“So you’re telling me the whole wounded-pride thing is probably a bit of macho craziness?” Sam suggested.
Noah shrugged. “Pretty much. There are plenty of times when Jackson’s falling asleep on my chest or when I try to coax him to say Da-Da and he almost gets it right, that I realize he and I are making our own memories. When he’s bigger, I’m the one who’ll teach him to put a worm on a hook and clean a fish. Trust me, Cait may not be squeamish when it comes to people, but she isn’t touching worms or the innards of a fish. Carrie’s not fond of that, either.”
“So I can create the guy memories with Bobby,” Sam concluded.
“You’re also his connection to his parents,” Noah said quietly. “Nobody else can fill that role.”
“He does have grandparents on his dad’s side. I’m encouraging them to be a part of his life.”
“But you grew up with his mom. Who else is there to tell him stories about what she was like as a little girl?”
“She was a pest,” Sam said emphatically, but fondly.
“Tell him that. I bet he’ll love hearing all about it.”
Just then Carrie joined them. “You two look awfully serious,” she said, then frowned at her brother-in-law. “You’re not interrogating him, are you?”
“Not at all,” Noah said at once. “I’ll leave that to my wife and Mick.”
Carrie rolled her eyes. “Exactly why I came over here,” she told Sam, “to lure you away before Cait or my grandfather find the time to question you about your intentions. I think a well-timed retreat is in order.”
Noah laughed. “Good luck with that,” he said, wandering off in search of his wife and son.
“You really want to go?” Sam asked Carrie.
“Don’t you? I’d think you’d be tired of being in the midst of this crowd after a few hours of speculative looks and probably way too many intrusive questions.”
“I’m up to it. I thought you’d probably want to spend more time with your sister. Isn’t she heading back to Baltimore this evening?”
“I’ve endured about as many of her pointed questions as I can handle for one day. I’ll be glad to see the last of her.”
Sam regarded her with shock. “You don’t mean that.”
Carrie chuckled. “Of course not. We’ll be on the phone at least twice tomorrow, but when we’re on the phone, I can always hang up if she gets too nosy. In person, I can’t get away.”
“Somebody ought to do a study of the dynamics of this family. It would probably make a great PhD dissertation.”
“I’ll mention that to Will,” she said, taking him seriously. “He’s still in touch with some of his psychology professors.” She took his hand. “Now let’s scoot while we can.”
Sam looked into her eyes. “Did you have something in mind for the rest of the day?”
“A quiet walk along Shore Road, then some ice cream,” she said, much to his disappointment.
“Sounds good,” he said, trying to muster up some enthusiasm when his mind had already wandered to much more enjoyable pursuits.
Carrie tucked an arm through his and gave him a knowing look. “I’m thinking all this activity here, plus the sugar from an ice-cream cone will have Bobby down for the count in an hour.”
“Ah,” Sam said, understanding at last. “And then?”
“I bet if we use our imaginations, we’ll be able to think of something.”
“Already on it,” Sam said. In fact, he was several wicked steps ahead.
Carrie obviously knew kids pretty darn well, Sam concluded as he tucked Bobby into bed five minutes after they returned home after eating ice cream. Bobby barely mustered up a mild protest at the early hour.
“Told you,” Carrie said, smiling up at him when he joined her on the deck out back.
She’d opened a bottle of red wine and poured two glasses. When he picked his up, she tapped hers to it. “Cheers!”
Sam held her gaze. “It was a good day, wasn’t it?”
She nodded. “It felt right somehow, you and Bobby being there with me.”
Sam drew in a deep breath, then admitted, “It felt that way to me, too. The last time I was there it was a little intimidating.”
“O’Briens, cumulatively anyway, can be a scary bunch. They’ve been known to terrify me from time to time. One-on-one, though, they’re just family.” She gave him a long look. “I think they’re all wondering how long it’s going to be before you’re a part of the family.” When Sam opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand. “Let them wonder, Sam. That’s on them. You and I have agreed we’re taking one step at a time.”