by Kay Lyons
"And miss waking up at four a.m. every morning?"
"I'm sure there would be times they'd happily accommodate you. Me, too," he said in a teasing tone. He hoped it wasn't too soon to flirt on a more personal level when they still, technically, hadn't had their official first date. The entire day had been spent laughing and teasing, holding hands, touching and shoulder bumping in G-rated PDAs. The tension between them ratcheted up with every heated glance.
"Excuse me?"
He held up his hands as though proclaiming his innocence. "After the way you gobbled down the ice cream we got last night, I thought you'd be game for four-a.m. ice cream runs."
"Hmm. Did you share those late-night runs with the nanny?"
"Not a one. I promise. The offer is specifically”—he lowered his voice—“for you."
"Why, I do declare you flatter me, Mr. Bale."
He smiled at her overly dramatic southern drawl. "I mean it. You're great with them, London, but I can't wait until we get them home so we can spend some time relaxing together."
"You know, you're good with them, too," she said, shooting him an encouraging glance. "They test you but they respond well to your authority. That's no small thing given all they've been through."
No, it wasn't. He'd noticed that as well. Had they always been so well-behaved? He couldn't really say since today was the first time he'd spent any length of quality time with them, but they hadn't acted out or fought like they did at home with Michelle watching over them. Maybe because they were having fun and too distracted to focus so much on each other?
"I have to go potty," Bella said in her little-girl voice.
Cooper froze in the act of latching down one of the stuffed animals he'd purchased for his niece. "Can you hold it?"
"Noooo, I have to go now."
Panic seized him and he glanced around the park. Due to the event, there were several policemen talking to parents and event coordinators, but Cooper couldn't help but feel like a creeper at the thought of taking a little girl that wasn't his kid into the bathroom, niece or not.
"I'll take her. Relax," London said, placing her hand on Cooper's arm. "You like you're about to jump off a cliff."
"It doesn't seem appropriate since I'm not her—"
"You are," London stated, cutting him off before he could finish the statement.
He stared into Bella's dark brown eyes and realized she was listening and London had protected the little girl from his words. He nodded at London and inhaled, squatting down in front of the stroller to unbuckle his niece.
"You go with London, sweetheart. Harry and I will wait here, okay?"
Bella nodded and took London's outstretched hand. Cooper watched as they hurried away, and in the act of waiting for them, reality set in. Maybe for the first time. He was the parent of two almost-four-year-olds, and that meant doing things like taking them to the bathroom. Situations like this would come up again and he had to be prepared. But what would he do if he was alone? Send Bella into the ladies’ room unaccompanied? Take both of them into the men's room? How did people do this? While he handled one kid, how did he keep an eye on the other?
What happened to his problems being what he wanted to do when he wasn't working? His next vacation?
He glanced at Harry and found the boy's head leaning to one side against the stroller wall, eyes closed. Just like that. No need for drugs when exhaustion kicked in. "We'll figure it out, eh, bud?” Somehow.
After a long wait in the mugginess of the day, London and Bella emerged from the rest area, and Cooper watched every step. Heads turned as London walked by, and he believed it had more to do with the utterly beautiful, happy appearance she made rather than being known as the owner of a local business. London was breathtaking, natural. Maternal.
He added that quality to those he required in a nanny and hoped the agency was prepared to send him their best candidates.
London settled Bella into her stroller, and once she was strapped in, he fell into step beside London as she pushed Bella toward home.
"Cooper, this thing with Dally—"
"It's not a thing," he said, cutting her off because, after a fairly good day, the last thing he wanted to discuss was his drunk of an old man.
"No, I get that it's more serious but… I'd like to know more. That's all I'm saying."
Cooper turned the corner, and as he pushed Harry’s stroller along the sidewalk, his mind traveled back to another time. Another place with carnival games and kids and parents. Dalton showing up drunk as a skunk, making lewd comments to the moms, and eventually getting beaten up by a couple of fed-up dads. "He's no good, London. Leave it at that."
"I know he's an alcoholic. But he's in AA."
A mutter left him that made him glad Harry—and now Bella—had both fallen asleep. "Like I said, maybe he's sober for now, but it won't stick. Never does. It's up to me to give these two a good life, and the worst thing I could do is let Dalton ruin their childhood the way he ruined ours."
"Even if Dally's changed?"
"No one changes that much." Silence followed his statement, but he caught the expression that flashed across her face. "You don't believe me?"
"It's not that. It's just something my parents always said. That it takes a village to raise kids and these two… they've lost so much. Their mother, grandmother. Biological father. If there's even a chance of their grandfather being involved—"
"There's not." A village. The bathroom incident with Bella had proven London's comment true about needing more people—trustworthy people—in his life for the kids' sakes, but for him that meant hiring a village. Nannies, teachers. Finding them a… mother?
It was too soon in their friendship to know whether or not London had potential in that area, but she'd done well today. Really well. She hadn't seemed to mind the twins' noise and messes. Truthfully London had handled them better than he had. Still, that wasn't hard for anyone to do considering his lack of parental skills at this stage, though he vowed to get better at the whole single-dad thing.
