by Cathryn Fox
“Sorry.”
Ava clapped her hands and sang some patty cake song while he brushed out her hair and fumbled with the braids. He messed one up so badly, he had to start again.
She gave an exaggerated sigh when he started combing again. “Mommy does it faster.”
“Cut me some slack. I’m new at this, squirt.” Ava laughed and put her hands over her mouth. He twisted the hair, until he had what could pass for a pigtail. “I think my fingers are too big.”
“You’re silly,” she said as he picked her up and set her back down on the floor. She shook her head, trying to see her braids.
“Ready?” he asked.
They left through the front door and Kyle fished his key from his pocket. He slipped it into the lock and Ava raced down the front steps without him. When he heard her squeal, he turned to find her running down the sidewalk.
Shit.
“Ava,” he called out, his heart galloping. Where the hell was she going, and how could those little legs move so fast?
He went after her, but slowed his steps when he found her on her knees petting a puppy. Beside her was another little girl around the same age and he could only guess it was her friend, Lindsay, whose daddy had a job and the mommy stayed at home and walked the dog.
“Uncle Kyle,” Ava said excitedly. “This is Muffin. She’s so cute. I just love her.” She picked the squirming puppy up and hugged it so tight, it’s eyes practically bulged.
“Hello, Muffin.” Kyle bent to pet the golden retriever pup.
When he stood back up, he found a very curious set of brown eyes looking at him. He held his hand out. “I’m Ava’s uncle. Kyle Nelson.”
“Nice to meet you, Kyle. I’m Shari Donovan, Lindsay’s mom.” She slipped her hand in his and as she shook, her gaze dropped to his chest, then lower. All righty then. If she was looking at him like he was a grade-A piece of meat and she’d just come off a vegetarian diet, then maybe Daddy who worked needed to be home a little more often. He pulled his hand back and shoved it into his pocket.
“I see the resemblance,” she said. “She has your eyes.”
“She has her dad’s eyes,” he corrected. “My brother.”
“Oh.” Her gaze narrowed, clearly putting the pieces together.
“Shari,” a shrill voice called out from across the street. He angled his head to see two women out for their morning jog come running toward them.
“Hello there,” the blonde in the yoga pants and matching black spandex top said.
“Did you move into the neighborhood?” the other lady asked as she pulled her hair from her ponytail and shook it out. The scent of floral shampoo reached his nostrils.
“This is Ava’s uncle, Kyle,” Shari said. “This is Audra and Krystal.”
“Nice to meet you, Kyle.” Audra stepped a bit closer. White teeth flashed in a smile. “Are you moving in, or passing through?”
He glanced at his niece. “I’m babysitting Ava for a couple weeks.”
“Oh,” Krystal said, stepping in front of her friend. “How lucky for Ava.”
“I’m the lucky one. She’s a great kid.”
Krystal’s eyes moved to his shoulders and he suddenly felt like a bug under the microscope. “Rachel never told us Ava had such a…strong uncle. Or that she had an uncle at all.”
“What do you do, Kyle?” Audra nudged her way in front of Krystal. “I mean, besides babysit Ava.”
“Army ammunition expert.”
Audra bit her bottom lip, and sounding a little breathless she said, “So you blow things up.”
“Something like that.”
“How…dangerous.” She twirled her hair around her finger. “Does it scare your wife?”
“I’m not married.” Muffin barked and he was thankful for the distraction. “We should get going, Ava.”
Krystal put her hand on his shoulder, her touch one-step past friendly. “Oh, so soon.”
He moved back and her hand fell away. “Yeah, we have some things to do. Isn’t that right, Ava?”
“We’re building a tree house,” Ava said to Lindsay. “Uncle Kyle, can I show Lindsay the tree house?”
He glanced at his watch, uncomfortable as three sets of eyes drilled in to him. “We need to get going but maybe she can come by later today.”
“Can Lindsay come to the pool with us?”
