Absentminded Angel [Divine Creek Ranch 20] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Heather Rainier

  Whit made a snorting sound and began rooting and Presley Ann smiled as Kendry shifted the baby in his arms. “Can’t help you there, buddy.” He didn’t seem at all embarrassed.

  Grabbing the receiving blanket from Kendry’s shoulder, she flipped it over her shoulder and hissed softly at the pain the simple movement sent through her wrist. Kendry handed Whit to her and she turned away and parted the overlapping neckline on her top, got Whit latched on, and then draped the blanket so she had a little privacy before going to her rocker.

  Frowning, Kendry knelt down and lifted the hand she was using to stroke Whit as he began suckling in earnest. She smiled, because this part she could deal with. At least until Kendry manipulated her wrist and her thumb. She hissed at the sharp pain that had been nagging her for two weeks.

  “That hurts?” He glanced at her and moved it in a different direction and she flinched when pain shot up her forearm to her elbow. “I’m sorry, kitten. Looks like tendonitis, and tennis elbow, too. A brace will help. You’ve been holding Whit a lot, haven’t you?”

  A lot. A whole lot. A looot.

  She nodded. “He hasn’t been sleeping or napping well since the end of the first week.”

  She’d loaded him up when he was four days old, to take a little ride and go visiting. Get a little fresh air. How smug she’d been, thinking she had this mommy stuff down. Whit was so good and nursed so well that she’d disregarded when Emma had cautioned her to take her time getting back up to speed.

  That night, Whit had introduced her to colic. She’d thought he was dying and almost called 911. She’d called Emma instead and the doctor had assured her it was just colic. Just colic. She hadn’t left the apartment since then. Nights were a misery and days weren’t much better. And the baby blues had struck, along with exhaustion.

  She wanted to be strong but she’d never felt more weak.

  Kendry stroked her knee and she could feel the comforting heat of his hand through the gauze of her skirt. Embarrassment heated her cheeks when the sensation set off another letdown reflex. Whit sounded like he was having difficulty keeping up as he glug-glug-glugged. She tipped his head up a little bit to keep him from choking but didn’t move for fear of breaking the moment as Kendry looked into her eyes. His cheeks took on a slightly ruddy hue and she blushed even harder, thinking he might’ve caught on to what he’d done with his simple touch.

  She inhaled a stuttering breath and licked her lower lip, slowly leaning toward him as if drawn by a magnet. Their breaths mingled as he moved closer and their lips brushed against each other, their warm skin meshing together like silk on silk, barely making contact. Suddenly Whit popped loose and thrashed out an arm, interrupting the moment. Kendry looked down and his expression went blank as a cool draft wafted over the upper curve of her breast and the cool air tightened her damp, exposed, nipple.

  Oh. My. God.

  But like the eager little piglet that he was, Whit rooted around until he found the source of his nourishment. He patted her breast and squirmed closer, now perfectly content, as though he hadn’t been screaming at the top of his lungs for the last five hours solid. And half the night. And most of the previous day. And all of the previous night. And…

  Her head bobbed and then she blinked as she looked into Kendry’s concerned blue-gray eyes.

  “Whoa. You just zoned out on me for a few seconds there. I don’t think you’re going anywhere until after you’ve had a nap.”

  As a testament to her sleep-deprived state, she gasped as she realized they’d just kissed and she’d flashed him—and then she’d done the Jell-O-neck-head-bob while he watched. But hey, at least she was distracted from her headache. It struck her as funny for some odd reason and she started to giggle. Kendry smiled at her, she got tickled all over again, and before long her laughter involved her entire body. Whit stopped nursing and when she peeked behind the drape he was staring up at her as if she’d grown another head. That struck her as hysterically funny and she laughed some more until tears were streaming down her cheeks and then held a hand to her head as the pounding increased. “Oh. Ow.”

  She tried to dial it back and took some deep breaths as Kendry grinned and asked, “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m seriously loopy, that’s all. I just fell asleep sitting up, after sharing a very sweet kiss with you and then flashing my mommy boobs at you.”