The rest of the walk was made in silence, and he wondered if London was the type of woman to pout or accept and regroup for battle later? Only time would tell, but her response would reveal a lot about her, and he was curious to find out more.
They made it back to the house, and Cooper opened the door and led the way to the elevator inside. He used the stairs almost exclusively, but one of the selling points of the large house was the small elevator for just such occasions as strollers, coolers, and sleeping toddlers. "London, I'm sorry. About having to cancel our plans," he clarified so she'd know he wasn't apologizing for his beliefs about Dalton. "In case you haven't figured it out, Dalton isn't a subject I like to discuss. There's no reason to when he's just not a part of my life anymore."
"You've written him off completely."
London leaned against the wall as the elevator began to move, looking saddened by the thought.
"He did it to himself. Look, London, I've already told you that my childhood was the polar opposite of yours in every way, but it taught me who I never want to be."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
"I do. It's… good that you know your boundaries. I respect that."
"Even if you think Dalton has changed?"
"Today was a fun day," she said, not answering his question. "I'm glad you accepted the outing challenge."
He moved closer to her, until they stood face-to-face. London looked up at him, all bright green eyes and full lips.
Another challenge? Was she the woman for him? "Are you?"
"Am I what?"
This time he didn't answer the question. He lowered his head but paused just short of her mouth. When she didn't pull away, he brushed his lips across hers, lingering over the contact and deepening the kiss when she released a soft sigh and slid her arms around his neck.
The elevator stopped on the second floor with a small lurch, and London gasped, smiling against his mouth.
&nb
sp; "We, um, can't get out until you open the door."
Cooper ended the kiss long enough to glance down and found both kids still fast asleep. He settled his hands on the metal bar level with her hips and nudged her nose with his. "What door?"
Her hands tightened on his neck, and she held his gaze with a boldness he found insanely sexy. She tugged him low and he kissed her again, taking his time, reveling in every hitch of her breath, determined he wouldn't stop until they both forgot to breathe…
Chapter 13
"Hellllo? What's up with Pensive Penny?"
Later that same evening, London lifted her head from her knees but didn't take her gaze off of the rolling waves in front of where she and Frankie sat on a towel. "If you're talking about me…"
"You know I am," Frankie said, nudging her elbow into London's side. "You sure this sister summons isn't about you?"
London met her twin's gaze and nodded. "Positive."
"Fine. Then if you don't want to share with everyone when they arrive, get talking. What's got your brain wheels cranking so loud I can't hear the waves?"
London dug her toes deeper into the sand and tried to find the words to describe the unease in the pit of her stomach.
She and Cooper had packed the kids up and taken them to the festival in the park. They'd gotten their faces painted, oohed and ahhed over a puppet show, and played and run and jumped until their little legs had started to drag and they'd willingly climbed back into their strollers for the push back home. "I went out with Cooper today—and the twins."
"I see. How'd that go?"
"It was fun. Actually, it was a lot of fun."
"So what's the problem?"
"It… was also the saddest thing I've ever seen." She believed Cooper when he'd made the flirtatious comment being only for her about the four-a.m. ice cream fun. Maybe she was being naive about believing him, but she did.
Cooper had informed her of the nanny's antics throughout the day, all the while watching over the children like a hyper-nervous helicopter dad. During the course of the afternoon, Cooper had a tendency to hover, ask London her opinion of this or that, and work to keep a conversation going when it lagged. London could see where certain younger women might find Cooper's efforts and new-dad-knowledge-gathering attentiveness flattering, whereas he only saw it for what it was—information gathering to know how to be the dad he wanted to be.
"Oh, boy. Why?"
She explained to Frankie about how he'd fired the nanny, the state of the house when she'd arrived, and how he'd never taken the kids out on his own, along with the visible panic on his face when Bella announced her need to go to the bathroom.
"The guy is still getting used to things. It's not like he's had them from birth."
"I know but… there's more. I thought we were in a really good place, you know? The day went well. So, I tried to talk to Cooper about Dally."
"Oh, boy."
"Yeah. Cooper totally shut me out."
"You had to figure that would be the reaction, though, didn't you? You know how weird families can be. You've said before how much you see just working in the coffee shop."
"I know. And from the little I've gathered, Cooper has reason to fear Dally being around."
"But?"
"But… it's Dally. And if he has changed and is sober, Cooper needs Dally around, needs him to be the father he wasn't when Cooper was growing up. Not to mention, those kids need a grandparent."
"Londy, I hate to burst your happy-little-reunion bubble, but kids need love and security, not toxicity. I get that you're concerned, but maybe you should focus on Cooper and let Cooper handle his relationship with his dad. Yeah? That way you don't get stuck in the middle of something you shouldn't be in. I mean, you weren’t there and didn’t live it, so maybe Cooper isn’t all wrong."
"I know. I know," she repeated when Frankie shot her a disbelieving look. "It's just… Cooper seems so alone. He lost Dally because of his drinking, lost his sister and mom to death, and told me his ex left him because he chose to keep the twins rather than putting them in foster care."
