Plantation shutters on the windows and built-in bookcases that were already filled with books and toys and pictures from their day in the yard – all came together to make for a beautiful room. She couldn’t believe how quickly – or how hard – Jake had worked to pull it all together. Although he did all of the labor himself, Olivia congratulated herself on her ability to handle the twins as much as humanly possible on her own without disturbing him.
During the day, Jake worked on the nursery and even squeezed in work on the two guest rooms that stood on either side of it. But at night, he was all hers. Just thinking about the hours that they spent in each other’s arms for the last couple of nights made her blush. And knowing that tonight they would be able to go into the bedroom and actually use the bed instead of the floor or the couch – or the kitchen table - had the anticipation building inside of her.
“What do you think?” Jake asked quietly from behind her.
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled as tears filled her eyes. “It’s absolutely perfect. I can’t believe that you did all of this. That you even had the vision for something like this. I’m simply blown away.”
He smiled shyly. “So then you like it,” he said, just for clarification.
Olivia nodded and turned and wrapped her arms around him. “Like I said, it’s perfect. Ben and Maddie are very lucky to have such a talented dad.”
Jake held on tight and simply enjoyed the feel of her in his arms. “Well, eventually they’ll each get a room of their own but for now I think this is a pretty good start.”
“Pretty good?” she pulled back, confusion marking her face. “Jake, I’m telling you, it’s amazing. But…” she stepped out of the circle of his arms, “it’s missing something.”
Now it was his turn to look confused. “What? What did I miss? This was all of the stuff we ordered from that superstore place you took me to.” Stepping around Olivia, he walked the perimeter of the room, searching for what he could have missed. “I’m stumped, Liv.”
She smiled and held up her hand. “I’ll be right back.” Quickly, she turned and left the room and ran down the stairs to grab her contribution to the room. She had already bought some small frames and put a couple of pictures from their photo shoot on the shelves, but what she had in her hands now, was her big gift.
At the top of the stairs, she stopped and caught her breath and prayed that Jake was going to like what she’d done. “And if he doesn’t,” she muttered, “then…he’s a jerk.” That made her smile and she took the rest of the steps to get her back into the nursery. “Here,” she said with a smile. “This is in no way as big of a contribution as what you’ve done, but it’s my way of welcoming Ben and Maddie to their new room.” She held out the large flat package to him and held her breath.
Jake knew immediately that it was some sort of picture strictly by the size and shape of the package. But when he opened it, he was speechless. There, in the most crisp and perfect of color, sat him, Ben and Maddie on the lawn of their backyard. He was smiling and looked genuinely relaxed and both babies were looking almost directly at Olivia with the closest thing to a genuine smile that he’d ever seen.
Looking at the picture and then to Olivia and back again, he struggled for words. “It’s…it’s absolutely perfect. I don’t remember seeing this one in the proofs that you showed me the other night.”
Olivia shook her head. “I kept it separate. As soon as I saw it, I knew what I wanted to do with it and I wanted it to truly be a surprise for you. It was as if they knew that this was going to be the shot because their expressions are so perfect. The three of you look so happy, and I think I’ll have to come back once a year and re-capture that pose so that we can see how much they’ve grown and how you’ve all grown closer together.”
They both grew silent, and it wasn’t until Olivia closed her mouth that she realized what she’d said. It was a shot of reality that neither of them were willing to acknowledge just yet. Her time here with Jake and the twins was temporary and would be over before she was ready for it, of that Olivia was certain. The look on Jake’s face told her that he was thinking the same thing about himself. But rather than voice that out loud, he simply said, “That would be nice. We could make it a whole wall display – like branches on a tree.”
Olivia smiled. “I like that. Your own family tree.”
Jake nodded and placed the picture down and leaned it against the wall while he went in search of what he needed to hang it with. He returned two minutes later and found a spot on the wall between two windows that was perfect for it. Olivia stood back and watched as he carefully hung it in place and then hooked her arm through his when he stood back himself to admire it. “It’s perfect, Olivia,” he said gruffly. “Thank you.”
Olivia had been complimented on her work more times than she could remember and by some of the biggest celebrities in the world, but something about Jake’s words touched her heart more than any other. Why? Because she knew they were sincere. He wasn’t looking at a picture of himself and the twins and seeing how she digitally enhanced it to make anyone look better, she had chosen a photo that was perfect just because it captured this sweet, new little family for exactly who they were.
Resting her head on his shoulder, she sighed. But it was a happy, contented sigh. “You’re welcome. I’m just glad that you like it.”
Wordlessly, he took Olivia by the hand and led her from the room and then showed her what he had accomplished in the other two. Walls were painted and furniture was back in place. “It’s not the greatest renovation job I’ve ever done, but the rooms are freshened up and I can come back to them at a later date. For now they’ve got fresh coats of paint on the walls and the trim and all of the furniture has been polished within an inch of its life and there are clean linens on the beds. All in all, I’m fine with it.”
“The rooms all look great,” she said. “But admit it, most of the days that you were up here, you weren’t really doing anything, were you?”
How could he lie to her? He shrugged and gave her a crooked smile. “It was safer up here.”
