The next thing he knew, Lily was pulling him toward the playroom with his brothers in tow. Within minutes she had dressed them all in her fancy dress-up clothes. Big straw hats, flouncy skirts, tiaras, dresses, and lacy shawls. He was grateful that there was no one present taking pictures of them on their cell phones. If he looked half as ridiculous as his brothers did, the photos could be used as blackmail pics.
When his cell phone buzzed, Caleb wondered if it was Sophia calling to check in on Lily.
“Hey, Sophia,” he said once he saw her name pop up on the caller ID. “How’s Anchorage?”
“Everything’s going well, but my flight has been delayed, so I won’t be getting home by dinner. I hope that’s not a problem,” she said. He could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and all he wanted to do was reassure her, even though he was still doubting his babysitting skills.
“Sophia, I’ve got this,” he told her. “Lily is playing and smiling and well fed. We’re good here.”
He could hear Sophia let out a sigh of relief on the other end. “That’s great to hear. I can’t wait to tell you all about the photo shoot.”
“Me too. Safe travels, Sophia,” Caleb said before ending the call.
He could feel Landon’s eyes on him.
“You’re good with Lily,” Landon said in a low voice as he moved closer. “You’ll make a great father one day.”
So many emotions washed over him upon hearing Landon’s comment. A part of him had always figured he wouldn’t be any good at being a dad, since he was still a bit broken by his own experiences with Red. Even though he had worked hard to convince himself that he had moved past the issues of parental neglect, at times like this Caleb knew he hadn’t. Maybe it wasn’t possible to heal certain wounds.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” he said. He wished he felt different, but it was always hard for him to imagine himself in that role.
“Why not? Because of Dad?” Landon’s brown eyes were full of questions.
Caleb shrugged. “You know how it is. It’s one of my biggest insecurities, thinking that I’m not going to be any good at fatherhood because of our absentee dad.”
“You’re forgetting something,” Landon said, the corners of his mouth lifting in the hint of a smile. “Our badass mom. She was both mother and father to us. And she taught us well.”
“You’re right,” Caleb admitted. Daisy Stone had played both roles for him and his brothers. And she had shown them everything they would ever need to know about parenthood. Landon’s reminder served to buoy his spirits. It wasn’t inevitable that he was going to be a flop at fatherhood.
“I know I am,” Landon said, just as Lily came over and pulled them back toward her play area.
“Do you know how to make a French braid?” Lily asked, looking around at the three of them.
“Definitely not,” Caleb said. “Sorry, Lily. I wish that I did.”
“Sorry. I don’t think so,” Landon said.
They all turned to look at Xavier. He looked slightly uncomfortable. “I may know how to make a French braid.” He sounded incredibly sheepish.
“You do?” Caleb asked. He shouldn’t be surprised at all. It seemed as if there wasn’t a single thing his big brother couldn’t do. But a French braid? That was news to him.
He shrugged. “My ex-fiancée taught me.”
It totally made sense since Xavier’s ex, Heather, was a supermodel who had cared a lot about hair, makeup, and clothes.
“Okay, it’s time to play hair salon,” Lily said, reaching for Xavier’s hand and tugging on it. The excited expression stamped on her face caused a squeezing sensation in the center of Caleb’s chest.
“She never slows down, does she?” Xavier asked as he allowed himself to be led away.
“Told ya,” Caleb said, grinning. Thankfully, he’d been vindicated.
By five o’clock, both Xavier and Landon were exhausted and in need of a break.
“Thanks for the help, guys,” Caleb said, “but I can take it from here. I appreciate the rescue.”
“You didn’t even need it,” Landon said. “As I said before, you’re great with Lily. She clearly adores you.”
“The feeling is mutual. She’s one amazing kiddo,” Caleb gushed. As much as he had felt overwhelmed earlier, being with Lily had actually been fun. Having Xavier and Landon present had given him a boost of confidence.