  Kendry chuckled. “Actually, it was only one mommy boob, and it was very nice, if you want my opinion. Kitten, you need a little break. Finish nursing him, we’ll change him, and then I want you to lay down for a while.”

  “But—”

  “Do you trust me?”

  No hesitation was needed. “Yeah, I do.”

  Taking out his phone, he said, “Let me check in with Jared. See what he’s up to.”

  Whit finished, and she quickly did up the cup on her nursing bra and adjusted her top before switching the baby and the cover to the other side. Kendry had been right. Whit had been overheated, because now his skin was warm and dry to the touch, not sweaty and flushed like it had been. And he wasn’t fussing.

  Kendry finished his call and said, “Let me take the baby off your hands for a couple of hours so you can nap here in peace and quiet. It might also help your head if you use an ice pack on it.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to thank him and refuse the offer. Whit was her responsibility. But then she thought about driving somewhere with him in the car. No. She needed to be responsible by not getting behind the wheel in a seriously sleep-deprived state.

  “Okay. Marvin left in his truck earlier, which means he’s closed up shop early for the day. There’s a comfy rocker in his work space that he told me I could use any time I wanted to. There’s also a television down there. He won’t mind if you use it. I’ll be just a few more minutes, and I’ll change him and get his diaper bag for you.”

  Kendry went downstairs to investigate the accommodations, and to set up the portable bassinet. After Whit was full and burped, she changed his diaper, dressed him in a onesie, prepared a backup bottle from her precious store of pumped breast milk, and grabbed a thicker blanket and his diaper bag. Just this once, she’d accept help.

  She stood in the bedroom holding Whit and paused, hoping she hadn’t forgotten anything he might need. Closing her eyes, she remembered the warmth of Kendry’s lips on hers, the way her heart had pounded, and the rush of pleasure that had coursed through her body. Her mind went fuzzy for a few seconds and then she gasped as she shook her head.

  “Falling asleep while standing up holding the baby. Not good.” She rushed to the kitchen sink, got a glass of water, and took a long drink, before carefully going down the steep stairs. Her wrists ached as she held Whit securely in her arms and she noticed he looked like he felt better, too. “Sorry for overdressing you, sugar. I don’t like that either and don’t know why I thought you would.”

  He slowly blinked those baby blue eyes at her, and she prayed that he’d finally nap for Kendry without any more fussing.

  Kendry reassured her about his ability to take care of Whit before hustling her back up the stairs. “Don’t forget to eat lunch while you’re up there.”

  “Can I make you something?” she called from the stairs.

  He waved his hand at her and smiled. “Jared is bringing me lunch. Go. Sleep, Mama.”

  Heat filled her again and she bit her lower lip as she smiled on the way up the stairs. Looking around the apartment, it was tempting to do the flight of the bumble bee and clean house while she had the chance. Her body felt like she’d been carrying the baby nonstop for days. She nipped the cleaning impulse and went to the kitchen and got herself a bowl of cereal, after realizing she hadn’t eaten anything that morning. “That’s good for a headache, too.” She drank more water and then crawled gratefully onto her bed and put a cool washcloth over her eyes.

  Her mind wanted to race but she knew the next two hours would be fleeting so she regulated her breathing and closed her eyes.


  Chapter Three

  Presley Ann flinched and grimaced as Emma handled her wrist in much the same way as Kendry had. “Kendry’s right. Tennis elbow and tendonitis in your wrists. You’ve been holding Whit nonstop, haven’t you?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Because of the colic?”

  Presley Ann nodded her head, her cheeks filling with embarrassing heat. Obviously holding him constantly wasn’t the right thing to do.

  “And neither of you have slept much?”

  Presley Ann shook her head and felt like a big baby when her lip trembled. To make matters worse, her letdown reflex surged as she thought of Whit, back at the apartment with Kendry. He’d offered to watch the baby for her while she went to the doctor, saying that he was no trouble, and that he’d napped practically the whole time she’d been upstairs. A sob escaped her. She couldn’t even get her baby not to cry and then he conked out and was quiet the whole time Kendry had him. She was a royal screw up.

