Operation Bailey Babies: A Bailey Series Novella

by Piper Rayne

“Kiss me.”

  I lean in and kiss my future wife. Along with a few other things while the rest of my family is busy organizing the baby shower.

  Nine

  Juno

  Kingston arrives late, but he’s got all the blue balloons already blown up. What I’m more surprised to see is Selene from the Cozy Cottage Bed and Breakfast climbing down from his truck. I’d started to wonder if she was coming at all since most of the other townies have already arrived.

  I meet him and grab a bundle of the balloons. “Hi, Selene.”

  “Juno, you look beautiful,” she says.

  “You too,” I say.

  She walks up the gravel walkway and through the hangar doors.

  “Why are you bringing Selene to the party?”

  Kingston is like the rest of my brothers—he’ll never decline a favor someone asks of him. Which is wonderful, but if he’s in communication with Selene, I worry that he could get sucked into all things Stella again. That would be about as good for him as if his hobby was snake charming.

  “Her car wouldn’t start, conked out. Found her on the side of the road,” he says.

  “Oh. And what did you talk about on the way over?”

  He blows out an annoyed breath. “Give me a break, okay? We both kept Stella out of the conversation. Ever since Colton got engaged, you’ve been…”

  He lets his words trail off, because he’d never say I’m being a bitch.

  I am.

  I’m fully aware of it. Since Kingston has lived with me for years, I wouldn’t be completely offended if he did call me out on it. All of my family members are shying away from asking me anything about Colton and his future wife.

  “I know, okay? But all you had to do was pick up some blue balloons. I had to plan this entire thing.”

  Kingston puts his arm around my shoulders. “Hey, do you want to talk?”

  I shake my head. “Thanks, but it’s done. There’s nothing I can do to change it.”

  He stops me before walking into the hangar, nudging me off to the side. “Do you honestly think if you told Colton you feel more than friendship for him that he’d still marry her?”

  I shrug.

  “Juno, the man loves you. He’s crazy about you, always has been. But you pushed him into the friend zone for so long.”

  “Exactly. I can’t very well screw up his entire life now because I think I might like him more than a friend. What if it’s only because he’s taken?”

  Kingston blows out a breath. He’s annoyed. Probably because when Kingston sees something he wants, he goes for it. He doesn’t let fear handicap him like I do. He almost tore his friendship with Owen apart to get Stella. I’m not built like him, and I don’t think he understands why not.

  “It isn’t because he’s taken.” He says it like, open your eyes, Juno.

  I shrug and frown. “It could be. We’ve been friends forever. Maybe I’m just afraid that our friendship will change now that he has someone in his life.”

  My brother shakes his head. “If you’re not going to say anything, then I suggest you suck it up because he just pulled in with her.”

  My heart shrivels a bit and sinks to the depths of my stomach.

  “I’ll manage just fine,” I say and detour into the hangar without looking back.

  “What’s up, Colt?” Kingston says behind me—purposely being loud, I imagine.

  “Finally the blue ones.” Sedona takes them from my hands. “Brooklyn has yet to arrive.”

  I hand them off and beeline it toward the bar. I’m going to need something to take the edge off and get through this baby shower.

  Unfortunately, I run smack-dab into Grandma Dori.

  “Juno.”

  “Grandma,” I say, trying to weave around her.

  She grabs my upper arms. “How are you? You’ve been so depressed these last few months. I told you I could help you at work. You don’t even have to pay me.”

  “I’m good. I don’t have a lot of clients right now anyway.”

  Truth is, my matchmaking business is dying a slow death. That’s what happens when you stop believing in true love. Not that I’m in love with Colton. I’m definitely not. It’s just a jealousy thing because he spends so much time with her.

  “Then it’s perfect.”

  My eyes zero in on the bar. I need a drink so badly. Something to numb this anxiety. “What’s perfect?”

  “Everyone always thinks young people need to find love, but the older generation needs love too. We’re not dead yet.”

  My stomach clenches. “Grandma, are you telling me you want me to fix you up?”

  She smacks my arm rather hard. “Juno Iris Bailey, I would never disrespect your grandfather like that.”

