Chapter 8
Lane slowed his steps as he approached Celine’s mom’s house. Was this how she’d felt when arriving at his place? This rush of nostalgia, both joy and sadness? The idea of his son being inside the same home where he’d spent so many hours growing up lodged a ball of emotion in his throat.
“You didn’t have to walk me to the door,” Celine said. “Mom’s going to have a field day with you showing up with me. I know how much you hate town gossip, and this is about to ignite the rumor mill.”
Shrugging, he plunged his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. “Just being back in town is enough to make people wag their tongues. Lisa adding her two cents won’t matter much. I feel better sticking close for now.”
He wouldn’t say more. She’d already turned down his idea of standing guard until the asshole after her was behind bars. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t stay vigilant. Stay as close as possible without upsetting Celine even more.
“Don’t tell my mom what happened to my car,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I didn’t mention anything about last night. I don’t have the energy to deal with any of her hysterics—real or imaginary.”
“I get it. My lips are sealed.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she gave a little knock on the door before pushing it open. “Hey, Mom. It’s me. I’m here to get Parker.”
A hoot of laughter accompanied a blast of applause from the television in the living room. “I’m in here, honey! You’re early. Come sit with me while Parker’s sleeping. We can watch your favorite game show.”
Smirking, Lane raised his brows. “Game show?” he mouthed.
She rolled her eyes and led the way into the living room.
He stared at the wall of framed photos he’d seen a hundred times. Frozen snaps of time from Celine’s childhood now sprinkled with baby photos of Parker. He wanted to linger in the short hallway and study the chubby cheeks and wisps of brown curls.
But now wasn’t the time. He made a mental note to ask Celine for more details about the first few months of his child’s life. Photos of his first bath and stories of his birth. Memories he wished he could share in but would have to settle for hearing about.
Ignoring the longing in his gut, he stepped into the living room and stood next to Celine.
Lisa glanced up and her eyes grew wide, her mouth forming a large O before morphing into a shit-eating grin.
“Well, my my. Hasn’t taken long for the two of you to reconnect.
You want to sit on down with me and my daughter and catch up?
You ran out of the restaurant so fast last night I didn’t even have a chance to give you a proper hello. ”
Standing, Lisa flounced his way and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close. She took one step back but kept her palms on his biceps. “You’ve sure grown up good. Not like there was ever any doubt. You planning on sticking around for long?”
“I’m here for good,” he said, flicking his glance at Celine.
She dropped her gaze to the floor, arms wrapped around her middle.
“That’s so great to hear! This town needs more big, strong men like you around. My guess is you won’t be riding bulls anymore. You doing something at that big ol’ house of yours? Keeping the family business going?”
He cringed. Nothing sounded worse than following in his father’s footsteps. Not to mention the fact that over the last few years, his dad had sold off most of their cattle and anything else that could increase his cash flow.
“Not quite sure yet,” he said, even though an idea was starting to take root.
Tilting her head to the side, Lisa pressed her lips into a coy smile and narrowed her eyes. “You’re too busy with other things to figure it out right now, huh?”
“Mom!” Celine said, cutting in.
“What?” Lisa dropped her hands from his arms and shrugged. “You two were always so cute together and now he shows up with you to pick up Parker. Hours early, mind you. Can’t blame me for being a bit curious.”
Shit. Celine hadn’t wanted him to mention what had happened, but they should have figured she’d want to know why he was here.
“Business was slow, so Tia sent me home,” Celine said. “Lane just happened to pull in when I was leaving. My car battery died, and no one had a cable, so he offered to take me home. Nothing more than that.”
Lisa popped a hip and placed one fist on the wide curve. “Well, fine then. Steal all my fun. Can’t blame a mother for hoping for a little bit of excitement brewing.”
He wanted to cringe at her choice of words. If she only knew the chaos erupting all over the damn place, she’d take back the sentiment.
Since Lisa thrived on chaos, she’d probably find a way to make herself the center of the storm.
“No excitement,” Celine said. “All very boring. Now where’s Parker? I’d like to get him home.”
