Autumn Wish (12 page)

Not that she’d view it that way. She’d been wonderful with Ella from the start, and her unconditional love for his little girl was part of what drew him to her.

His little girl. His kid.
Whoa
.

He had to stop thinking like that. What if Rae came back and took her away?

The sudden, fearful leap of his pulse told him it was a day he never wanted to see. How awful to dread seeing his sister again, and yet already the thought of losing Ella was equally unthinkable.

Guilt pressed in like the dark clouds, and after only one hour of overtime, he packed it in and headed home to Pulaski as the heater in the truck warmed his chilled bones. Once he reached the Riley residence about six-thirty, he parked behind a multitude of vehicles and jogged to the front door through the dreary drizzle.

After ringing the doorbell, he stood back, brushing moisture from his hair while admiring what he could see of the log home. A series of lightning flashes lit up the porch, creating a strobe-light effect. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he glanced back over his hunched shoulder at the stormy sky.

“You must be Sam.”

He swung back around to see a stylish blond woman, who could only be Nikki’s sister, standing in the open doorway.

“Yes. I’m here to pick up my niece.”

She motioned him inside. “Come on in. I’m Marissa.”

He stepped into the warm house and turned to face her as she shut the door. “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. Let me take your coat.”

“Oh, I’m not staying.”

“At least have something to eat. There’s a ton of food.”

“I—” He cast a glance toward the noise coming from beyond the foyer and did a double take as Nikki rounded the corner.

She wore her usual jeans, and a gray, V-necked version of the curve-hugging sweaters she favored, so how was it she looked better than ever? Her hair was curled, and a little extra make-up highlighted her beautiful blue eyes. She was just as pretty without it, but gloss on her lips made her smile shine even brighter.

That’s what it was—the smile that reached all the way to her eyes as if he was the only one in the room.

“Hey. You’re earlier than I expected.”

She even sounded happy to see him. His pulse sped up—until he rationalized she was simply relieved to be free of the responsibility of caring for Ella so she could enjoy quality time with her own family.

“Yeah, I—”

“Tell him he has to stay,” Marissa interrupted.

“I don’t want to intrude on the party.”
Or end up having to make small talk with Joe
. He dragged his gaze away from Nikki, and lifted his arms to draw attention to his old, dirty jeans and dusty boots. “I came straight from the job site, so it’s better if Ella and I just head home.”

“Oh, please, like we’re not used to carpenters and construction workers after a day of work.” Marissa stepped behind him and took hold of the collar of his coat. As she pulled, giving him no choice but to shrug out of his lined Carhartt jacket, he sent Nikki a pleading look.

Her grin remained as she spread her hands with a shrug. “You might as well grab a plate of food. I don’t think you’re going to pry Ella out of Santa Butch’s hands anytime soon, anyway.”

“Santa Butch?”

“He’s a close family friend. You’ll understand when you meet him.”

“Butch Walsh had a hand in me and Eric getting together, so he and his wife Judy will always be part of our family,” Marissa explained from the closet. “Plus, my brother-in-law and sister in-law married their granddaughter and grandson.”

Nikki laughed as he tried to catch up in his mind. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Ella was fully occupied in the arms of an older man with a snow-white beard, rosy cheeks, and eyes squinted in joy.
Santa
Butch was an apt description; all he needed was the suit and some spectacles perched on his nose. Sam offered to take his niece, but the man waved him away.

“Get yourself something to eat, son. This little angel and I are just fine.”

The
little angel
reached up and tangled her fingers in his beard. Sam imagined those vice-like fingers had to be inflicting pain, but Butch only spouted a mouthful of gibberish that made Ella gurgle through her toothless grin.

Assured she was in good hands, he did a visual sweep of the chaotic room. Hmm...no Joe? Resignation gave way for relief.
Good
. He wouldn’t be reminded of his stupidity. Then Eric met his gaze for a brief, tense moment, but was quickly distracted by a pair of toddler boys.

