His words held a not-so-hidden message. When she chewed her lip, Arnie knew she was considering what he meant by pointing out the baby’s parents were rich, and this was exactly why she needed to find her way and feel comfortable with what life could be like.
“My boobs ache,” she mumbled.
He was startled by the sudden change of subject.
Summer looked at the baby. “I’m surprised she’s not complaining.”
“Maybe she knows Mommy and Daddy have to talk.”
He had the wheel and continued to move them forward. “While you nurse her, how about I help pack your clothes? Do you have suitcases?”
“Not really.” She shook her head. “Just one.”
“Watch this,” he told her with a cocky smirk. Putting two fingers in his mouth, he sent out a shrill whistle. Five seconds later, Stan came bounding through the door like an eager puppy with one paw in a sling.
“What’s up, guys?”
“We need some suitcases. Several sets and quickly. Make it happen.” He issued his demand and turned to wink at Summer. “Master Troubleshooter.”
Stan laughed. “Having money to throw around makes it fun.”
Arnie watched Summer carefully. She was still wobbly but wasn’t quite as close to the ledge. He didn’t care for her washed-out pallor, though. He knew what it was like to force his feet to keep moving—mind over matter.
Ari squeaked. She made the cutest noises. He went to the playpen and smiled down at her.
Chuckling quietly, he quipped to an observant Summer, “I guess learning her schedule is a good idea, huh?”
“Things are a bit off right now. The past couple of days have taken a toll.”
She was referring to herself. It was on him to fix things.
“Okeydoke, kids, you’re all set. Three complete sets. Caribbean Blue,” Stan said while looking at Summer. “Everything rolls, spins, and holds plenty. Samsonite. This guy right here,” he told her after swiftly punching him in the arm, “will hook you and my niece up with designer crap once everything settles down.”
He asked, “When will it be here, or do you have to go pick it up?”
Stan looked at him and let loose with a smirky snort. “Dude, this is LA. I can get anything delivered.” He consulted his watch. “An hour tops, depending on traffic.”
Arnie glanced at Summer. She less than enthusiastically lifted a shoulder. “I can make it work.”
Thumping Stan on the shoulder, he drawled, “Thanks. Now get out.”
“How rude.” His brother cackled.
Surprising the holy shit out of him and judging by her reaction, Summer too, Stan bent to quickly kiss Summer’s cheek. “If Sir Lord of the Manor gives you trouble, call me, and I’ll take care of it.” He straightened and gave Arnie a ten-thousand-watt shit-eating grin. “She has my number.”
Summer’s amused snort pretty much summed up the gotcha moment.
He’d had enough and strong-arm marched Stan from the guesthouse. “Clear everyone out,” he demanded. “Go on over to the renovation house and give Summer some space.”
In a hushed voice only he could hear, Stan said, “Understood. I’ll keep everyone away. Um, I think Dottie said King was handling LAPD.”
Relief swept through him. Good. With King and Dottie running interference, he could stand down and concentrate on his family.
He nodded. “One more thing. Get me a car. Oh, and food.” Summer’s fuel tank had to be running on empty, and he knew what a handful she was when hunger overtook her.
“Order everything you think of. Ask Dottie to help. I need to focus on my girls.”
My girls. It was the first time he framed things that way.
Stan smiled. He might have even teared up.
“Fuck,” Arnie grumbled. “I suck as a brother. I haven’t even asked how you’re doing.” He gave the sling a baleful glare. “How bad is it?”
“They offered narcotics for the pain. The good stuff, too. I politely declined.” Stan smiled awkwardly. He looked a tad embarrassed. “Dad went with me to a meeting straight from the hospital. Try to imagine me sharing how my demented mother put a bullet in my shoulder while trying to kidnap my brother’s kid. I mean, come on! Isn’t anyone writing a screenplay about this? Privilege Incorporated or How to Put the D in Dysfunction.”
Their laughter had a bitter ring.
“Oh, and by the way, you fucker.”