Olivia threw back her head and laughed. “I knew it! I knew that you were just pretending to work so that you could stay away from me.”
“I didn’t want to stay away, per se,” he began, “but I needed to do my best to get my head together so that I wouldn’t pounce on you.”
“That’s funny considering that I was waiting for you to pounce on me,” she teased as she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist. “There was no need to hide out.”
Jake rested his forehead against hers. “I know that now. It’s just that then…well…I wasn’t so sure about what to do.”
His honesty touched her. “Well, I’m glad that you figured it out.”
“Me too.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose, then her cheek and then her lips. That was his favorite part. Kissing Olivia was some of the best times of his day. Jake felt that there wasn’t anything he couldn’t do if he had the promise of Olivia’s kisses at the end of it. “What are the odds of us moving the twins up to their new cribs right now and them sleeping through the night?”
“Being that it’s only four o’clock in the afternoon, I’d say pretty slim to none.”
“Damn, I was afraid you’d say that.”
“C’mon,” she said with feigned weariness, “let’s go downstairs and move away from temptation.”
Jake pulled her back into his arms and looked down into her eyes. “Sweetheart, as long as you’re near me, so is temptation.” He kissed her thoroughly before releasing her and heading down the stairs to check on the twins.
****
Sometimes no matter how much you wanted something, it just wasn’t meant to be. Olivia could tell that Jake’s patience was nearing an end, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t make things better. The twins were being particularly fussy, and no matter how much Jake and Olivia rocked them and soothed them, they were not going into their new room quietly.
/> “It doesn’t make any sense,” Jake snapped and then cursed himself when he startled them both and they started to cry all over again. “I don’t get it!” he hissed in a lower tone. “They can’t possibly notice that it’s another room.”
“Sure they can,” Olivia said softly, patting Maddie’s back as she gently bounced her. “It still smells a little like paint in here…”
“But I used the one that isn’t supposed to have a smell! The one that’s safe for nurseries!”
“Shh…I know, I know. I guess they’re still just sensitive to it.” Looking around the room, Olivia wracked her brain for what it was that she could do to comfort the twins. Everything was the same for the most part – the crib, their clothes, their swaddling blankets. And then it hit her. “I’ll be right back.” With Maddie still sniffling at her shoulder, Olivia walked quickly and quietly down the stairs to the master bedroom and found the tiny bumper pads that she had been using up until today in the bassinets. She had pulled them out of the bassinets earlier so that she could wash them, but they hadn’t ended up in the laundry pile yet.
With the bumpers tucked under her arm, she made her way back up the stairs and stopped just outside the door when she heard Jake talking softly to his son.
“It’s okay, buddy. I know that it seems scary, but I promise you that it’s not. I made this room especially for you and your sister. I know it’s not perfect, but I did the best that I could. And you see this?” he asked as he walked Ben over to the picture of the three of them that was hanging on the wall. “Olivia did this for us.” He looked at the picture and then back at his son. “That was a good day, right? The fresh air and laying on the blankets? We’re gonna do a lot more of that, and when you get a little bit bigger, we’re going to build a big jungle gym and play set out there for you to climb and play on. It’s going to be great.”
Olivia dropped the bumpers on the floor and put a hand over her heart. She stepped back and stood in the shadows and listened some more.
“And maybe we can even get a basketball hoop, and I can teach you how to shoot baskets. Would you like that?” He tilted his head and tried to get a reaction from the baby. While Ben wasn’t showing much enthusiasm, he had stopped crying and seemed to be mesmerized by his father’s voice. “Basketball may not be your thing, and that’s okay. We can get a soccer net and kick the ball around the yard, and we’ll try T-ball, too. Whatever it is that you want to try, we’ll do.”
He looked around the room and smiled at the little pink dresses that were hanging in the closet. “Of course we can’t forget about your sister. She’s going to be a little outnumbered here when it’s only the three of us. We’re going to have to remember that she’s going to like things like dolls and tea parties. And it’s going to be up to you and me to protect her and make sure that nobody treats her badly. Once you’re in school, you’ll be able to keep an eye on her and make sure that she’s okay. I know it’s a big responsibility, but I think you can handle it. You’re my boy, and I have faith in you.”
Tears began to well up in Olivia’s eyes. Jake may not realize it yet, but this little man-to-man talk that he was having with his son proved that he was dedicated to his role of fatherhood and that he was going to be great at it.
“I’m sure she’s going to give us a run for our money,” Jake continued, and Olivia noticed that the lights in the room dimmed. “I mean, girls can be a little scary and confusing. They’re so sweet and pretty, but there are times when you’re just not going to understand them. I don’t doubt that your sister is going to be any different.” Ben yawned and blinked up at Jake sleepily. “But at the end of the day, you can’t help but love them. Someday, you’ll find the perfect girl to love, and you’ll be the luckiest man alive.” He touched his son’s cheek. “I’m sorry that your mom left, and I want you to know that I’m going to do everything that I can to make sure that you have a great life. I’m going to screw up from time to time, and…there are times when I’m not going to know what to do. Mom’s always seem to know what to do…but I’m going to do my best to be the best dad…and mom…to you and Maddie.” He placed a kiss on Ben’s head and walked over to the crib.