  “I wouldn’t say it’s disrespecting. You’d just be having a companion for—” I stop talking because from the look on her face, she might just haul off and smack me.

  “Not me! Ethel and a few other ladies at game night. We were going to do a mixed game night, but it’s hard to find men as you get older. They die too young.”

  I nod. “Are you expecting me to come to Northern Lights Retirement Home and do a rendition of The Dating Game?”

  Her eyes light up. She’s got to be kidding me.

  “Perfect. Oh, they’d love it. I’ll talk with Carolyn and we’ll plan what night.”

  Carolyn is the events planner at Northern Lights. I’ll need to get to her first so that her schedule is packed and she can’t fit me in.

  But for Grandma Dori, I nod. “Okay, then we can talk logistics.”

  “We went antiquing in Greywall the other day. Ethel saw a man doing that tai chi stuff. She was very enamored with him. Maybe you could find him and bring him along.”

  I stare at her for a moment. She’s serious. Of course she is. “Sure thing. I’ll go to Greywall and wait for some man to come to the park and do tai chi. Then I’ll convince him to get in a car with me to play The Dating Game at a retirement community.”

  She scowls at my sarcasm. “You know, I love you, but I don’t like you right now. I’m trying to help you.” She walks away, mumbling to herself about me being her toughest case.

  Whatever. The last thing I need is her getting even more involved in my life.

  I mindlessly walk toward the bar until I look up to find Colton and Brigitte. She couldn’t be more different than me physically. She’s tall and rail-thin with long dark hair that’s usually pulled into a ponytail. I’m short, curvy, and known around Lake Starlight as the adopted Bailey because I look like none of them. Truth is, I resemble Holly more than Austin.

  “Juno!” Colton spots me before I can get lost in the crowd again.

  I smack on my best smile, but Colton’s lips dip into a frown. He knows me way too well.

  “Hey,” I say.

  “Can I get you a drink?” Colton asks.

  Brigitte turns around with the drink Colton must’ve already gotten her. “Juno,” she says sweetly with her beautiful French accent. “So good to see you.”

  Brigitte places her hands on my shoulders and bends to kiss each of my cheeks. I go along with the dramatic hello.

  “You too.” I force a smile.

  When the bartender hands Colton his beer, Colton stops the bartender from moving to the next customer. “I need a—” he stops and looks at me. “What’s the drink today?”

  Brigitte looks back and forth between us. It’s not an inside joke. Everyone in my family knows I’m not a usual kind of girl when it comes to drinks.

  “I’m really into flavored vodkas right now,” I say.

  Colton smiles, his perfectly white teeth practically glowing.

  “Get her a strawberry lemonade. Strawberry vodka with lemonade. Three-fourths ratio vodka,” a deep voice says before a large arm wraps around my shoulders.

  Colton’s nostrils flare.

  I look to my side. “Trey Galger. What are you doing here?” I ask with a smile.

  This is about to get even more unco
mfortable. Quick.

  “No hug?” Trey asks me.

  My throat coats with dryness and I raise up on my tiptoes to hug him.

  He swings me around before placing my feet back on the floor. “I’m here with Thorne, working on a new artist. Lucky you, we didn’t get enough done, so I’m spending the night.” He winks one of his sparkling blue eyes.

  I ignore his innuendo. “Well, lucky you, you get to be at a baby shower. Yippee.”

  “Here you go, Juno.” Colton sets my drink in front of me. “I’m Colton.” He puts his hand out between us.

  “Nice to meet you. I think I met you before.” Trey bobs his head side to side as though he’s trying to remember.

  “And this is his fiancée, Brigitte. She’s from Paris,” I say.

  Trey’s eyes fall over her and I’m fairly sure he’s actively trying to keep his jaw off the floor and the drool in his mouth. “Hey.”

  They shake hands too, but it’s more Brigitte putting her hand in his, all dainty and feminine. We all stand in a small circle in silence. I tip my cup to my lips and gulp.

  “Whoa, killer.” Trey puts his hand on my drink.

  “I was thirsty. I’ve been here all day. Which actually, I need to go check on… my sister.”