  “Presley Ann…” Emma stroked her shoulder compassionately, which only made the sobbing worse.

  She yanked several tissues from the box Emma offered and blubbered. “I’m a horrible mom! He won’t stop crying! He won’t sleep! But he’s with Kendry and he hasn’t made a sound! Kendry knew he was overheated! I’m horrible! I was overdressing him so it only made his fussing worse, and I kept thinking if he screams one more time I’m gonna lose my mind, and…”

  She went on and on as Emma hooked her rolling stool with a well-shod foot and sat down on it, making Presley Ann feel even more dumpy in her comfortable sneakers and sweatpants. Emma nodded and smiled and handed her more tissues after she soaked the first bundle, and listened as she poured everything out.

  When a hiccup finally signaled that she was done, Emma reached for her pad and said, “It’s overwhelming, honey. You’re not a bad mom if you need help sometimes. It sounds to me like Kendry—and his brother Jared—care an awful lot about you.”

  “They hardly know me. They just moved here.”

  Emma smirked. “Okay, Presley Ann, this is your friend talking right now, not your doctor. Those two have had eyes only for you practically since they came for Leah’s wedding and binding to James and Vincent.”

  Presley Ann shook her head. “But that’s just it, Emma. What if the real pull is between him and Leah, but she’s unavailable.”

  “Huh?”

  Presley Ann shook her hands, knowing she sounded a little woo-woo. “What if the real attraction is between Kendry and Leah, because of…you know.”

  “Because of Patterson’s heart?” Emma asked with a straight face. “I tend to believe in what I can see. Anytime we’ve hung out with y’all those two hunks only have eyes for you. Sure, there’s a close bond between Leah, James, and Vincent, and them, but I don’t think you need to worry. In any case, I think they’re showing how much they care by watching the baby for you so you could have a few hours of peace.”

  “I feel guilty.”

  Emma shook her head and put her hands on Presley Ann’s shoulders, gently squeezing. “Don’t go there. You haven’t abandoned him. You’re just taking a break. Now, about your other issues…”

  Thirty minutes later, with prescriptions filled and wrist braces purchased, she stood in the soft goods section at Violet’s Emporium.

  Violet held up what looked like a stretchy sheet to her and said, “I’m glad Emma suggested that you come in when she did, because I only have a couple of these left and my supplier won’t be making them anymore, even though I have people asking for them all the time.”

  Still doubtful how it could help her, Presley Ann said, “Can you show me how this works? It seems bulky and uncomfortable to me.”

  Violet led her to the front and said, “I know what you mean. The first time I heard about these, I thought, ‘Oh, my aching back,’ but that’s not the case at all, because it supports your baby from different directions. And it’ll give your arms a rest. Let me show you.”

  Violet unfolded the stretchy fabric, then folded it in half and proceeded to show Presley Ann the most ingenious thing she’d ever seen. The fabric didn’t have any loops, snaps to match up, or ties, or anything. It just wrapped around and back and forth over her shoulders and breasts and around her waist, and then Violet smiled as she lifted one layer, tucked a stuffed animal in the pouch, then pulled the other layer of stretchy fabric over it and lifted the band circling her waist up to support the bottom and the back of the stuffed animal. “See?”

  Presley Ann stepped around to see the back configuration and the flat knot that was out of the way at Violet’s hip.

  “Think of how much you could get done with your hands free. And you can nurse him discreetly in it just by pulling one side up a little higher to cover up. This could actually become a profitable little cottage industry for someone with the desire to pursue it.”

  Presley Ann breathed in a sigh, thinking of the mess in her apartment that had driven her nuts because she couldn’t put Whit down long enough to deal with it. Violet’s words about a cottage industry resonated. If she could find the time and a good used sewing machine, she might be able to supplement her income.

  “I’ll take it.”