“He’s in his crib. Just fell asleep.” Lisa flicked her hand down the hall. “You could let him sleep. Stay and visit over a cup of coffee.”
“I wish we could, but we really need to get home.”
Lisa’s expression fell as she watched her daughter disappear down the hall.
As if realizing she wasn’t alone, she hurried to paste a cheerful smile on her face.
“She never has time for me. I’m good enough for a free sitter but not good enough for a little conversation. I guess that’s just the way it goes.”
The dip in her voice tugged at his heart. He’d known Celine’s mom for a long time. She had her faults, and Celine had put up with a lot of crap as a child. But she’d always been kind to him, always tried to be the mom Celine deserved even if she often fell short.
“I’m sure she has a lot on her plate,” Lane said. “Can’t be easy being a single parent. You’d know that better than anyone.”
“I wish I could lighten her load more.” Studying him, she tilted her head to the side like she’d done before.
But this time, the look in her eyes was more than just interest. It was as if something was clicking into place inside her brain, but she couldn’t quite figure out what.
“Maybe you can help her with that. Stranger things have happened than an old flame reigniting.”
Pressing his lips together, he kept his opinions to himself as he waited for Celine and Parker to reappear. His flame for Celine had never gone out, he just had to make sure that from now on neither of them got burned.
Back at her house, Celine relaxed against the soft cushions of the rocking chair and sighed. Parker latched on, enjoying a snack as well as his mother’s comfort, the combination quickly putting him back to sleep after his interrupted nap.
Rocking back and forth, she watched her sweet baby a few more minutes before laying back in his crib.
She’d rather hide in his room than head out to talk with Lane.
He was determined to go over the details of her new security system.
Something she should be grateful for, but all she wanted was to soak in a hot tub and forget all the craziness of the past twenty-four hours.
But that wasn’t an option. Not with Lane waiting for her and the knowledge that Parker wouldn’t sleep long enough for her to grab a quick shower let alone a luxurious bath.
Trudging forward, she felt the weight of the world with each step and found Lane sitting on the living room couch, looking at pictures in Parker’s baby book.
Her heart nearly hopped out of her chest. Witnessing the intensity of his eyes as he poured over the photos of their child stirred up too many emotions for her to process. She wasn’t ready to let him in—wasn’t ready to forgive him and chance him hurting her baby like he’d hurt her.
No matter how much she wished she could.
Standing in the doorway, she cleared her throat to gain his attention.
His gaze shot up, and a light blush clashed against his cheeks. “Sorry,” he said, setting the book back on the coffee table. “I saw this and couldn’t help myself.”
“It’s okay.”
“Did he go back to sleep?”
She nodded. “For now. He won’t be down long. We should go over everything before he wakes and I can’t focus.”
“Sure.” He stood and stalked forward, brushing against her as he crossed the threshold from the living room to the small entryway.
“Here’s the panel. Kind of like grand central station.
I’ll show you how to set up your password, arm and disarm the system, and anything else you need to know. Then we can go over the app.”
She cringed. “Looks complicated.”
“It shouldn’t be that bad. I made sure to find something that was user friendly. I remember how much you hate this stuff.”
She cracked a grin. Of course he’d thought of that. He’d always been one to do whatever possible to make her life easier. At least until he’d nearly destroyed her.
“Might as well get this over with,” she said, resigning to learning something she never thought she’d need.
Lane spent the next twenty minutes teaching her everything she needed to do know to make sure her house was as well guarded as possible. By the time he’d finished, her brain spun in big loopy circles.
“You want to turn it on and make sure everything’s working?” Lane asked.
“On my phone or the panel?”
He shrugged. “Whichever you want.”
“Here goes nothing.” She went through the steps on her phone and let out a sigh of relief when the system beeped to let her know the alarm was set. Then she moved to the panel and unarmed everything before repeating the processes.
“See, you got it no problem,” Lane said.
“I must have had a good teacher,” she said.
“Ha! No one’s ever said that about me before. Most people around here are surprised I even graduated high school.” He leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
She hated how comfortable he looked in her house, how at ease she was with him here. Her guard was lowering inch by inch without her even realizing it.
