Call Her Mine

by Melissa Foster

  “Yeah, a little,” he said as he turned down the street toward his childhood home, which Willow and Zane had purchased from his parents when they’d downsized. “I know they’ll love B, but there’s still guilt wrapped around getting a woman I barely knew pregnant. I wish I could have gotten B some other way—not just to ease the guilt I feel for my parents, but for you, Rels.”

  Aurelia glanced into the backseat as he parked in front of the five-bedroom white Victorian and said, “Want to know what I think?”

  “Always,” he said honestly.

  “If it’s true that babies feel everything we do”—she turned her loving eyes on him—“then I think you need to deal with that guilt and get it out of your system once and for all. It doesn’t make a lick of difference to me how she came to be, and I’m sure it won’t to your parents. What matters is that she’s yours, and guilt will only taint the incredibleness of that.”

  “But when you look at her, you must feel something—Hurt? Disappointed?—because I had a baby with someone else?”

  “I’m not going to lie. Sure, I was jealous, but I love you, so I think that’s natural. And sometimes I feel pangs of that, but not nearly as much as I did the first two days. And I know that’s on the way out, because I feel so much for her, and for you, and every day my love grows bigger. Soon there’ll be no room for them. Besides, yes, you had sex with another woman, and that act resulted in a beautiful little girl. But you didn’t have a baby with her, Ben. Maybe I’m just fooling myself, but I think there’s a world of difference between having a baby with someone and welcoming that baby into a joint, loving home and what happened with Hotel Hookup that led to B.”

  He pulled her closer, taking her in a long, sensual kiss. He brushed his thumb over her cheek, marveling at her, and said, “Do you want to know why I only dated blondes who looked like Barbies?”

  “You should really quit while you’re ahead,” she warned.

  “I’m not a quitter.” He smiled and said, “It was because they were the opposite of my type of woman. They were the opposite of you, Rels. They weren’t real or naturally beautiful. They didn’t have a genuineness that called out to me or a snort-laugh that made me happy every time I heard it. No woman could ever know me the way you do, and I’d never give them the chance to try.”

  “Aaaaand you’ve just jumped to the head of the race.” She practically crawled over the center console to kiss him. He threaded his fingers into her hair, and she moaned into his mouth. He intensified the kiss, losing himself in her as she murmured with pleasure.

  A knock on the window startled them apart, and Aurelia hit her head on the visor. “Ouch!”

  Ben reached for her head, rubbing the sore spot as his mother’s smiling face peered into the window. He unlocked the doors as Aurelia scrambled to the passenger seat.

  His mother opened the back door and said, “You two go back to what you were doing. I’m just here to meet my granddaughter.”

  Aurelia blushed and mumbled, “Ohmygosh.”

  His mother unbuckled the baby and gushed, “Hello, sweet little one. How’s my precious girl?” She lifted her into her arms, closed the door, and headed up the driveway.

  “Good to see you, too, Mom,” Ben said with a shake of his head, earning a laugh from Aurelia. He waggled his brows and patted his lap.

  “Hardly!” she said as she threw her door open.

  They grabbed the bags and the Pack ’n Play, and Zane met them halfway up the driveway. He had gotten the short end of the stick when it came to supportive parents, but even when they were kids, years before he and Willow became an item, Ben’s parents had made him feel like part of the family.

  Zane laughed incredulously. “Congrats, dude. Look at you going full-on Daddy Day Care. Have I completely lost my running partner?” He gave Ben a slap on the back, then took the bags from Aurelia and embraced her. “I hear you two are finally an item. I guess that means congrats to you, too. Come inside. Willow and Roxie have been waiting with bated breath for that baby, so if you two want to take advantage and head to Ben’s old bedroom for a no-baby-around make-out session, be my guest.”

  “We’re good in that department, thanks,” Ben said with a shake of his head.

  They followed Zane inside, and Ben set the Pack ’n Play down in the living room, where his mother and Willow were loving on the baby.

  “Oh, honey,” his mother said. “You are not going to need that tonight. The girls and I are going to be fighting over this little darling all night long.”