Olivia took the opportunity to slip into the room. She quietly walked up beside him and held up the bumpers. “I had taken them out of the bassinets to wash them. They’re really too small for the cribs, but maybe we can do something to tie them to the new bumpers. I’m not sure it will solve the problems, but maybe the scent of something familiar will help them relax.”
Jake stared at her in awe and disbelief. He would have never thought of something like that. He would have walked the floors and rocked them until they all were exhausted.
“What?” she asked, seeing the look on his face.
“It’s just…you’re amazing. You see a problem, and…you fix it. I would have stood here and panicked all night, but you just looked around, sized up the situation and found a solution. How do you do that?”
Olivia chuckled. “It’s like my super-power. I’ve always been able to do that. I’m told that I’m great in emergencies, but really, I just see what has to be done and do it.” Jake took one of the bumpers from her hands and carefully hugged Ben close as he tried to fit it into the crib. “Here, why don’t you let me take Ben while you work with the bumpers?”
“I’m still not sure I know what I’m supposed to do with them,” he said with a lopsided grin.
“Then how about you hold the twins, and I’ll rig this up.”
“Deal.” Carefully, Jake adjusted Ben again so that he could cradle Maddie in his other arm. Olivia made fast work of tying the tiny bumper against one side of each crib and securing it so that it wouldn’t come undone. Jake simply watched in amazement at her quick and efficient movements and at how quickly the task was completed. “Wow.”
“I don’t know about ‘wow’, but I hope that this helps them to relax.” Taking Maddie from his arms, she snuggled her close for a moment before laying her down in her new bed. She positioned her close enough to the bumper that she would be able to maybe see it and smell it, but far enough away that should she decide to be an infant-over-achiever and roll over, that she wouldn’t smother herself. Taking a step back, she smiled when the baby didn’t fuss or cry. She simply yawned and closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep. Looking over at Jake, she said, “Okay, now for the real test.”
Imitating Olivia’s moves, Jake positioned Ben in the crib the same way that Maddie was and patted his belly like he’d seen Olivia do a dozen times before. Remarkably enough, his son didn’t make a peep. Like his sister, he gave one final yawn before falling asleep. Jake took several steps back and let out the breath he had been holding. “Holy crap…I didn’t think it was going to work.”
“Me either. Now we’ll have to see if these new beds and new environment effect their sleeping pattern.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, they might sleep longer or they may wake up sooner.” She looked around the room and spotted the monitor and turned it on. “We have the other end of this downstairs so we’ll be able to hear them just fine if they wake up.” It all sounded good in theory, but Olivia suddenly felt worried about leaving them up here by themselves. Her worry must have shown on her face because Jake asked her what was wrong.
“I’m aware that these baby monitors are made for this exact situation – so you can hear the babies when you’re out of the room. I just feel bad leaving them up here while we’re downstairs.” She worried her bottom lip. “Part of me wishes that everything was on one floor.”
“That would take a bit more renovation than I was willing to do,” Jake teased and was relieved when Olivia smiled at him.
“Very funny. I’m sure it’s going to be fine. I’ve just gotten used to having them so close by that this is going to seem weird.”
Something in the region of his heart squeezed at her words. While he was standing here breathing a sigh of relief because he had the nursery finished and his kids w
ere asleep in their beds, Olivia was worried about being farther away from them. She may not have been the one to give them life, but she was certainly nurturing them as if she were their mother. Not sure that she’d take that as a compliment or not, he chose to keep that observation to himself – tucking it away in his heart.
Taking Olivia by the hand, he slowly led her out of the room – turning off the last light as they walked out. There were two nightlights in the room just in case they needed them, but he didn’t think it was necessary to have the room too illuminated. He didn’t say a word until they were down the stairs and walking across the living room. He stopped next to the sofa and turned to face her. “Are you going to be okay?”
She nodded, but her eyes looked a little sad.
“They’re going to be fine, Liv,” he reassured her. “This is what was supposed to happen, right?”
Again, she nodded.
“Okay, so then rather than letting ourselves be sad about it, let’s look at this as one of their first milestones.” Then, inspiration struck. “Why don’t you go and grab your camera and take some pictures of them up in their new beds. We can title them ‘First Night in Our New Room’. What do you think?”
That he completely understood her and how she coped comforted her.
Reaching out, she cupped one side of his face in her hand and leaned up and kissed him. “I think that you are an amazing man, Jake Knight.” And then she fairly skipped across the room to grab her camera before running up the stairs.
Jake watched her go and smiled. Who knew that such a simple suggestion could bring her so much joy? Olivia was so different from the other women that he had ever been involved with – she was uncomplicated and genuine. She was open and honest and real. He had to sit back and watch as Marilyn had just handed over her children without an ounce of emotion, he had a feeling that at the end of the month, it would be far harder for Olivia.
And he didn’t know if that made him feel good or bad.
Baby, Be Mine (Life, Love And Babies Book 3) Page 10