Since he could barely keep up with one kid, he had no idea how he’d keep up with two, especially if Lindsay had Ava’s energy. He hesitated, and Shari touched her friends on the shoulder to move them out of the way. They parted, and she stepped between them.
“I’d be happy to bring her there later,” Shari said. “And if you’d like a lesson on how to braid hair I’d be happy to help. In fact if you need help with anything, anything at all, just let me know, okay.”
“Yeah, okay.” He reached down and captured Ava’s hand. “Let’s go.”
“Bye, Lindsay.” Ava hopped along the sidewalk beside him. He moved away from the women but could feel their gazes burning into his back. He popped the locks on the truck and helped Ava in. He turned and waved to the three women still watching.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the compound and shut the gate behind him. He helped Ava from the truck, and she jumped up and down and clapped when she saw all the dogs running around.
“Want to go play catch with Marley?”
She put her hand in his and he led her across the compound. When Marley saw them she came bounding over. She was a big dog, and as best as they could tell, she was a mix between a Saint Bernard and German Shepherd. She was a rescue dog. Some bastard had left her in a dumpster, and she was in pretty bad shape by the time she was taken to Gemma’s shelter. What the fuck was wrong with people?
“Cuddles.” Ava held her arms out wide.
Marley was sweet, but sometimes didn’t know her own strength. She knocked Ava to the ground and stood over her, licking her face. Ava giggled and hugged the dog. “Oh, Cuddles.”
“Easy, girl.” Kyle pulled the dog off Ava and helped her to her feet.
“Come on, Cuddles,” Ava said, and the dog responded, even though it wasn’t her name. The two took off, and Ava found a ball. For the next half hour she played with the dog while he chatted with his comrades and helped carry lumber for the new training boxes they were making.
The sun was climbing higher in the sky by the time he settled Ava back in the truck. At first she didn’t want to leave but he consoled her with building the tree house and swimming with her friend. She really did love dogs and it was too bad she couldn’t have one. But he understood Rachel’s reasoning. He’d love to have a dog himself but he was in no position to care for one.
“What do you want to have for lunch?” he asked.
“All my babysitters take me to McDonald’s,” she said.
Kyle laughed. “Oh, do they now?” She nodded, her pigtails bobbing around her face. “Something tells me your mom wouldn’t like that.”
“Mommy takes me there sometimes.”
“How about we go for lunch at Sweetie’s Bakery.”
Her eyes widened. “Donuts!”
“We can get some to go. Your mom might like that.” In fact he knew she would. When they were kids she could never say no to a chocolate-covered donut.
A short while later, after a quick trip to the hardware store, he entered the bakery. His stomach grumbled at all the delicious smells.
Ava took a big deep breath, and rubbed her stomach. “It smells good, Uncle Kyle.”
“I know. It does.”
He glanced around at the renovations Brad had done to his grandfather’s old Victorian house. The main level had been converted into a bakery for his wife. He’d added on an outdoor wrap around deck, which was lined with small café tables, many of them occupied by the lunch crowd. The space was quaint, the perfect house for a bakery and to raise their family. Staff milled about, but in the back of the shop, he caught sight of Madison.
Ava in tow, he s
tepped up to the counter and said loudly, “What’s a guy have to do to get some service around here?”
Madison spun around, and the second she set eyes on him, she came running over. She raced around the counter and gave him a big hug.
“Kyle,” she said. He picked her up and spun her around. “What a nice surprise.”
Her belly poked him and after he set her down he glanced at it. “I guess I’m not the only one with a surprise.” He winked and added, “I hear it’s something in the water.”
She laughed and rubbed her stomach. “I guess you’ve been talking to Caleb. Just wait and see. Some girl will come along and he’ll be reaching for a big glass.”
He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Seriously though, Madison. Congratulations. I couldn’t be happier for you and Brad.”
“I think Brad is hoping for a boy this time.”
Madison stepped back and dipped her head. “And who is this beautiful young lady?” Kyle grinned at her. Madison knew who Ava was but guessed it had been a long time since she’d seen her. The last time was likely at James funeral two years ago.
