7. Zach
“Peek-a-boo,” I said for the umpteenth time, sending Austin into peals of laughter.
I lay on the living room floor with my son on my chest. I’d visited Carolyn’s house every day for the past five, and I was loving each minute I spent with Austin. I’d had some nervous moments, worrying about what kind of father I’d be. My own parents were no example I wanted to follow. The Admiral had known how to love, but my brothers and I had been teenagers by the time we’d moved in with him.
Being a dad to a young toddler was different, but I was managing. It was easy when the kid was this awesome. Happy, carefree, and blessedly unhurt by the robbery. I had been surprised when Carolyn invited me to join her at an appointment at the pediatrician’s office, but I was so glad I’d been there to hear directly when the doctor verified that Austin was fine and would likely not remember the hostage situation.
I hid my face again, but my son tugged at my hands, trying to remove them. I liked the feel of Austin against me, but it still made me sad I’d missed the baby phase. This was great, but now that I had a sense of what I’d missed out on, I was sorrier than ever. Still, I reminded myself how lucky I was to have this chance at all.
The child’s weight suddenly disappeared from my chest, making me open my eyes. Carolyn stood over me with Austin in her arms. They were beautiful together. She’d always been beautiful, more than I’d thought I deserved. Since the first time I saw her, she’d been the one for me. I’d been astonished when I’d won her heart…and crushed when I’d lost it.
“Time for bed for you, little man,” she said, blowing raspberries against Austin’s tummy and making him giggle.
“Can I help?” I had asked other evenings, but she’d told me no, wanting to give Austin time to get used to me before incorporating me into his bedtime routine.
“I…yes, that sounds good,” she said, giving me a shy smile. “He’s so comfortable with you now that I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Do you want to dress Mr. Squirmy in his pajamas?”
She’d taught me how to change a diaper, what Austin liked to eat, and even how to play with him. I was quickly learning how to care for my son. The bedtime ritual was another step toward being the father I wanted to be.
“Come on upstairs. I’ll show you the ropes.” She climbed ahead of me, her curvy figure at eye level. I almost tripped when my mind shot to how it had felt to run my hands over those curves.
“Thanks,” I said, yanking my thoughts back to my purpose as I followed her into a room at the rear of the house, the one I’d guessed was Austin’s. I’d located the windows on the exterior during my nightly checks on the house. I’d been keeping vigil in my car ever since that first night, and though I’d seen nothing to raise concern, I’d continue to watch over them. Carolyn’s theory that someone might be sabotaging the store had me worried. And since the police weren’t taking it seriously, that meant it was on me to make sure that she and Austin were safe.
“Take him while I get everything ready,” she said. As we passed Austin between us, our bodies brushed together, making me hyperaware of the attraction I still felt for her.
Her breath caught, and I knew that she was reacting to me, too. Our chemistry had always been deep and potent. And I sure as hell hadn’t forgotten how to touch her. How could I, when memories of our times together still played in a constant loop in my dreams? But she hadn’t given any indication that she was open to anything for now—and I was determined to let her take this at her own pace. I was ready whenever she was. Very ready.
She cleared her throat, refocusing on Austin. “You’ll need to change his diaper and get him in this.” She held up a one-piece sleeper. “It zips down the front.” She tapped an item attached to the crib. “He likes the soother to be on—and the little lamp in the corner.”
“Are you leaving?” Was she going to trust me alone with our son? It felt like a big milestone, that she’d let me step up like this.
“I’ll go start dinner while you take care of him.” She leaned over Austin on the changing table and kissed his forehead. “Mama loves you, baby.” After she straightened, she turned her eyes to me. “Would you like to join me? It won’t be anything fancy.”
“Love to,” I answered quickly, pleased she’d asked me. This was another first. And it meant just as much as being allowed to handle the bedtime ritual. She wasn’t just trusting me with Austin. She was trusting me with herself, too.
After she left the room, I focused on caring for Austin. With him kicking his little legs, getting the sleeper on was a challenge, but I accomplished it. I adjusted the lights and turned on the soother that played soft music and showed colorful fish swimming across a little screen. I lingered for a moment, holding Austin and rocking him gently until I saw a yawn. I took that as a sign that he was ready to be put down for the night. With one last kiss, I placed my son on his back, whispered good night, and left the room.
Out in the hall, I took a minute. I’d just put my child to bed for the first time. It was a big deal to me, and I hoped I could be there every night to kiss him. Having dinner with Carolyn was a big deal, too, and I was determined to do it right.
Downstairs, she had pasta cooking on the stove and was making a creamy sauce to go over it. A favorite of mine. She looked to me, smiling. Was the meal intentionally chosen to please me?
“Smells good,” I said. “Anything I can do?”
“There’s wine in the fridge if you want some.”
I was tempted, but it might make me sleepy. Not something I could afford when I’d be spending the night keeping watch.
“I’ll pass. Can I pour you a glass?”
“That would be nice.” With a tilt of her head, she indicated the cabinet where the wineglasses were stored. “Grab the vegetables, too. We should eat something healthy.”
I pulled out a bottle of white wine and a tray of vegetables, already cut up, as she stirred the sauce.
“How’d it go up there?” she asked casually.
I hid my smile, surprised she’d waited even that long before questioning me. She was a good mother. I could see her love for Austin in everything she did.
“Okay, I think,” I answered. “He was sleepy when I put him down.”
“He must be out. I haven’t heard anything on the monitor.”
So she’d been listening in. I didn’t blame her. Honestly, I was glad. I wanted her to know how careful I was with Austin, how determined I was to do right by him. And by her.