  His father came out of the kitchen, smiling approvingly at Ben, as if stepping into fatherhood had given him a boon of some sort. Dan Dalton was tall and slim, and he looked more like the professor he’d been before retiring than the contractor he’d become after following his passion for custom-home building.

  “Let me guess,” his father said as he came down the hall. “Your mother confiscated the baby.” He hugged Ben, then embraced Aurelia for a beat longer, whispering something that made her smile—and blush.

  Bodhi, Bridgette, and Louie came through the front door.

  “Uncle Benny!” Louie ran toward him, and Ben swept him into the air and hugged him. His eyes were as wide as saucers beneath his mop of brown hair. “Put me down! Mommy said you have a baby. I want to hold it!”

  “It’s a she, buddy,” Ben said as he set Louie on his feet.

  “I know! B! ” Louie ran toward Roxie, who was cooing at the baby.

  “Slow down, Louie,” Bodhi called after him. At six three, Bodhi dwarfed Bridgette, and his love for her and Louie was just as immense. He clapped a hand on Ben’s shoulder as Bridgette hugged Aurelia, and he said, “Congrats, man. On both counts.”

  “Maybe we need to start calling you Potent Ben,” Bridgette said as she hugged him.

  Bridgette was the youngest and had always been the wildest of Ben’s siblings. She’d left college to marry a musician, only to lose him in a tragic accident shortly after Louie was born. She was an amazing mother to Louie, and though she’d missed her husband, she’d never complained about raising Louie alone. But Ben was glad she had Bodhi now, giving her and Louie the love they deserved.

  Bridgette put her hand on her little baby bump, smiling up at Ben, her wavy several-shades-of-blond hair framing her face, and said, “Were you trying to steal our baby thunder?”

  “Hardly, Bridge.”

  The front door opened, and Talia and Derek stepped inside. Their faces were flushed, and Derek’s dark hair, which hung nearly to his shoulders, was messy and tangled. Talia averted her eyes.

  Aurelia looked at Talia like she’d grown a second head and said, “I think your sweater is on backward.”

  Talia gasped and looked down as Piper appeared in the doorway behind her. Piper joined them, closing the door behind her. “Hey, Tal. I swear I thought I saw your car parked on that side road people used to . . . Is your sweater on backward?”

  Talia blushed and hurried down the hall toward the bathroom, causing them all to chuckle.

  Derek pushed a hand through his hair with a rakish grin and said, “We, uh . . .”

  “Looks like someone took advantage of not having his father underfoot,” Zane said with a waggle of his brows.

  Everyone laughed and talked at once as they moved into the living room. Zane and Bodhi gave Derek grief about going parking like a teenager. Bridgette grabbed Aurelia’s hand and said, “I want to hear everything,” and dragged her toward the baby with Piper in tow.

  Dan draped an arm around Ben, who said, “Welcome home, Dad.” He noticed the way his father was looking at him differently. “What?”

  “It’s not every day my son becomes a father.” He drew him into a manly hug and said, “Congratulations. Fatherhood looks good on you.”

  Ben hadn’t expected the rush of emotions consuming him, but he didn’t have long to swim in them. His father said, “Did you put the baby in her own room?”

  “Not yet. I can’t. I like having her close.”

/>   Dan shook his head, smiling as he said, “Just like your mother. That’s okay. You’ll know when it’s the right time.”

  Talia entered the room wearing her sweater properly and made a beeline for the baby. “Okay, Nana Roxie. Give Auntie Talia a turn, you baby hog.”

  “Auntie Talia,” Louie said as Roxie handed her the baby, “her name is Grandma Roxie.” Having said his piece, he went to play with the toys Willow and Zane kept in a bucket by the fireplace.

  “Hear that, baby?” Talia said sweetly, nuzzling the baby. “It’s Grandma Roxie. Did you have fun with Uncle Fletch and Molly yesterday at the park? I heard all about how cute you were. You are the most precious little muffin, aren’t you? Found on the front porch like the best gift ever, huh?”

  Ben listened to his usually too-proper sister spewing baby talk in a high-pitched voice, and he could do little more than stare. Boy, had his studious sister changed. By the surprised looks in the room, everyone else was also confounded by her baby talk.

