When she’d mentioned Violet’s offhand comment about needing a supplier for the baby slings, they hadn’t pointed out all the reasons she shouldn’t do it. They’d encouraged her to think outside the box. She looked down at Whit and smiled and then kissed his forehead as she closed her nursing bra and adjusted her top with one hand.
“You have dimples just like your father, did you know that? No? Oh yes, you do.” He gave her a soft baby chortle in response, and she turned off the light and grabbed her purse and his diaper bag.
Her maternity leave would end the week before Christmas—only a few days away. Leah had offered to wait to put her back on the schedule until January, but it was a fact of life that she needed to get back to work and replenish her emergency fund. She also didn’t want her cousin Willie accusing Leah of favoritism toward her sister.
The thought of putting Whit in daycare made her anxious, even if it was in-home daycare at the home of someone she’d known most of her life. She wanted to be the one taking care of her baby, but she knew that dream was unreasonable, at least in her current position. That was something she planned to change, or at least try. So she was off to San Antonio that morning to see about purchasing a barely used industrial sewing machine.
Her Uncle Marvin caught her in the hallway as she exited her apartment and said, “The boys were looking for you this morning.”
Presley Ann smiled. She knew exactly who Marvin meant when he referred to the boys. “Did they say what they wanted?”
“Nope. I told them I’d heard you rushing around upstairs, getting ready to go. All they said was that they’d be watching for you and to not leave until you see them.”
“Okay. Say bye to Uncle Marvin, Whit,” she murmured to the baby as he peered out of his cozy little spot in the sling she’d donned that morning. His dimple popped out when Marvin made a growly sound at him and tickled his chin.
“That boy is cuter every day. Takes after you, sweetie.”
Presley Ann smiled, but she didn’t see the resemblance at all. People had mentioned that he took after her, but when she looked at her son, all she could see was his resemblance to his father.
Marvin held the door open for her and kept a protective hand around her arm as she stepped out onto the concrete in case there was ice. “Now you be careful on those roads, sweetie.”
She nodded, wishing that she’d had time to take her smartphone, which had died the day before, by the place she’d bought it at. It was under warranty and she needed a replacement, but they wouldn’t open until after she had to be on the road to San Antonio.
“Brrr,” she said to Whit as she went around the side of the building where her car was running and now nicely warmed up. Footsteps on the gravel alerted her as she stowed her bags in the passenger seat and her heart lurched a little as she looked up at Kendry’s handsome face. “Hi.”
“Hi, kitten. Jared’s worried about you driving that far without a phone. He wants you to take his with you, just in case.”
“That’s not necessary, Kendry. I could make that trip in my sleep.”
Kendry shuddered and said, “I’ve seen you sleep-deprived. Recently. Don’t even think stuff like that. I’ll be worried as it is.” He held out a smartphone to her. “It’s fully charged. Keep it handy.” He leveled an expectant gaze on her and she giggled.
“Yes, sir,” she quipped, adding a cheeky salute.
“Keep an eye on the time. I don’t want you driving after dark.”
She snorted as she lifted Whit from the sling and strapped him securely into his car seat and bundled a blanket around him. “Don’t worry, Mister Bossy. I don’t want to have Whit out that late any more than you do. We have a schedule to adhere to.”
“There’s nasty weather coming tomorrow and it could rain today. In conditions like that, an inconvenient situation can become dangerous in a heartbeat. Keep the phone with you and I’ll worry less. We’ll worry less,” he said, gesturing over his shoulder toward the firehouse where she could see Jared working in one of the truck bays. Jared paused, looked over, and waved at her, his gaze serious as usual. Kendry moved closer to her and she could sense his body heat as he stroked the tip of her nose. “We care about you. I care about you.”
Over the last several weeks, she’d maintained a boundary with Kendry and Jared that they respected and hadn’t questioned. When they said things like that, she reminded them she was a new mom and they just smiled and nodded. But lately, she’d found herself returning their touches and allowing herself to be more vulnerable in front of them.