"Wow. But if that's the case, he's better off without her. And so are you if you're interested in him," Frankie added with a pointed stare.
"It's just… sad. He's raising these two beautiful children with no family to help, and Cooper is so tied up in what happened in the past that he can't see the future and what it could be if… he could forgive them."
"Not all families are like ours. But it's better Cooper doesn't have help if it's toxic or has the potential to be."
But… it was Dally. And short of Cooper forgiving Dally, their family would never be healed.
She inhaled the salt air and tried to quiet her mind. Maybe she'd put Cooper on the spot with her questions earlier, but she felt like they'd made it to the stage where the surface had been scratched and it was time to dig deeper. Especially if she planned to stick around.
"There's Caro."
Carolina approached them from the direction of the pier. When Carolina made it near the dream catcher mailbox, where London and Frankie waited, she dropped a towel to the sand before lowering herself. "What's up?"
"You tell us."
"Wasn't me. The number was new, so I thought one of you had gotten a new phone."
"Not me."
"Same."
"Ireland, maybe," Frankie asked.
"Holland is out of town again," Carolina supplied. "I'll bet it's her. Maybe something happened to her phone. What were you talking about when I walked up? You got quiet awfully fast."
"Nothing."
"Uh-huh. I work the entire day so you can spend it with Cooper and the twins, and you say nothing? Liar."
Carolina looped her arms around her knees and sent London a disbelieving stare.
"I'll fill you in later," she said to soothe Carolina's complaint. "I see Ireland. That's weird. She's coming from the opposite direction she usually does."
All of them turned to watch, and sure enough Ireland was coming from the south instead of the pier, where they usually made their way to the sand.
When Ireland joined them, she beamed with happiness.
"You're glowing," Carolina stated.
"I can't help it. Has Holland called yet?"
"No. So, did you call for this meeting or her? Who has the new number?"
"No new number for me," Ireland murmured. "But I was going to call a meeting so the timing worked out."
"Oh? What's going on?" London asked, more than ready for a distraction from her thoughts.
"And why were you coming from that way? Did you take a walk on the beach?" Frankie asked with a wave of her hand. "You should've told us so we could go with. I need some PT."
Ireland dropped to her knees atop Carolina's towel.
"I came from… my wedding present from Dominic."
London's mind focused on two words. "Wedding present?"
Ireland met her gaze, and before London could ask more questions, her phone rang with the strange number.
"Definitely Holland," Carolina said.
"Considering we're all here but her, it's pretty much a given," Frankie said with a teasing grin.
London slid the bar to answer the call and Holland's face filled the air. "Hey. New phone?"
A low groan filled the air. "Don't ask. Or better yet, do. Right, Ireland?"
Everyone looked at Ireland and found her smiling—and glowing, still.
"Okay, someone needs to fill us in," London demanded. “What’s going on?”
Ireland sank her teeth into her lower lip before holding up her left hand.
"Uh, hello, we know you're engaged. You don't have to rub it in," Carolina said.
"Wait, are you wearing two— You eloped?" London gasped. "You actually did it?"
Holland laughed over the speaker as Ireland grinned and nodded.
The four of them shrieked, hugging, laughing, and scolding Ireland at the same time.
"I can't believe you got married witho
ut us," Carolina said, voicing their upset.
"Well, not all of you. Don't be mad but… Holland was there. We flew to St. Lucia since she was there for work. Holland was my maid of honor."
"I was just as surprised when they showed up as you are now. Trust me. I had no idea until it happened."
"We didn't want to wait any longer. If Dominic and I have learned anything, it's that life is too short," Ireland said, no doubt referencing the tragedy of Dominic's first wife, even though her death had brought them together.
"Are you pregnant?" Frankie asked.
"No! And you are sworn to secrecy," Ireland said. "If Mama finds out…"
"Oh my— Mom is going to kill you," London said, her gaze shifting from sister to sister until it landed on Ireland again.
"Which is why we're not going to tell her. This is a sisterhood secret. Pinkie promise."
"So what now?" Carolina said as they held out their pinkies to promise as asked. "We just pretend we don't know? For real? How long?"
"Until the wedding. Guys, I know it's a lot to ask, but I had to tell you. I couldn't hold it in. And I knew you'd be upset that Holland was there, but if we kept the secret all the way until the wedding, you'd really hate us."
"Got that right."
"So? We told you. Now promise," Ireland demanded.
"Promise," they said in unison, linking fingers just like they had after sharing childhood secrets that never went beyond the five of them.
"So the engagement party is still on?" London asked.
"Yes."
"And the wedding?"
"Yes."
"You expect us not to slip up and tell Mom in how many months?"
"I believe in you. You can do it."
London finally remembered what Ireland had said walking up the beach. "And the wedding present from Dominic?"
Ireland grinned and London couldn't remember a time when she'd ever seen Ireland look happier. "We bought a house. Down that way. Oh, it's so beautiful."
"Wow. You're just full of news tonight," Frankie said.
