Chapter Sixty-Seven
Emily
I glance at my watch. Jake was supposed to be here by now. Where is he? At least Grace remains dozing in her swing so pacing the living room isn’t interrupted by going to check on her.
Twenty minutes later, I’m dressed and there’s still no sign of Jake. My stomach is a tight ball of knots. I glance at my watch again. Crap. I’m going to have to call Mom and get her up.
I’m moments away from calling the police station and rousing the Chief when a knock at the door startles me.
My heart lodges in my throat as I walk on shaking legs toward the door.
Jake has a key so his coming and going won’t wake the baby.
Is this what it feels like to be the wife of a police officer?
Always waiting for that dreaded phone call.
Fuck. I swallow hard over the lump in my throat. Everything’s fine. Quit borrowing trouble. This is Brookhaven.
This time, the knock is louder. “Em?” My brother’s voice is muffled but loud enough to cause Grace to whimper and shake her head from side to side.
I yank open the door to find Xavier standing behind Kaleb. Tears spring into my eyes. “What?”
“Whoa, Emily.” Kaleb grips my shoulders anchoring me to the floor. “Everything’s fine. Jake arrested Chad last night out on Elm Avenue. The asshole ran from him on those expired plates.”
“Thank God.” My eyes slam shut as I send up a quick prayer of thanks. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life without him. That’s how quickly things have changed between us.
“Are you sure he’s, okay?” Once again, I’m surveying them. This time I’m looking for any tells implying he’s injured, and they’re just afraid to say it out loud. “Is everyone else okay?”
“No one has any injuries,” Xavier says. “We caught up with them–”
“We?” I arch an eyebrow as they stride inside and snap the door shut behind them.
“Yes, a bunch of us were listening to the scanner and heard Jake take off after Chad so we came in from the opposite direction to surround him.”
That settles it. I’m getting a scanner. I don’t want to disturb Grace when she’s sleeping, but never again am I not keeping tabs on Jake like a crazy stalker.
“Good.”
My heart thumps again. What if this gives Mackenzie the opportunity she’s been waiting for, to claim Grace? My hands shake so I shove them into my pockets to keep from letting them know I’m still about to lose my shit.
Remember, that’s the deal you signed for. Foster parenting is temporary. You’re caring for a child with the intent to return her to its parents. That’s the permanency goal from the beginning. You know that.
I inhale and slowly exhale. “I’m glad he’s off the streets.”
“It’s about time.” Xavier kicks off his shoes and travels on his socked feet to Grace, unbuckling her from the swing straps. “Cute kid.”
“Yes, she is.” I put on a brave face as Grace stretches and scrunches her nose at the offending interruption of her sleep. “Did he say when he’d be here? I need to call Mom and ask if she can watch Grace until Jake gets off work.”
“Please….” My brother waves his hand dismissively toward me. “I’ve got her. Between Xavier and I, we’ve got everything under control.”
“I don’t–”
“Emily.” Kaleb spins on his heel and slaps his hands on his hips.
“I was four years old when you were born, and Mom, slapped a bottle in my hand and told me to sit on the sofa and feed you. Even worse, by the time I was five, she made me change your diaper so I’m positive we can watch her for an hour while you go to work, and we wait for Jake to show. ”
“I’ll–”
“Emily….” My brother’s eyes narrow into slits. “Grace will be fine. I’m a fireman, and Xavier is a–”
“How does being a construction worker make him qualified?” I suppress a giggle at that one.
“I have a niece and nephew.” He smirks while cradling her head in his enormous hand. “Besides, I know how to design and build a skyscraper. That must mean something.”
“Right.” I rotate my shoulders to ease the tension that continues to build rather than diminish. “Fine. The bottles are in the kitchen with the formula, and her diapers and wipes are on the changing table in my room.”
“You’re keeping the baby in your room?” Kaleb crosses his arms over his chest.
“At times.” Heat covers my face. “Most of the time, she sleeps in the second bedroom or in her swing or bassinet in here.”
“Thank God. I was hoping that didn’t mean you were doing all that extra-curricular stuff with her in the room.
It’s disgusting enough to think about. I would hate to be on the receiving end of watching.
” He strides over to Xavier and rubs his thumb over Grace’s cheek.
“Isn’t that right, Squirt? You don’t want to see Mommy and Daddy bumping uglies, do you? ”
I choke over the lump in my throat. Iris was positive, things were looking in our favor, but now, who knows.
“I need to go.” I cup the top of Grace’s head and kiss her nose. “Be good for my annoying brother, okay?”
“She’ll be perfect for her Uncle Kaleb.” He retrieves her from Xavier and kisses the top of her head. “Now get out of here, and let the big, burly men take control.” His tattoos stretch and bulge as he adjusts her. “And Squirt, if you have to make a poopie, Xavier here, can take care of you.”
Xavier flexes his biceps and pecs. “Xavier to the rescue.”
“You two are morons.” I roll my eyes despite my fears about losing Grace.
“She is a cute little thing, isn’t she?” Kaleb says as he studies the baby. Watching them ooh and ahh over her is just as dangerous to my heart as Jake doing it.
By the time I’ve given them the list of everything from the emergency numbers they both know by heart to how many ounces of formula she takes, they toss me out the front door with a snap of the latch and a grumble that I’m well on my way to being an annoying helicopter mom.
And I’m five minutes late for my shift.