By the time the rest of the introductions were completed, Sam’s head was spinning. There was Mark and Janelle, whose baby had been commandeered by Grandpa Ben Riley. Grandma Sue held the birthday girl, Savannah. Lisa and Derek helped Eric entertain the twins, Ethan and Evan, while Marissa and Eric’s older girls played hostesses.

He thanked the blond one for the glass of punch she brought to him, and then grabbed one-handed for the plate of food the taller, dark-haired girl almost shoved into his stomach. Nikki saved the plate from tipping forward all over his shirt.

“Reese, honey, easy.”

“I’m sorry.” Her gray-blue eyes filled with dismay.

“It’s okay,” he assured her with a grin. “It looks really good. Thank you very much.”

Her frown flipped, and she beamed at him before turning to see if the older woman he was pretty sure was Santa Butch’s wife wanted anything else. He set his punch on a nearby table and accepted the plate from Nikki. “So, that was Reese, and the other one is...Hazel?”

“
Heather
brought the punch. Hazel is Mark and Janelle’s baby. She’s just a few weeks older than Ella.”

“Got it...I think.”

She laughed. “Eventually you’ll get them all straight.”

Eventually? He liked the sound of that, until he realized she probably meant he’d see them around at her house, them being neighbors and all. Taking a bite of lasagna provided the perfect distraction to his disappointment. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the savory flavors of tomato and garlic filled his mouth. A second creamy, bow-tie pasta was just as good.

The adults gathered on the couches and chairs while the kids all sat on the floor for the opening of presents. Lively conversation flowed around him, interspersed with the squeals of laughter from the children. It was an assault to his unaccustomed senses, and yet, surprisingly, the bedlam didn’t bother him as he finished eating.

Mark Riley possessed an identical protective streak he’d witnessed from Eric the other night, though the few minutes the guy grilled him was more disguised than Eric’s direct confrontation. Finding out both of them were former military did not lessen the intimidation factor. Thankfully, other than a few curious looks, everyone else was welcoming and friendly.

Reese came back for his empty plate after all the wrapping paper was cleaned up, and Sam took the opportunity to retrieve Ella. He appreciated the chance to eat, but after all day at work, he missed the baby. She was a bright ray of sunshine in his otherwise dismal day.

Butch handed her over with obvious reluctance. “She’s a sweetheart.”

“I can’t really take credit for her.”

“Just take care of her like you are,” Butch advised. “That’s all you need to do.”

Clearly, everyone in the family knew the story.

“Believe me, I intend to.” He gave his niece a smile and was rewarded with another toothless grin as her chubby little hands reached for his face. His heart swelled.
This
. This moment made it worth each sleep-deprived night that had already passed and the ones sure to come.

“How do ya like your new house?”

Butch’s question came as lightning flashed outside and thunder rumbled. The lights flickered and a chorus of
oh’s
sounded over the drumming of rain on the roof and outside deck. After a glance around, Sam returned his attention to the older man.

“Still settling in. It’ll take a little longer now, but we should be okay.”

“You found yerself a nice neighborhood there.”

The best, if he considered his next door neighbor.

Mark’s wife, the red-headed Janelle, had come to stand behind Butch’s chair, and she put her hand on the old man’s shoulder. “Weren’t you on Bob’s route over there last week?”

“Sure was. He took the family out to Yellowstone.”

“Grandpa is a retired mailman,” Derek explained from where he was sitting on the floor with one of the twins. “But he still fills in every once in a while.”

Last week, huh?
Is he the one responsible for the mixed up mail?
Sam wondered. He didn’t ask the question out loud, though. He didn’t want to make Santa feel bad about a mistake in front of his family.

The lights flickered again, followed by a clap of thunder that drowned out the voices inside the house. Sam wondered if he shouldn’t take a peek at the weather on his phone when Marissa called everyone into the kitchen for cake. Eric raised his hands for quiet as she lit the candles.

“The radar says this cell is just about passed, and then we’ve got about an hour before the next one rolls through. Let’s have some cake, and then you all can head home before the worst hits.”

Little Savannah stared in wide-eyed wonder at the flickering candles just out of reach. Sam imagined Ella in her place in about nine months and hoped she’d still be with him for her first birthday celebration.