“I’ll shut it down so you can leave without setting anything off,” she said, needing space more than she needed her next breath.
Straightening, he frowned. “Are you sure you want me to go? I can stick around a little longer. I have no place to be.”
She mustered a smile. “I thought you’d want to find Suzy and keep her away from your buddy.”
Her joke didn’t erase the tight set of his mouth. “Some things are more important than that. Besides, Suzy can take care of herself.”
“So can I.”
“I don’t mean to say that you can’t, it’s just that…”
She held up a hand. “I get it, and I’d lie if I said I wasn’t scared.
But you’ve done what you can to keep me and Parker safe.
If anyone shows up, the authorities will be here fast. I’ll be fine.
Besides, I only have a few minutes to take a nice hot shower and get my head on straight before Parker wakes up. ”
As if speaking his name was enough to alert him his mother was about to indulge in a limited amount of selfcare, a loud wail sounded from down the hall.
Closing her eyes, she squeezed the bridge of her nose. “Never mind. I guess that shower will have to wait.”
A gentle touch on her arm opened her eyes.
Lane dropped his hand, lifting it to squeeze the back of his neck. “I could hold him for a little bit.”
Her heart twisted. She quickly flipped through her options.
She could say no and wait hours to grab the shower she desperately craved.
Or she could relent and give a tiny inch.
Allow Lane a few minutes to spend with his son.
Besides, at some point they’d have to discuss how to move forward as co-parents.
Better to let him and Parker get used to each other now.
Let Lane say she was at least willing to be civil and figure out what was best for their son.
“If you don’t want me to watch him, I get it, but if you do, I won’t see this as an open invitation into his or your life. Just think of it as me lending a hand so you can clean up. Hell, even take one of those hot bubble baths you’ve always loved.”
Parker’s wails continued, hiking up her anxiety. He was a pretty easy baby, but she wasn’t even sure if he’d allow Lane to take care of him.
But man, a nice hot bath sounded like heaven.
“Come with me to get him,” she finally said. “If he’s okay to let you hold him, I’ll give you two a few minutes together while I shower. But if he’s nervous or cries when you take him, then we’ll try another time.”
The side of his mouth curved but nervousness danced in his eyes. “Okay.”
She led the way to Parker’s room and opened the door. “Hello there, little man,” she cooed. “Mommy’s here.”
His cries quieted, turning into little grunts of excitement.
Lane walked in beside her and wrung his hands in a continuous circle at his waist. “Should I pick him up?”
The tremor in his voice had her doubting her decision. “Have you ever held a baby?”
“Not a human one.”
Oh, dear Lord.
Well, she’d already started down this path. Might as well see what happened. Now that Lane was back in town and he knew he was Parker’s father, they’d have to do this eventually.
“I’ll get him out of the crib and change his diaper. Make sure he doesn’t need anything other than cuddles and love before I hand him over.”
Eyes wide, Lane nodded. “Sounds good.”
Scooping up Parker, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and held him close before laying him on his changing table and giving him a clean diaper.
Lane stood over her shoulder. “That looks complicated.”
Picking Parker back up, she faced Lane and couldn’t help but laugh at the serious lines on his handsome face. “Says the guy who made a living out of riding bulls.”
He shrugged. “Bulls are easy. Babies are a lot more delicate. I don’t want to hurt him.”
Some of the ice around her heart melted. Despite their past, she believed him. Not wanting to give him a chance to let his nerves get the best of him, she settled Parker in Lane’s arms and stepped back.
Lane’s arms wrapped tighter around the bundle, his face contorted in a mask of love, joy, and fear.
A mixture of emotions she understood all too well.
Parker stayed quiet, his gaze fixed on his father.
“He’s so beautiful.” Lane choked out the words.
Tears touched her eyes, and she turned her back to wipe them away. She couldn’t let him see how much this moment meant to her. “He has a chair in the living room he likes, or you can lay him on his back on a blanket if you need to put him down. I’ll be quick.”
The sound of Lane whisper sweet words to their son rang in her ears as she walked to the bathroom, closed the door, and finally let her tears fall.