Ava beamed, and reached out and grabbed Kyle’s hand. “I’m Ava. Uncle Kyle is my uncle.”
“Well, Ava.” Madison put one hand on her hip. “How would you like to come to the kitchen and pick out something yummy? I just finished making a big batch of brownies.”
Ava pulled her hand from his and put it in Madison’s. He laughed at her switch of allegiances. Then again, he’d do the same if brownies were involved. “We have to have lunch first, Ava. Your mother would kill me if I let you eat a brownie first.”
Madison’s eyes turned serious. “How is Rachel?” she asked as he followed her around the counter to the back of the bakery.
“She’s doing well. I’m hoping she’ll come to Matt’s barbeque on the weekend.”
“We’d all love to see her.”
Kyle’s heart warmed. He loved how all his friend’s worried and cared about Rachel. She’d been so busy with life that she’d obviously lost touch with everyone. Then again, it had been awhile since he hung out with his old friends, too and had to admit he really missed them. He missed home.
Ava watched in fascination as Madison showed her around the kitchen and gave her an eggbeater full of icing to lick. She then filled a box with donuts for her to take home to her mommy.
Madison glanced at her watch. “How about we all have lunch on the deck?”
“I don’t want to take you away from your work.”
“I only work half days, now. I like to spend the afternoons with Lexi.”
“Who is Lexi?” Ava asked.
She tapped Ava on the nose. “My little girl.”
“Does she have a daddy?”
Madison and Kyle exchanged an uneasy look. “She does,” Madison said. “He’s at work right now though.”
“If I had a daddy, I could get a puppy.”
On that note, he reached for Ava’s hand. “Come on, Ava. Let’s go look at the menu and see what you’d like to have for lunch.”
Madison turned toward the staircase leading to her home upstairs. “I’ll go get Lexi. Why don’t you grab a table and Jessica will bring over some menus.” She gestured toward the young girl behind the counter.
“Sounds great,” Kyle said.
A few minutes later Madison returned with her daughter, Lexi, who was a spitting image of her mother. The four of them all sat at an outdoor table and enjoyed soup and sandwiches for lunch. Ava and Lexi hit it off instantly and sang songs as he caught up with Madison.
Soon good-byes were exchanged and he was on his way back to the house. With a box of donuts on her lap—she was keeping them close—Ava stared out the window and yawned.
“Tired, squirt?”
“Nope.” She shook her head so hard, her pigtails flew in the air. “I want to work on the tree house and go for a swim.”
“If you’re tired you can have a nap.”
“I’m too big to nap.”
“Not me. I’d love to have one.”
“You’re silly,” she said. “Mommy’s going to like the donut I picked out for her.”
“I’m sure she will.” He pulled his truck into the driveway. “Home sweet home,” he said, then stilled. What the hell? Christ, he’d only been here a couple days and he shouldn’t be thinking about Rachel’s place as his home.
He helped Ava from the truck and sent her upstairs to get changed into her work clothes. She came back sporting her coveralls, tool belt, and work boots.
“All ready,” she said.
They went outdoors and he put her to work holding the measuring tape while he penciled off the cuts he needed to make. He explained everything he was doing, and how he planned to build the tree house low for her and her friends.
Hands on hips she listened carefully, excitedly then out of nowhere said, “Lexi said she is going to have a baby brother.”
“That’s right. Madison is having a baby.”
“Can I have a baby brother too?”
“Well…” Shit, how the hell was he supposed to answer that one? “It’s not that simple.”
She went quiet. “It’s ’cause I don’t have a daddy, right?”
He set down the wood he was carrying and put his hands on her shoulders. “Ava, honey,” he began having no idea how to field her question. “You have lots of people in your life. You have your mommy, your grandma and grandpa, and me.”
She reached out and ran her hand along the lumber, then screeched. She jerked her arm away and started to cry.
