The Wright Brother(46)

Noah arrived from the medical center in record time. He took a quick look at his wife. “Looks like things are progressing quickly. Better safe than sorry, my love.”

“Get the bag,” Kimber said with a sigh. “I hoped that she’d wait until after Christmas. This is early.”

“She’s as stubborn as her mother. Comes and goes whenever she wants without consulting anyone at all,” I joked.

Kimber gave me a grim smile. “Can you watch Lilyanne for us? I hate to ask. I know that you have a date tonight.”

“Of course I can watch Lily. Don’t even think twice about it. Just make sure everything is all right with you and know that I have things under control here.”

Kimber kissed my cheek. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Text me if you need me!” I called as I watched them go.

I traipsed back into my room and dialed Jensen’s number. I knew he’d been planning our official date for a few days. He’d had a lot of business to catch up on, and I hadn’t seen him, except at church on Sunday morning. But we’d talked every night, and I thought it was progress, on our way to something normal.

“Hey, Emery,” he said when he answered the phone. “I was just about to leave my house.”

“Actually…”

“Oh no, are you canceling?”

“Not on purpose,” I assured him. “My sister went into labor, or maybe pseudo labor, and they’re heading to the hospital. I promised her I’d watch my niece. So, I guess we’ll have to cancel.”

“Hmm,” he said. “How about I come over there and help you babysit?”

“You…what? You want to help watch Lily?” I asked, confused.

“I’d still like to see you, and I like kids.”

“But it’s not our fancy dinner date…”

“Yes. But I haven’t seen you in days, and I’m not giving up the opportunity. Unless you don’t want me to be around your niece?”

“No, it’s not that. I’d love for you to come over. I bet Lilyanne would, too.”

“Great. Then, it’s a date.”

I pocketed my cell phone and hurried to Lily’s room. She was still playing peacefully when I entered. Kimber didn’t want Lily to know anything was wrong until they were sure she was in labor. She was certain that it would keep Lily up all night. So, it was up to me to entertain the munchkin until I had more substantial news.

“Hey, Lily Bug,” I said. “What are you up to?”

“Playing with Barbies.” She had a collection of them in various stages of dress on the floor.

“Well, I wanted to let you know that your mommy and daddy went to the doctor for a checkup, and I get to watch you tonight.”

“Is my new baby sister coming?” she asked with big excited eyes.

“Not yet. Just a checkup, but that means you get to hang out with Auntie Em tonight. You know what that means?”

Lily jumped up to her feet. “Ice cream and sprinkles and Disney movies!”

“That’s right, missy!”

I lifted her into my arms and carried her downstairs. We raided the freezer. I knew where Noah tried to hide all the good flavors of ice cream, and we took out every last carton to decide on what we wanted. I liked to make her a bowl of ice cream about the size of the one in Home Alone and then hand her off to my sister. Tonight, I’d have to deal with putting her to sleep, so I knew that a mountain of ice cream might not be the best bet.

I placed a couple of scoops of chocolate ice cream in her bowl and a mix of strawberry, vanilla, and strawberry cheesecake into mine. We fished through the toppings, drizzling chocolate fudge and sprinkles on our desserts, and then we carried our bowls out to the living room.

Lily was busy with perusing the movies when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it!” she cried. “Mommy, Daddy, is my new sister here?”

I laughed and followed her to the front door. “You know it’s not time yet. I have another surprise for you instead.”

Turning the doorknob, I opened it to reveal Jensen standing at the front door. My breath caught at the sight of him in jeans and a casual button-up. It had only been a few days, but I’d missed seeing that grin.

“My boyfriend!” Lily cried.

Jensen laughed. “Hey, Lilyanne. I heard you had a pretty awesome babysitter and thought I would drop by to hang out, too. How does that sound?”

“Yes! Where are my flowers?” Lilyanne asked.

I snorted. “Oh, boy!”

“Guess I should have seen that one coming,” Jensen said.

I stepped back to let him come in out of the cold. Lilyanne took his hand and guided him into the living room. She babbled the entire time about our ice cream creations and asked him what movie he wanted to watch and if she could paint his nails. I tried to conceal the laugh that was bubbling up, but it was there anyway. Yet Jensen didn’t seem in the least bit perturbed by her questions.