  I leave the group before anyone can object. Savannah is talking with Bailey Timber people, so I stop at Rome and Harley, who both look at me as though I’m interrupting their conversation.

  Okay, I kind of am.

  “Continue talking. I just needed to escape,” I say.

  Harley looks over my shoulder as her hand runs down my arm. God, I’m so sick of the pitying looks everyone is giving me these days.

  I can tell by the way Rome is staring at me that I’m not welcome in their conversation, so I make an excuse about how I’m going to go check whether Brooklyn has arrived yet. I walk to the other side of the hangar and open the door to peek out in the parking lot, and lo and behold, Wyatt’s pulling in. We’re a half hour into this party, but at least now all the guests of honor have arrived. The sooner we start this thing, the sooner we can all go home.

  Wyatt blows out a breath as he steps down from his fancy truck and rounds the front to open the door for Brooklyn.

  I wait patiently as he helps her climb down. “Ridiculous. You have millions of dollars and I have to worry every time I climb in and out of your truck whether I’m going to fall forward and injure our baby.”

  Wyatt says nothing, but his hands clench at his sides.

  “How’s it going, you two?” I ask.

  “Ugh, don’t even ask,” Brooklyn says, stopping and hugging me when she comes through the door. “It’s beautiful. Thank you for organizing everything.”

  “I’m kind of hoping for early delivery,” Wyatt whispers as he passes me. “Bar over there?” He points and sets off, a man on a mission.

  I feel you, bro.

  “Don’t go getting drunk. If my water breaks, I don’t need a drunk dad to take care of too,” Brooklyn calls after him.

  I cringe as heads turn. Wyatt raises his hand and keeps walking.

  “So how’s the pregnancy?” I ask.

  “I know I’m being bitchy, okay?”

  Looks like we’re two peas in a pod, except I get to drink.

  Thank God for that. I bring my cup to my mouth and toss back the rest of the contents. A few more of these and I should be good.

  Ten

  Calista

  Mommy and Daddy are talking in the corner with no smiles. No smiles means it’s something serious.

  I ditch Grandma Dori and step closer.

  “Why would you ever think…” Daddy says.

  “I locked myself in the bathroom and…” Mommy’s shoulders rise and fall. I can’t hear her, so I lean toward them.

  Then Daddy smiles. A big smile like when he comes home from work and we all run at him.

  “Calista”—Dion grabs my sleeve—“Uncle Denver said we can play a game.”

  I shrug him off and push him away.

  Daddy hugs Mommy then places his hand on her belly.

  I know what that means.

  “No!” I stomp over to them.

  “Calista, what’s wrong?” Mommy asks.

  “No!” I repeat.

  Daddy lowers down to my height. “Did something happen?”

  “Why did you put your hand on Mommy’s belly?” I ask, my hands on my hips.

  Daddy looks up at Mommy. “I was just hugging Mommy.”

  “No. You put your hand on her stomach like you did when Phoebe was in there.”

  Daddy looks at Mommy. They both look around the room.

  “It’s a secret. Can you keep a secret?” he asks me.

  I nod. It better be something other than another Phoebe in there. She cries too much.

  Mommy bends down too, and they pull me into a circle. Only us three. My favorite always.

  “You’re going to be a big sister,” Daddy says.

  “I’m already a big sister,” I say.

  “Yes, but there’s another baby in Mommy’s stomach. You’re going to be a big sister again,” Daddy says.

  I get really hot and my lips get kind of tight. “A baby!”

  Daddy and Mommy’s smiles disappear, and Daddy pulls me in tighter.

  “Lower your voice,” he says, using that mean voice.

  “What was that, Calista?” Uncle Austin asks. He and Aunt Holly walk over.

  “Mommy’s having a baby. Again!” I yell and stomp my foot.

  “Shut up?” Aunt Holly says. “Really?”

  Why does she look happy? Doesn’t she know this is awful?

  Mommy’s cheeks turn red. “Go figure. You’re ready to pop and now I get pregnant. I’m destined to always be pregnant alone.”