His heart missed a beat as her face contorted in pain. “What is it?”
She jumped up and down, the tears spilling fast. “Ava, honey. Let me see your hand.”
“No, it hurts.”
He scooped her up and hurried in to the house. He set her on the kitchen counter and brushed her tears away. “You have to let me look, Ava.” With the biggest frown he’d ever seen, she held her hand out. He examined her and felt a measure of relief to know it wasn’t something serious. Of course, to Ava it was. “It’s a splinter. I can take it out in a second.”
She snatched her hand back. “No, it’s going to hurt.”
“I’ll make it all better. I promise, okay?” He scooped her up, put her on his hip and darted upstairs. “Does your mommy have a first aid kit?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Where does she keep her Band-Aids?” He rushed to the upstairs bathroom and rooted through the medicine cabinet, feeling a little strange going through her stuff. He found antibacterial ointment and bandages and set them by the sink. He turned back to Ava. “Where does Mommy do her makeup?”
Ava pointed to Rachel’s bedroom. Kyle carried her down the hall and set her on Rachel’s bed when he saw her makeup table. He peeked inside the floral cosmetic bag but his search came up empty. He looked at the bank of two drawers on each side, and while he felt a little uncomfortable going through her things, he had no choice.
He opened the top right drawer and rooted around, then turned his attention to the bottom one. Inside he found a stack of papers, and what looked like medical records. His heart missed a beat. Was Rachel sick? Unable to help himself, he pulled out the first paper and glanced over it. Ava. She’d had a series of medical tests done. He looked at the date, and exhaled a relieved breath when he saw it was from a couple of years back. Of course Rachel would have had her daughter genetically tested when James had died.
Something niggled at the back of his mind as he glanced over the paper one more time. With Ava whimpering behind him, he had no chance to think about it, so he put the paper back, and turned his attention to the bank of drawers on the other side. He opened the first one and found what he was looking for.
“These will work.” He turned to find Ava watching him. Her hand was curled into a ball and she held it close to her chest.
He scooped her up and carried her back to the bathroom. “You’re being so brave, Ava, that I think we
should get into those donuts early,” he said, trying to distract her. He grabbed the tip of the splinter with the tweezers. “Then we can go to the pool for a swim.”
She whimpered as he tugged and pulled the splinter free. Blood pooled on the cut, and he washed it away.
She examined her finger. “It’s gone.”
“Now we’ll put some ointment on it, and a bandage.”
“Can I still go swimming?”
“Of course you can.”
The doorbell rang and her eyes went wide. “Wait until I show Lindsay my cut.”
Wait until she showed her mother.
“Hello,” a voice said from below. “The door was open.”
Ava squirmed to get free. He lifted her from the sink, and the second her legs hit the floor she was off and running. She hurried down the stairs and he followed to find Lindsay and Shari standing in the kitchen. Ava proceeded to tell Lindsay all about her splinter, while he stood there feeling like a heel.
Shari blinked up at him. “It sounds like you had an eventful day.” She held out a plate of muffins and cookies. “Maybe these will cheer you up.”
“Thanks,” he said. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“What kind of person would I be if I didn’t welcome you to the neighborhood properly?” She clapped her hands. “So what do you say we all hit the pool?” She looked him over and nibbled her bottom lip. “You might want to put on a suit.”
“Me too.” Ava dashed back up the stairs.
“Don’t forget your water wings,” he called after her, proud of himself for remembering. “I’ll be right back.” He turned from Shari and followed Ava up.
Ava went to her room and he went to his. He stripped and tugged on his knee length suit. Ava came running from her room, the straps on her frilly purple suit all twisted.
“Wait, squirt,” he said, and dropped to one knee. “You’re all twisted.”
“You’re twisted.” She giggled, cupped his face and kissed his nose as he fixed her straps.
His heart squeezed to the point of pain. Christ, he was in so much trouble. Not only was he in love Rachel, he was falling so damn hard for her little girl too.
Chapter Seven