  “Derek, what have you done to her?” Bridgette asked. “She wasn’t this way even when Louie was born.”

  “I was too,” Talia said.

  A murmur of disagreement made its way around the room.

  Derek put his arm around Talia and said, “I don’t know what you guys are talking about. Tallie loves babies.”

  “I think someone’s maternal clock is ticking,” Roxie said.

  “I love this baby, but better her than me,” Willow said.

  Roxie looked at Ben and said, “Ben, she’s a beautiful girl, but I have a few questions, some of which are about her mother.” She turned a softer look to Aurelia and said, “Aurelia, honey, you know I think of you as a daughter. I always have, and now that you and Ben are together, if my questions are going to make you uncomfortable, please tell me.”

  “Roxie, she’s your granddaughter,” Aurelia said. “Your first granddaughter. This is a huge moment for all of you, and I would expect, given the circumstances, that you have lots of questions, and I want you to ask them.”

  Ben’s heart took a hit at both his mother’s thoughtfulness and Aurelia’s response. “We don’t have any secrets, Mom.” He went to Aurelia, standing beside the couch where she sat, and laced their fingers together.

  “Okay, honey,” Roxie said. “Your father told me that you’re meeting with Bodhi’s friend Mason tomorrow. Do you need a babysitter?”

  “I’m watching her,” Aurelia said.

  “We’re going to try to work around each other’s schedules so that we don’t have to leave her with anyone else for now,” Ben explained. “I think she needs the stability.”

  Roxie’s lips curved up in an approving smile. “That’s wonderful, and I’m here if you need me. Babies can be exhausting.”

  “We know,” Ben and Aurelia said in unison.

  “What can you tell me about her mother, Ben?” Roxie asked. “Was she outgoing or shy? What color hair did she have? What’s she like as a person? It must have been so hard for her to leave the baby. What a selfless act, putting her child’s well-being above her own. Whatever the circumstances, I’m glad she was smart enough to bring her to you.”

  He knew his family would always be there for them, but hearing his mother’s unconditional acceptance felt monumental.

  “This is a little embarrassing,” Ben admitted. “I don’t really know much about her. Her name is Caroline, and I met her in a hotel bar where I was staying. I think she worked as a waitress there, because she said her shift had just ended. She’s blond, nice, outgoing.” He cringed inside, hating himself again for using sex as a salve for his pain. “She was trying to get over a breakup, and I was . . .” He could say anything and his family wouldn’t question it. But when he looked at Aurelia, brushing his thumb over the back of the hand that had cradled his heart forever and guided him through this whole ordeal, the truth spilled out. “I was trying not to think about Aurelia being out on a date.”

  A sea of emotions rose in Aurelia’s eyes as she said, “See? B’s here because of me, so it kind of makes sense that I’m the one who found her,” with a humorous lilt in her voice.

  Ben pulled her up to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “She’s our destiny, babe.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  Ben was so lost in her, he caught only pieces of the conversations going on around them. His mother said something about her potions finally kicking in, and someone else—Bodhi, maybe—said Mason would get the answers they needed. Then everything turned to white noise, and there was only him and Aurelia and the pulse of love between them.

  “Ben!” Piper snapped, like she’d said it more than once. “What are you going to call her?”

  Still lost in Aurelia, Ben vaguely registered Piper’s question and said, “Mine.”

  “Oh boy, someone’s lovestruck,” his mother said, and everyone laughed.

  “The baby, Ben,” Piper said. “You can’t call her Baby Ben forever.”

  Aurelia went up on her toes and whispered, “She has a name.”

  “She sure does,” Ben said. “Her name is Bea. B-E-A. Bea Dalton.”

  Despite knowing Bea would be the center of attention tonight, Aurelia had been nervous that her and Ben’s new relationship would become a topic of conversation. But they’d made it through a delicious steak dinner, talking about Bea, catching up on Louie’s exciting week with Willow and Zane, and, of course, hearing all about Bridgette and Bodhi’s honeymoon in Hawaii. It seemed everyone had accepted her and Ben’s coupledom as if it had been a given.

  As they finished the chocolate pecan pie Willow had made for dessert, Bridgette said, “I think my favorite thing about Maui was that everything was totally relaxed. There was no hustle and bustle. We never felt rushed.”