  Aunt Holly laughs and hugs Mommy. I roll my eyes.

  “Man, we’ll never catch up,” Uncle Austin says to Daddy, and they do something with their hands before hugging.

  All the rest of our family comes over and hugs Mommy and Daddy, saying things to me like, “don’t you love being a big sister” or “is there a three-peat big sister shirt.”

  I’m surrounded by a big circle of people and I cross my arms. “I don’t want to be a big sister again.”

  Everyone looks at me, all laughing and smiling. Did they not hear me?

  “Yeah, I get what she’s saying,” Uncle Austin says, patting me on the head.

  “I never wanted Brooklyn,” Aunt Savannah says.

  Daddy raises his hand. “I wanted Kingston!”

  “So did I,” Uncle Denver says.

  “A little brother to beat up on,” they say together.

  “Oh, you could have twins!” Aunt Phoenix says.

  Mommy puts her hand on her stomach and smiles at Daddy. Like two babies would be a good thing. That would be the worst thing ever!

  I stomp on Aunt Phoenix’s foot.

  “Ouch!” She looks down at me.

  It’s like the domino game Daddy tried to teach me, but Dion kept knocking it over. One by one, everyone looks at me and no one is smiling.

  Daddy reaches into the circle and pulls me out of the middle.

  “Don’t be too hard on her, Rome, she’s just speaking her mind. Nothing wrong with that,” Aunt Phoenix yells, but Daddy’s leading us out of the party to the outside.

  Mommy follows us. When Daddy stops, he bends back down so his eyes can look at mine.

  “Calista, why would you do that to Aunt Phoenix?” Mommy asks because Daddy keeps shaking his head.

  “Who wants to bob for nipples?” Uncle Denver yells from inside.

  Mommy and Daddy ignore him.

  “I don’t want to share,” I mumble.

  Mommy and Daddy look at one another again.

  “I know it’s hard being the oldest—” Daddy says.

  “No, you don’t. You aren’t the oldest. I miss everything. Last week when we went to the zoo, I wanted to see the polar bears you promised after lunch, but then Phoebe whined and th
rew up and we left.”

  Daddy sits on the ground and puts me into his lap. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

  I lay my head on his shoulder and Mommy puts her fingers through my hair. She used to put it in curls with braids and ponytails. Now she tells me I’m big enough to brush it myself.

  “How about we go to the zoo, just us three, next weekend?” Mommy says.

  “Really?”

  She nods. “We’ll get a babysitter for Dion and Phoebe.”

  Daddy smiles at me. “Good?”

  I nod.

  “And me and Mommy will make sure to make time for all of you separately, but you can’t stomp on someone’s foot just because you didn’t like what they said. You have to apologize to Aunt Phoenix.”

  “Okay.” I frown. I hate when I have to tell people sorry.

  “And I do hope you love this baby,” Mommy says. “I have no idea what it’s like to be the oldest in a family, but I do know what it’s like to not have a sibling. It’s very lonely. I bet if you think really hard, you can probably think of a time you were happy to have Dion.”

  I shrug.

  “Like the other day when Dion played Barbies with you,” Daddy says.

  “Or how about when Mommy taught you how to put a ponytail in Phoebe’s hair? Phoebe was so happy, she hugged you and said you were the best sister,” Mommy says.

  “We don’t know she said that,” I say. No one understands Phoebe.

  “She did. Your smile was pretty big,” Mommy says.

  I smile too, remembering.

  “Don’t forget that being a big sister can be a good thing.” Daddy kisses the top of my head. “We love you. Remember you can always come to us.”

  “Always,” Mommy says, moving closer and putting her arm around Daddy and me.

  “Love you too,” I grumble.

  “Now go and enjoy the party,” Daddy says.

  I stand from his lap and run, but I stop right before the door and turn. Daddy and Mommy are kissing.

  Aunt Phoenix is talking with Uncle Griffin when I come up to her.

  “I’m sorry, Aunt Phoenix,” I say.

  She bends down to my level like everyone else and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Thanks for the apology, but I totally get it. Siblings are hard sometimes, but believe me, you’ll be thankful when you’re older.”