After everyone sang Happy Birthday, Heather and Reese handed out pieces of the marbled cake topped with large scoops of ice cream. Sam stood by the raised island counter that separated the kitchen from the large, open living room. He managed one bite of his dessert before Ella started getting impatient with being held.

Once he found the pacifier and started a gentle rocking motion, she calmed down. He was slowly getting the hang of caring for her, and each success boosted his confidence. This was a big win in a room full of people who clearly had a lot of experience with kids.

As he took a second bite of cake and melting ice cream, his gaze unerringly located Nikki at the kitchen table, standing between her nephews’ booster seats. She leaned forward to run her pinkie finger along the edge of the cake tray where a line of frosting had been left behind. Twisting one way, then the other, she dabbed some on the nose of each toddler. The boys exclaimed and swiped at their faces while she and the two older girls laughed.

Then Nikki lifted her hand and stuck her finger in her mouth to suck off the rest of the frosting. It was a completely innocent act, yet the sight of her glossed lips closing around her finger sent a spike of awareness straight to his groin.

“Nikki’s got a way with kids.”

He did his best to cover the jerk of his hand at the unexpected sound of Eric’s deep voice at his left shoulder. He set down his fork and wiped off the frosting that ended up smeared on the corner of his mouth. “She’s got a way with everyone.”

That assessing gray gaze made Sam wish he’d kept his mouth shut. Afraid Eric would guess the direction his thoughts had taken a moment ago, he used Ella as a shield, angling his body ever so slightly so she blocked the other man’s line of vision.

“You appear to be managing your niece pretty well.”

“It’s still an adjustment, but we’re getting there.”

“Good.” Eric took a bite of his own cake and took a moment to chew. “Glad you stayed, by the way. Mark seems to think you’re all right.”

“Just Mark?”

He shrugged, smirked, and walked away.

Sam stared after him, swung his gaze to Nikki, then focused on the baby in his arms.

What the hell was he doing here with this big happy family?

The longer he stayed, the more he might start to want one of his own, and that wasn’t going to happen. People didn’t stick with him. Not his father. Not his mother. He’d come to depend on Nikki in the past week, and now she was back with her ex.

His gaze skimmed from one smiling face to the next. He should’ve left, damn it. After deserting his own sister all those years ago, he was an idiot to want what these people had. Seeing the love and happiness they shared, he realized if Rae ever did come back to take Ella, he’d be left all alone. Again.

And it’d be nothing less than he deserved.

Chapter 13

Nikki made one last trip around the living room collecting stray dishes. She carried them to the kitchen as her sister joined her now that she’d waved goodbye to the rest of the family. Sam had left with Ella almost immediately after the cake had been served. He’d seemed to get along with everyone, but with his abrupt departure, she wondered if he’d been uncomfortable all along.

Marissa came up and leaned her elbows on the island counter. “So...let’s talk about Sam.”

“Oh, great. I should’ve left with everyone else.” Despite the grumble, she couldn’t help but smile.

“But you didn’t. First of all, let me say, I approve. Wholeheartedly. He’s nice, he’s great with Ella, and he is smokin’ hot.”

“Better not let your husband hear you say that.”

She waved her hand. “He’ll just think I’m talking about him. Besides, he’s upstairs putting the kids to bed. So, back to Sam. Tell me about that kiss the other night.”

Heat flooded her face. “What makes you think I’ve kissed him?”

“You’re blushing. And, Eric told me all about it when he dropped off the crib.”

“What does he know?” Marissa’s
you can’t fool me
expression shot down her defensiveness. Nikki sighed. “Okay, fine, but it was stupid. We were joking about making Joe jealous—we’d seen him at the grocery store and he kissed me—”

“Joe did?”

“No,
Sam
did. I was upset about seeing Joe and Tanya, so he pretended to be my boyfriend.”

“I’m liking this guy more and more.”

“Anyway, back at his place later, I kinda tricked him into
practicing
”—she made air quotes with her fingers—“kissing me so I wouldn’t be taken by surprise the next time.”

“Smart move.”

“The thing is, it actually worked. Joe stopped by last night.”