Before I can escape, the visitor steps into view, her eyes widening when she notices me.
“Oh.” Her gaze moves from me to Tucker. “I didn’t know you had company.”
It’s actually not difficult to narrow down who this is. The twin babies wrapped tightly against her sides are a pretty big giveaway.
Tucker closes the door, stepping in beside the pretty blonde watching me with a curious expression on her face. “Mariah, this is Ruth and her daughter Birdie.” He focuses on me. “Ruthless, this is my sister-in-law, Mariah.”
Mariah smiles warmly at me while giving Tucker a gentle elbow to the ribs. “I’m going to guess Ruthless isn’t your given name.”
Her gentle teasing of Tucker and the sweet tone of her voice make me relax a little. “It’s just Ruth.” I manage to grab my daughter’s hand the second before she crams a pointer finger up my nose, gently moving it away from my face. “Her given name is Bernadette, but I call her Birdie.”
“Oh my gosh, I love that name.” Mariah comes toward me, a hand cradling each baby’s butt. “How old is she?”
“Almost sixteen months.” I glance down, remembering she’s dressed in one of Tucker’s T-shirts. Embarrassment heats my face. “She got bubble juice all over her outfit, so it’s in the washer.”
Mariah laughs, scooting a little closer as my daughter zeros in on the babies she’s carrying. “She is freaking adorable.” A dimple flashes in her cheek. “I love her curly hair.”
“Me too, but it is a little bit of a challenge to tame.” I automatically reach up to smooth down the chaotic clumps. “Mostly because it’s normally got applesauce or yogurt smeared in it.”
“She’s just trying to keep it moisturized.” Mariah angles her body so Birdie can see her babies’ faces a little better, twisting oneway then the other as she introduces them. “This is Marybeth and Mitchell.”
Birdie points the finger she just tried to shove up my nostril at the infants. “Beebees.”
“That’s right.” Mariah beams at my daughter. “Aren’t you a smart girl.”
“She’s a terror.” I know my daughter’s independent and undaunted temperament will serve her well one day, but man is it rough on me.
“Good.” Mariah leans closer, whispering like she’s telling my toddler a secret. “Stay that way.”
Tucker laughs from where he’s standing, watching the whole interaction. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.” He gives me a wink. “It’s genetic.”
I scoff, forgetting for a second that I’m supposed to be trying to convince the woman next to me of our coupledom. “You better watch out,” I tease him back. “I’ll unleash her in your kitchen and it’ll be way more than bubble juice all over your floor.”
Tucker laughs louder, his head tipping back at my threat. “I already told you, there is nothing in this house she’s going to hurt.” He meets my eyes. “It’s all fixable.”
Mariah is back to looking between us, like she can’t quite figure out what’s going on.
Which is good, because I don’t necessarily want her doing that just yet. I know my current ability to convince her I’m anything more than a random woman who showed up on Tucker’s doorstep is slim to none. Hoping for a diversion, I turn the conversation toward her. “How old are the twins?”
“We are just about three months in.” She blows out a long sigh. “And I’m freaking tired.”
“I bet. It was hard only having one. I can’t imagine what two would be like.” I probably would have combusted. Birdie wassuper colicky when she was a baby, and I spent the majority of my nights pacing from one side of my apartment to the other, bouncing her as we both cried. It was the first time I felt like I was failing as a mother. Little did I know it wasn’t even close to being the last.
“It’s not so bad when Titus is home, but on the days he goes into work, it can get overwhelming.” She turns to Tucker. “Especially when your mom’s not around. Speaking of which…” A sly smile works on her face. “That’s why we're here. I heard you stayed home today and thought maybe you wouldn’t mind watching them so I can take a quick shower?”
The way Tucker’s face lights up makes my belly do weird things. It’s like this is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to him.
“Of course I’ll watch them.” His hands are up, fingers wiggling. “Give me those babies.”
I watch, honestly a little terrified, as Mariah passes both infants off to him, working their small bodies free of the stretchy wrap twisted around her upper half before tucking them into the crook of his arms. I have to fight the urge to go take one, because I can’t really imagine he’s comfortable juggling two infants. But it becomes clear pretty quickly this isn’t Tucker’s first time balancing both babies.
Mariah unwinds the carrier, tossing it to the plush loveseat occupying one wall of the living room. “I just fed them, they both have fresh diapers, and I swear it will only take me like fifteen minutes.” She runs out the door, returning less than a minute later with a bag slung over one shoulder. She blows Tucker a kiss as she aims for the stairs. “You’re the best, Tuck.”
“I know.” His eyes are glued to his niece and nephew. “That’s why I’m your favorite uncle, isn’t it?” His big body slowly bounces and sways as he makes faces at the infants even thoughthey both seem half-asleep. “I can’t wait till you guys are bigger and can run around and make messes.” His voice is soft. Sweet. “I’m gonna sneak you into Uncle Trevor’s house and let you ruin everything.” His eyes lift to where I stand, zeroing in on my daughter. “Maybe Birdie can give you a few pointers.”
“I’m sure your family will love hearing that my daughter is corrupting your niece and nephew.” The daughter in question starts to wiggle, and against my better judgment, I set her down. Thankfully, she doesn’t seem intent on destruction, and instead goes for Tucker, grabbing onto his jeans like she can climb her way up to get a better look at the babies.
He leans to peer down at where she stands at his feet, lifting his brows. “Do you want to help me take care of the babies?”
