see him when he’s trying to escape chores,” Nick said.
“Hey, Nick,” she said, walking toward him and placing a kiss on his cheek. “How’s it going? You look great,” she said, giving him a once-over.
“Thanks for coming over, especially since it takes you away from the cutest baby in Maine.” His niece had been blessed with two very good-looking parents.
“Oh, it’ll be good for Luke to have some bonding time with Jade. Your brother has mastered the fine art of dodging dirty diapers. Since I’m staying overnight, it’s going to be impossible to ignore any diaper explosions.” She let out a throaty chuckle. “I can’t wait to hear the stories. It’s amazing how a funky diaper can take a retired Navy SEAL down.”
A mental image of Luke battling baby spit up, poopy diapers, and crying meltdowns made him grin. Luke deserved a little agony after unloading Zeus on him.
“I keep meaning to tell you that I have someone I’d like you to meet,” Stella said in an excited tone. “She’s an old friend of mine from college.”
Nick let out a groan. He hated fix-ups. Not that he’d ventured too deeply into the dating pool, but it seemed that every single person in Mistletoe wanted to set him up with someone. For a long time, he’d resisted because he’d still been grieving Kara. As time went on, Nick had warmed up to the idea of dating, but so far, he hadn’t felt a single spark.
Nothing remotely like what he’d felt for Harlow! He couldn’t seem to stop thinking about the woman. Learning she was Mistletoe’s newest veterinarian only served to pique his interest. Nick appreciated a woman who made a difference in her community.
He’d wanted to ask her out at the park, but doing so with Miles standing a few feet away would have felt uncomfortable. He had no idea how Miles felt about the possibility of him dating, even though he was a pretty chill kid. Nick hadn’t tested the dating waters enough to know how Miles would respond.
“I appreciate you thinking of me, but—” he began.
“But it’s time you got out there,” Stella said, cutting him off.
“I’m out there. I’ve been on a few dates,” he protested. They’d all been pretty lame, but at least he had ventured into the dating pond. He’d tried his best.
“All of those went nowhere. Did you ever go on any second dates?” Stella asked with her hands firmly placed on her hips.
“Not exactly,” Nick admitted.What was the point of going out on a second date when he’d barely survived the first one?
“Just trust me on this. I promise that you won’t regret it.” She was gazing at him with puppy-dog eyes, and he saw so much hope in their depths.
Nick didn’t want to hurt his sister-in-law’s feelings or crush her dreams of playing matchmaker, but he didn’t think he would enjoy another fix-up. It just wasn’t his style. He needed to see someone across a crowded room and feel sparks. Or look into a woman’s deep-set brown eyes as he was saving her from near death. In his entire life Nick had felt sparks with only a few women. Harlow had been the most recent.
“I did meet someone I’m interested in,” he admitted. Nick knew it was wrong of him to dangle it out there, especially since he hadn’t even asked Harlow out or gotten her number, but he also knew that this would make Stella back off.
Right on cue, Stella let out a high-pitched squeal. Bingo. She’d reacted just as Nick imagined she might. Pure excitement, bordering on hysteria.
“What’s her name? Have you taken her out yet? Can we meet her?” Stella hurled out question after question at the speed of a pro baseball pitcher.
He held up his hands. “I don’t want to jinx anything by talking about it, but you’ll be the first to know if anything happens,” Nick promised. “Now I really have to head out.” He leaned in for a hug. “Have fun with Miles.”
Just then Miles ran back into the room holding up a box of Legos. “I’m back with reinforcements,” he shouted. “You’re in for a fun night, Auntie Stella.”