Arnie blinked, taken aback, and gave Stan a “What did I do?” face.
“Next time, warn me before dropping Aliyah Hawkins into the mix. Jesus Christ, Arnie. She marched into the hospital and totally took over the emergency room. It was so funny that Dad and I had to bite our tongues.”
He snickered. “Who was she this time?”
“Tough lady hard-ass in a dark blue power suit. She gave off a Secret Service vibe, looked down her nose at everyone, and barked orders. It was so fucking hilarious the gunshot was almost worth it.”
“It’s always best to let the pros handle the dicey stuff. Gunshot wounds especially. She’ll make sure the report gets handled properly.”
“One more thing before I forget. There’s a Jimmy Olsen character sniffing around. Local reporter, one of those hungry-for-a-headline types with a police scanner and a case of Red Bull in the trunk of his car. He was part of the press gaggle last night.”
“Name?”
“Douglas P. Shitforbrains?”
Stan didn’t care for reporters. One of the guys featured in his ex-wife’s porn performance was a writer for an adult magazine. He liked to post videos under the “big cock destroys ass” category.
Arnie laughed. “I think I know him.” They fist-bumped.
“Anyway, he’s going to be a pest.”
“What the hell for? There’s no story here.”
“Unfortunately, there is. My mother didn’t do things by half. Gloria Dinkins might turn out to be the lynchpin of an aggressive trafficking organization preying on single moms. When they arrested her, an overabundance of aliases came up. The equipment they used and how prepared she was to take custody of an infant weren’t a fluke.”
“Jesus,” Arnie muttered.
“Exactly, bro. And it gets better. The reporter is investigating the trafficking situation and smells a juicy story.”
Juicy stories and meddling press were best left to Dottie. Or King.
“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll talk to King and see how he wants to handle it.”
Stan motioned with his head, wearing a worried frown on his face. “Is she hanging in there?”
He sighed. “It’s minute by minute.”
They looked at each other, and then Stan wandered away to gather everyone and move them out.
Shutting the guesthouse back door, he turned his full attention on Summer.
Pink bunnies. Snow falling on a stream of moving water. The rainbow special effects of sunlight bouncing off a crystal. These were the things she forced her overtaxed brain to concentrate on. Anything was better than the feeling of falling apart.
Ari scooched in her swaddle. She was getting agitated. The sounds she made triggered Summer’s mommy hormones, and bam, her boobs leaked.
Of course.
She took advantage of Arnie’s diverted attention. He and Stan were whispering at the back door.
Rising, she headed for the bathroom to change into something more nursing friendly. The first thing she found after yanking on a drawer was a loose long-sleeve top with a faux wrap appearance. Perfect for exposing her breasts one at a time.
Finger combing her wavy hair, she pulled it all into a ponytail and secured it with an elastic from the basket on the back of the toilet.
Arnie was closing the door when she went back to the living room. He watched her closely.
Not sure what to do or how to act, she shrugged and went about business as usual.
“Come here, sweetie. Let’s get you changed, hmm?”
She lifted Ari from the playpen and cradled he
r. They locked eyes. The baby let out a long, “Goooo.”
Something was different in her expression. She noticed it after Ari and her daddy had their first face-to-face moment. Her blue eyes always twinkled, but now there was an extra sparkle.
Could the peace and serenity coming from her daughter be chalked up to the three of them finally being together?
Standing in the shadow of Arnie’s big, solid, and mostly silent presence, she felt her heart peek inside a hidden box marked family. What she found there put tears in her eyes.
This man and this baby were her everything.
She needed a deep breath before her feet would move. Arnie followed close as she headed into the bedroom. His boyish eagerness was so adorably sweet that she mentally surrendered her panties with no problem.
“Open the curtains, okay?” She motioned with a tilt of her head, and he scrambled around the bed to part the drapes and flood the room with light.
“What else can I do?”
“Listen and learn,” she mumbled, lowering the baby onto her changing table. “This is called a swaddle,” she explained.