  “Hard to get that feeling when you never leave your hotel room,” Zane said with a smirk.

  Willow elbowed him. “That sounds amazing.”

  “I’ll show you amazing,” Zane said as he kissed her cheek.

  Dan and Roxie shared a knowing smile, their eyes holding for a beat longer, and darker, than usual. Aurelia looked away, both embarrassed to have caught the desire between them and happy for two of the people who had always shown her what love and family should be like. She used to daydream about what it would be like to be Ben’s girlfriend. Now she knew. He’d held her hand throughout dinner, whispered private jokes, and kissed her openly—and also just below her ear, teasing her with a tantalizing slick of his tongue after each whispered secret. She had never felt so close to him. She should have known it would be this beautiful between them. Ben had forever been draping an arm over her shoulder or taking her by the hand, leading her places, or letting her use his chest as a pillow. They may not have shared kisses or tongue action when they were just friends, but they’d always been right there by each other’s side.

  “It was incredible,” Bridgette said, bringing Aurelia’s mind back to the conversation about their honeymoon. “The pool at the resort had a waterfall and a view of the ocean.”

  “We want to take Louie there one day,” Bodhi said, reaching for Bridgette’s hand.

  “I don’t want to never leave a hotel room,” Louie said with a mouthful of pie, making everyone laugh. “I could stay with Zane and Willow again. Or with Uncle Benny and Auntie Aurelia! They have a baby now, and I love Bea!”

  Aurelia held her breath, wondering who was going to explain to him that she and Ben didn’t live together, even if it looked that way.

  “So, Mom,” Talia said, apparently oblivious to Aurelia’s worries. “How was the Monroe House?”

  “Hm?” Roxie looked up, sharing another secretive smile with Dan.

  “The inn,” Talia said. “Was it as great as it looked online?”

  “Oh yes,” Roxie said with a blush. “The lobby was nice, and room service was really good.”

  Ben and his siblings exchanged uncomfortable glances.

  “Efficient,” their father added, staring down at his em
pty plate. His gaze darted to Roxie, and they both tried to stifle laughs.

  “Ugh!” Ben threw down his napkin and said, “I can’t unhear that.”

  “Or unsee it.” Piper set down her fork and said, “Time to clear the table.”

  “It’s just S-E-X,” Roxie said with a roll of her eyes.

  “Ew,” Ben and his siblings said in unison as they all pushed to their feet and began clearing the table.

  Roxie sat back, laughing softly, and said, “Where do you think y’all came from?”

  “I for one do not want to think about that at all,” Willow said as she carried her plate to the kitchen.

  “They came from you and Grandpa,” Louie announced. “When two people love each other they make babies, like Mom and Bodhi and Ben and Aurelia.”

  Aurelia looked at Ben, who shrugged as if he was at a loss about correcting Louie’s assumption, too. Luckily, Bea whimpered, waking up from her nap in the playpen and giving Aurelia the perfect excuse to escape the other surprised looks.

  “I’ll get her!” Louie pushed from his seat and ran toward the playpen.

  Bodhi followed him over and said, “I’ll get her, Aurelia. I haven’t had any baby time yet. Louie and I can hold her together.”

  Ben headed for Aurelia just as Bridgette sidled up to her and said, “Do you and Ben want us to clear that up for Louie?”

  Ben put his arms around Aurelia, looking at her like she held the answer. “Should we let him think she’s ours?”

  Oh boy . . . This was big. Her pulse raced at the prospect of what his question implied, but she forced herself to slow down and think rationally. “As good as that feels to my heart,” Aurelia said, “my head tells me it’s not right. One day Bea needs to know the truth, and you don’t want Louie to feel like we lied to him.”

  A smile curved Bridgette’s lips. “Oh, big brother, you have no idea how lucky you are.”

  As Bridgette walked away, Ben brushed his lips over Aurelia’s and said, “I know exactly how lucky I am.”

  “How lucky we both are,” she corrected him.

  He kissed her tenderly, and then he went back to helping with the table. Aurelia glanced at Bodhi, crouched beside Louie and holding Bea. She looked even tinier in his massive arms.