  While Violet took care of ringing up the sale, Presley Ann stood at the counter, breathing in the scents of lavender and vanilla permeating the unique shop. Some of the tension drained out of her shoulders as she looked around her, taking in the eclectic atmosphere of the emporium.

  Justin Connors’s metal art occupied the center space, catching the sunlight from the transom windows above. She found herself absorbed, looking at his imaginative fantasy art.

  Presley Ann smiled, thinking about Charity, Justin, and their unique family. Charity and her sister Grace had been the first to draw her into the midst of the group of friends she now counted herself a part of.

  As Violet refolded the sling and placed it in a shopping bag, she said, “It’s good to see you out and about, Presley Ann.”

  “Thank you. Your shop is really something,” she said as she cast a gaze around the high-ceilinged interior. A nearby clock chimed and Presley Ann checked her watch. “I’d better get back. It’s time for Whit to eat again.”

  “Let me know how it works out with the wrap,” Violet said as she walked her to the front door and held it open for her and they stepped out into the bright, cool afternoon.

  Violet sighed dreamily and Presley Ann followed her line of sight and giggled. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair.” She gave Josh and Lucas Abbott, who were headed Violet’s way, a brief greeting before hurrying to her car. Just the thought of feeding Whit was inspiring a letdown, and she held her arm across her breasts to stave off soaking herself with breast milk.

  In the car, she placed a call to Kendry’s cell phone. As soon as his voice came on the line, she blurted, “Is he okay? Has he been crying? I’m sorry I’m taking so long. I made a couple of stops before—”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa, kitten. Slow down. No need to apologize. Where are you at?”

  “I’m out in front of Violet’s Emporium. I needed to stop at the pharmacy and then come here.” She hoped he didn’t think she was being frivolous by stopping there for a little shopping. That hadn’t been her intention at all. All she’d wanted was the wrap. There was just so much in Violet’s store that caught her eye. I’m like a friggin’ squirrel with a shiny object!

  Kendry just chuckled and said, “It sounds like you enjoyed your break. I took the tater tot for a little fresh air. We’re at the firehouse.”

  “Everything okay? He’s not screaming?” She’d fed him right after Kendry had suggested that she could go on her own to see her doctor and she’d been worried that the bottles might not have gone over very well with Whit.

  “He’s great. I warmed up a bottle for him an hour ago, and he sucked it down like it was ambrosia.”

  Heat filled her cheeks and she smiled. “Good. So it was all…okay?” When he’d made the offer to keep Whit while she was
at her doctor’s appointment, Kendry reminded her of his and Jared’s experience with babies and kids, and of course he had EMT training as well.

  When she arrived at the firehouse, it was easy to find Whit, Kendry, and Jared. They were in the midst of all the firefighters, and Whit seemed to enjoy being passed from one firefighter to another while the station mascot, a basset hound, trotted around their feet, trying to get a good look at him.

  “Hi,” she said, feeling heat spread through her when Kendry and Jared looked up and both smiled at her. The heat spread to her throat and cheeks as several of the firefighters turned their gazes her way and then elbowed Kendry and Jared, demanding introductions. She recognized two other guys she’d gone out with before.

  Kendry made his way through the crowd after taking Whit back and kissed the top of her head when he reached her. Jared was right behind him, ready with a hug. Jared said, “How are you feeling? Kendry told me about your headache. Did you get to do everything you needed to do?”

  “Yeah, I did.” She breathed in a slightly less shaky breath and felt a little more able to resume the mommy role. “My headache is even a little better now. He was good?”

  “He was just fine,” Jared said before he was nudged from behind. A tall, blond firefighter grinned at her from over his shoulder.

  “I’ve seen you around, across the street before,” the blond said, flirtation clear in his eyes. “You sure do make beautiful babies…beautiful.”

  Kendry scoffed and looked back at him. “I haven’t even made any introductions yet. Stop flirting with her.” The blond just grinned and winked at her, puffing out his broad chest. Evidently some men were turned on by new mothers in frumpy sweatpants, sneakers, and messy ponytails.