“Oh, I know,” he proudly exclaimed. “Did the research.”
She stared at him with amazement. “You did?”
“Yeah.” He laughed. “When you left me to figure out how to change a baby, I googled that shit.”
Her snort of surprise made the baby wiggle and coo. Ari responded to her mommy’s moods.
“Wrapping the baby snugly calms their heart rate. It’s a form of security.”
She added, “Babies startle easily. The swaddle helps ease the disturbance.”
With Daddy standing guard at the foot of the changing table, Summer went through the unwrapping ritual. Humming softly, she smiled and deftly loosened the blanket until Ari’s delightfully chubby body was revealed. As usual, her daughter immediately lengthened, spreading her arms and wriggling. She pushed her butt out and arched her back.
“God,” Arnie murmured. “I can feel her stretching.”
“You’re bonding with her. I’m glad.”
He leaned over and caught Ari’s gaze. “Are you going to take after Mommy and be a gymnast?”
“Goooo,” the baby replied.
With the efficiency developed after months of going it alone, Summer babbled nonstop while doing a quick baby refresh.
“She needs a bath, but my boobs are leaking, so water play has to wait.”
His expression was priceless. “Did you just say your boobs are leaking?”
Shaking her head at him as if he was too stupid for words, she lifted Ari, and using a nursing pillow for support, she got them both settled in the glider.
Ever watchful, Arnie dropped to his knees.
“Pull the ottoman over and sit here,” she murmured and indicated where he should park himself.
For half an hour, she rocked, hummed, and feathered her fingers on Ari’s sweet little head as the baby nursed. Arnie continued to be mesmerized. He hung close, watched everything, and asked the occasional question.
What did it feel like?
How did she know when her milk was gone?
Did she like nursing?
This was what she craved—what was missing. Their connection. It was unique and explained why she’d practically documented every day of Arianne’s life. She wanted Arnie to be a part of things—to be her partner through thick and thin and feel the weight of fatherhood.
“What’s it feel like?” she asked with a half-smirk.
He nodded enthusiastically. His eyes sparkled with interest.
“Well, you know when you reach the top of the Ferris wheel and then drop down the other side? It’s a little like that. There’s science involved. Biology and whatnot. Chemicals are released. Pleasure endorphins. Do you need me to get more technical?”
His head shook.
“That’s the upside.” She chuckled. “The downside is painful nipples. I want to wean her to the bottle, but so far, she’s been rather opinionated.”
“I’m glad she dragged her feet. Gives me a chance to, well, you know.”
Lingering in a bubble of contentment long after Ari finished nursing, they took their time leaving the bedroom.
Lined up along the wall in the kitchen were a dozen blue suitcases of various sizes. Several sticky notes from her basket overflowing with markers and stuff were stuck on the wall.
Arnie checked them out one at a time.
“Stan has food coming,” he said, waving the first one in the air.
Her stomach rumbled on cue.
“Uh, let’s see,” he muttered. “This one is written in Dottie’s hieroglyphics. I believe it says King has arrived.” He looked at her and smiled. “This is a good thing, babe. It means we’re off the hook. He’ll handle the police and everything else.”
She couldn’t help her grimace. The idea of meeting someone else in Arnie’s orbit just reminded her how quickly his big world swallowed her small pitiful one.
“Okay, and this one is from my dad. He’s taking the Gerrys to lunch, and if I know him at all, he’ll be extending an invitation to visit the Big Island and tour his organic growing operation.”
“Excuse me?” Was he talking about Hawaii?
“Yeah, remember? I told you this, didn’t I? Ned runs a food plantation. It’s nothing too big, but he does organic vegetables, herbs, edible flowers, stuff like that. He contracts with the local restaurants and knows what their chefs want. And he does a farm stand for the tourists.”
If he told her this before, she hadn’t retained it.
“And your grandfather, Darnell Senior, he’s got the flower farm in Montecito, right?”
“Correct. You’ll love it. After he meets you, I’m pretty sure he’ll start a sunflower field.”