As we ate, we chatted about old friends, including some of my SEAL buddies and their wives we’d once been close with. When we were nearly finished with the meal, I asked a question that had me worried. “What are your next plans to investigate the recent problems at the store?” In the past few days, she’d gone back to the police station again, asking questions about the dead robber. His past, his known associates, any details they were willing to share.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I need to figure out how the person responsible could be doing all of this so I can stop him.”
“I know you want this resolved, but you do need to be careful,” I reminded her.
“I am being careful,” she insisted. “But I can take precautions while still being proactive. You know what the store means to me. It’s my mother’s legacy. She built it from the ground up by herself. No one is going to destroy it.”
All That Sparkles was more than just a store for her. Being part of the business made Carolyn happy. On top of that, the stakes were higher for her now that she was the one fully in charge. There was no chance at all of her backing down or letting this go. And honestly, I couldn’t blame her. But that didn’t mean I wanted her putting herself at risk.
“Let’s talk strategy,” I suggested. “Whoever did that should be approached cautiously.”
“It can’t hurt to poke around a bit,” she argued. “So far I’ve just made phone calls and stopped by the police station.”
“And if this unknown perpetrator feels you’re getting close to him, what do you think he’ll do?” I didn’t want to frighten her, but I needed her to consider the possible consequences. I watched her face as she processed what could happen not just to her, but to Austin and her family.
“He’ll come after me…or worse,” she answered, speaking slowly. “I can’t just sit around and let it happen, though. What could he do next?” She shuddered, and my imagination went to some unpleasant scenarios.
“You’ll need help,” I declared. “Don’t forget, I said we’re in this together.”
She gave me a pleased smile. “Yeah, I know. And I appreciate it.”
I shrugged off her unspoken thanks. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I told her. “No one goes at these sorts of situations alone. The police have backup, and the SEALs work in teams. Always. It’s how it’s done. So I’ll be your backup. I don’t want anything to happen to you. So if you’re thinking of taking some kind of action, let me know. I’ll back you up. Got it?”
“Got it,” she agreed.
I breathed an internal sigh of relief. I didn’t think she’d deliberately put herself in harm’s way, but she could be impulsive, following through quickly on new ideas and new possibilities. It worked well for her professionally, but in a situation like this, it could lead to disaster.
“Where do we start?” I asked.
“The police won’t tell me anything more about the robber, so I need to follow another lead. Drew Castle at Castle Jewels has been after Mom and me to sell. He’s the only person I can think of who could be behind this. It makes sense, right? He wants to buy us out, so he tried to damage the business’s reputation and get it cheaper—with the bonus of putting us in the position to want to sell.”
“It makes sense,” I said, “but it still seems strange. I wouldn’t have thought he was the type for these kinds of dirty tricks.”
“No, me neither,” she admitted. “But he’s the only suspect who makes sense. I figure I should at least talk to him. Who knows, maybe he’s been having issues, too. It could be that there’s something else out there trying to put both of the town’s jewelers out of business.”
I nodded. “It’s worth asking. And just to confirm, you and your mom aren’t interested in selling?”
“Not at all.” She dismissed the suggestion. “And we’ve told him that repeatedly.”
“We’ll go there tomorrow,” I said. “I’ll act as your bodyguard.”
“That won’t work.” She chuckled. “Mr. Castle will think it’s ridiculous that I need protection. Not the right approach.”
Saying I was a friend seemed weak. I had another idea, but would she think I was using it as an excuse to push? What the hell. I was going to suggest it anyway.
“How about we say I’m your fiancé? That gives me an interest in your business and a reason to be with you.”
“I…” She stopped herself, her face going pale.
“It’ll only mean what you want it to mean,” I promised. “And we can drop the whole idea if it makes you uncomfortable.” Even though I’d love to be able to call her my fiancée again.
“I guess that could work,” she said slowly.
“Good.” I controlled my urge to smile. “Let me help you clean up.” Our empty plates sat on the table, ignored while we made plans. I gathered them up and headed for the sink.
“Wash or dry?” I asked, turning on the water and filling the sink.
“Dishwasher,” she said, bumping her hip against the appliance, which had the effect of drawing my attention to her body again. “Just rinse.”
“Got it.” We took care of the dishes and wiped the counters in comfortable silence interrupted only by a gurgle coming from the baby monitor.
“Will he wake up?” I glanced at the machine in concern.
“Probably not.” She paused and listened. After a minute, all was peaceful. “He’s a sound sleeper once he’s out. He really is a great kid.”
“I can see that.” Austin was awesome, fun, and happy. “It’s probably because he has you for a mom.”
She laughed. “He got some good DNA from you, too.”
I shrugged off her compliment, not convinced that my genetic makeup was worth that much. My brothers and I were improving the family stock, but we were starting from a pretty low standard to begin with.
“I better go so you can get some sleep.” Her house was lights out by ten, I’d noted, but Austin’s bedroom light came back on by six in the morning.
“Thanks for having dinner with me,” she said as she walked me to the door. “It was nice.”
“It was.” My hand was on the doorknob, the metal cool under my fingers. Leaving was the last thing I wanted to do. I wanted to kiss her like I used to when we were wild about each other and when I’d thought nothing could ever change that. I didn’t think she’d go for a passionate kiss, but she was lingering at the door with me. Maybe…
I leaned toward her slowly, waiting to see if she’d back away. She didn’t. In fact, she leaned in a little, giving me the green light I needed to brush my lips against hers in a soft kiss, giving us both a reminder of what could be. “Good night,” I said and left before my self-control snapped. I’d told her we could go at whatever pace she wanted. I just hoped to hell that she wanted me even a fraction as much as I still wanted her.
I pulled away from the curb in front of her house, circled the block, and took up the position I’d held for the past nights to watch over her and Austin.