He tossed the tablet aside and jumped out of bed. He went straight to the kitchen and got a bottle into the warmer, then went to get her. “Shh, it’s all right, sweetheart. Grandpa’s got you. I’m right here. You’re okay. I know you’re hungry.” He bounced her as they walked back to the kitchen. He glanced atKyle’s room. Mitch was pretty sure he’d gotten to Ruthie before Kyle had woken up.
He kept her as quiet as he could until the bottle was ready, then he took her to the couch and fed her. After that, he took her back to the guest room, put her in a clean diaper, then laid her down in the crib.
Singing wasn’t a talent he possessed, but he did it anyway, keeping his voice low as he did his best rendition ofCat’s in the Cradlewhileleaning over the crib. He really needed to learn some lullabies. Ruthie drifted off, probably in spite of his singing.
Yawning, Mitch went back to bed, falling asleep quickly. If Ruthie woke up a second time, he slept through it, not lifting his head off the pillow again until his usual waking hour. The sky outside was dark, but it would be light soon. He dressed in his running clothes, eager to get outside.
Ruthie was asleep when he checked on her. Satisfied she was fine, he started the coffee and went out for a run.
He’d read the second half of Kyle’s book today. He was eager to see if it finished as strongly as it opened. It was good. Readable. More than readable—it was a page-turner. Mitch already had some ideas about how to increase the tension in a couple of places, but the kid was a natural.
Mitch grinned. Chip off the old block. Of course, the book might fall apart in the end. He’d seen it happen. But with that kind of strong start, a weak end was fixable. That’s how editors earned their keep.
He finished his run by walking the driveway as he usually did, spirits high with the good news about Kyle’s book. Mitch was pretty curious to see what Harper thought of it. And also to see if his opinion had more to do with Kyle being his son than the book really being that solid.
He liked to think he could tell what was good and what wasn’t, but some bias was inevitable.
Impulsively, he sent her the manuscript before getting into the shower, along with a quick note of thanks.
When he’d dressed, he grabbed his tablet and went back out to the kitchen for coffee. Joyce and Beryl were both there. Joyce was assembling breakfast ingredients and Beryl was sitting at the counter, studying a grocery list. Kyle had Ruthie over his shoulder, which was covered with a cloth, and he was patting her on the back as he paced the living room.
A houseful of people. A month ago, it would have sent him into a rage. Now, he couldn’t have been happier.
“Morning all,” Mitch said. “Beautiful day, huh?” He filled his coffee cup.
“Morning, Dad. You go for a run?”
“Yep.”
Kyle nodded. “Man, I need to get back to that. Thanks for getting up with her last night. I was up with her around four, but I still got some pretty solid sleep. I can’t believe how much better I feel just in the few days that we’ve been here. Sleep is kind of important, apparently.”
Mitch laughed. “Yeah, it is.” He leaned on the counter next to Joyce. She was cracking eggs into a bowl. “What’s for breakfast?”
“Nothing too extravagant. Scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Then Beryl and I are off to the market to get everything we need for the meal this evening. You need me to pick up anything?”
“Nope, I’m good.” Anything he might have mentioned, she’d inevitably have on her list already. He looked at Kyle. “You good to take care of Ruthie today? I have pages I need to get done.” And a book to finish reading, but he didn’t want to mention that just yet. Better he see how it ended first.
“Sure. She is my daughter.” Kyle smiled at Ruthie. “Aren’t you, baby girl?”
Ruthie cooed at him.
“You know,” Joyce said. “There’s one of those Mummy and Me classes at the community center today.”
Mitch narrowed his eyes. “How do you know that?”
She gave him a look. “They send out a calendar of events every month. And I tack it up on the bulletin board in the laundry room.”
His eyes narrowed further. “We have a bulletin board in the laundry room?”
“Oh, get on with yourself now. You’re just pulling my leg.”
He hadn’t been, but he laughed and let her think that. “I’ll be in my office.”
“I’ll call you when breakfast is ready.”
He carried his coffee and tablet in, closed the door behind him, and went right back to Kyle’s book, curious to see if it was as good as he remembered or if that had somehow been a dream. He was skipping journaling this morning, but he had good reason.
Kyle’s book was no dream. Even in the light of day, the story pulled him back in. He only read a few pages, forcing himself to stop so he could check email. He was waiting on news from the attorney he’d talked to yesterday.