His life. Was. So. Big.
She looked at Ari and kissed her nose. Arnie was on top of her in a heartbeat.
“You’re exhausted. This has been a lot. Come on, let’s get you comfy and then I’ll call Stan and find out when the food is coming.”
She didn’t put up a fight. As a matter of fact, she just sat back and let whatever was going to happen, happen.
35
He was buying Dottie a thank-you Mercedes the minute he was back in New York. What she pulled off in Summer’s suite at The Peninsula was impressive and showed her attention to detail. Not only was a crib and changing table in the bedroom but also a glider exactly like Summer’s.
They made it to the hotel during the dinner hour. While Summer unpacked and got settled, he worked the phone and arranged for room service. The kitchen was fully stocked, but he didn’t want her to do anything more strenuous than open a can of soda.
“This is lovely,” she told him in a soft voice when he joined her on the private terrace.
Flickering candles in hurricane lamps and table holders gave the space a tranquil vibe. Dark blue sky and glimpses of the LA skyline were visible through the privacy landscaping.
Gently nudging her, he asked, “An improvement on Motel 6?”
“I’m not used to such luxury.”
“Luxury is window dressing. It’s only eye candy.”
“This is a good look for you.” She eyed him up and down critically. “Are you comfortable?”
“Are you kidding? This baby sling wrap thing is fantastic. All it needs is my logo.”
“Your logo?”
There was no saving the cocky grin on his face. “Magnum Sherpa Services.”
It took a year and more shit than any person should have to deal with, but when his sunshine girl snorted loudly and then broke into giggles, he noted the time. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but she was thawing.
“I don’t share,” she shot back with a sniff.
Arnie knew the sniff. Any man worthy of his balls knew the sniff. And he knew all sniffs are not equal. The NIGHTWIND ladies—including wives—gave great sniff. Summer was going to fit in just fine.
“Confession.” He offered a dry look. She la
ughed in his face.
“Mr. Magnum only does exclusive. He’s not available for parties and cannot perform in front of an audience. As long as you take him out for some exercise now and then, we’re good.”
The baby tilted her head. He put a hand on her back, and when he glanced down, he saw the future looking back at him. She wanted siblings. He was startled by the clear, succinct way this call for more kids blared in his mind.
Mm-hmm. Did Arianne have special abilities? Considering they were her parents, he had to wonder.
A yawn from Summer reminded him she was on life support.
“Does the kitchen sink have a spray faucet? I brought the baby’s bath flower. She likes a waterfall.”
“Is she like you, Summer? A water baby?”
Her face brightened. “Libra is an air sign. I looked it up. So is Gemini. Go figure, right? My dad loved fishing so maybe my love of water came from him and passed to her?” She shrugged.
“My mother was a swimmer. She had Olympic dreams.”
“Oh, Arnie!” She gasped and squeezed his forearm. “How wonderful!” Kissing Ari’s face, she cooed, “Kismet and DNA. Sounds about right for us.”
“You’re cold,” he announced with no proof to back up his statement. “Let’s go inside.”
Marching around with his daughter cuddled against his chest was the manliest thing he’d ever done. He wasn’t joking about the carrier sling’s coolness. Missing out on three months of Arianne’s life hurt like fucking hell. He had a lot of missed time to erase and planned to be very hands-on.
Hands-on dad and hands-on husband—fingers crossed on the second.
Tracking yawns like contractions, Arnie stayed on top of how close Summer was to a face-plant on the floor. She hung in, though. Mommying was her first priority, and he knew she wouldn’t stand down until the day was done, and Ari was ready for bed.
Summer disappeared into the bedroom to change into what she called her mommy uniform. He nattered on to Ari the whole time Mommy was gone, suggesting uniform possibilities. To his delight, this uniform consisted of stretchy leggings and a baggy, loose T-shirt knotted on one hip. Her hair was in a sloppy knot on top of her head, and she wore the bunny slippers he found so sexy.
Finding Summer (Nightwind Book 3) Page 64
