knowing grins.
Shortly after Ben returned, Kylie and Seth prepared to leave. After they left, promising to return for another visit soon, Jadon stood, too. “I’d better let you get some rest.”
She masked her disappointment, knowing there was no reason for Jadon to stay overnight. She was fine. Gracie and Gretchen were fine. He deserved a good night’s sleep, which he wouldn’t get sleeping on a recliner in her room.
“All right. Get some sleep,” she told him.
“You, too.” He leaned over and kissed her. For a moment their lips clung and then he deepened the kiss, exploring her mouth in a way that made her breathless when he finally lifted his head.
“See you tomorrow,” he promised in a husky voice.
She relaxed against the pillows, her lips tingling from his kiss, and nodded.
This time she believed him.
“Simon, are you off work yet?” Jadon demanded over his cell phone. It was late, eleven-thirty at night, and he’d been waiting impatiently for Simon’s call. “I need your help.”
“Yes, I just finished, we had another busy night. Why? What’s up?”
“I’m at Alyssa’s apartment. I need your help to move the two cribs, the baby swings, the dressers, and everything else that she has here in her storage bin to my place.”
Simon let out a heavy sigh. “Where in the heck are you going to put all that stuff?” he asked.
“At my house,” Jadon repeated as if he were a tad slow. “I rented the truck again this afternoon so I have most of the stuff loaded in there already, except those two baby dressers because they’re darned heavy.”
“I’ll be right there,” Simon said in a resigned tone.
Jadon knew he’d set an almost impossible task, getting the bedroom totally painted and the furniture all set up as a surprise for Alyssa once she was discharged from the hospital. Yet he also knew he’d get it done, even if he had to stay up all night.
Simon arrived and they carried the two baby dressers down to the truck. Once they arrived at Jadon’s house, he elicited Simon’s help to take apart Alyssa’s bedroom set.
His friend placed his hands on his hips. “But if we take Alyssa’s bed down, where is she going to sleep?” he asked with feigned innocence.
Jadon sent him a narrow glance. “Ha, ha. Very funny. Give me a hand, will you?”
“Okay, but remember it was only a couple of days ago that you asked me to help you put it together in the first place.”
He grimaced. “I know. But we didn’t plan on having the girls seven weeks early either.”
“Listen to you,” Simon said as he took a screwdriver and attacked the bed frame. “You sound like an old married man.”
His words made Jadon’s stomach clench. He still wasn’t sure how he was going to handle things, but somehow he’d make it work. He didn’t really have a choice. “Alyssa’s going to be thrilled to see this,” he said. “I’m painting the walls pink.”
“Pink?” Simon’s gaze was skeptical. “You might reconsider. You’re going to get sick of pink with two girls.”
“Never.” Jadon grinned as he hauled the mattresses out of the room. He was going to store Alyssa’s bedroom set down in the basement for now. Simon had already helped him haul all the baby stuff inside, so maneuvering through the living room with the mattresses wasn’t easy.
He didn’t mind. He already had everything all planned out. Once Alyssa had been discharged from the hospital he’d bring her here to see the nursery he’d made for their daughters and then he’d tell her the truth about his brother.
The answer to his problems was simple. He could keep his dysfunctional family separate from his new one. With this arrangement, he could minimize the stress of Jack’s illness for Alyssa and the girls.
This could work.
The next day Jadon didn’t show up until almost noon, and even then he looked awful, ragged and exhausted as if he hadn’t gotten much sleep.
“What happened?” Alyssa asked in alarm. “Did you get called in to work?”
“No, I just had trouble sleeping, that’s all.” He yawned widely, but then opened his eyes wide as if to prove he was really awake. “It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”
She wasn’t so sure. What on earth had kept him up all night? It wasn’t as if there was anything to worry about or to stress over.
Except being a father.
Her stomach tightened. That had to be it. Was he having second thoughts about asking her to stay with him? Was the stress going to eventually get to him, making him leave? Did Jadon really want a fully com
mitted relationship? Or was he already backing off?
She needed to stop imagining the worst.
“Have you seen the babies yet today?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Yes. I tried to nurse again this morning, but they didn’t do very well again. So I learned all about the breast pump.” She made a face.
“I thought it took a few days for your milk to come in?” he asked, as if having a detailed conversation about breast-feeding was perfectly natural.
Which didn’t give the impression he was having second thoughts.
“It does. But the colostrum that’s there before the milk comes in is very good for the babies, too, and my milk won’t come in unless I nurse.” Darn it, she could feel her cheeks getting warm again. Why was she embarrassed? Their tentative relationship seemed to be going well; there was no reason for her to overreact like this.
“And they’re still breathing fine on their own?”
She nodded. “Yes, even Gretchen, although she seems to be having more of that apneic breathing that they’re so concerned about. Grace has it, too, but I guess Gretchen’s percentages are a little higher.”
“Hmm. Something to ask Louis about, I guess. Do you mind if we go down to see them again?” Jadon asked. “Or if you’re too tired, I can go myself.”
“I’m not too tired,” she assured him, getting up out of bed. She was moving much better today and, as Kim had promised, was hardly sore at all. She’d spent over two hours in the level-three nursery that morning, but she didn’t mind going again.
Soon the babies would be her responsibility, fulltime. Jadon would help, but she’d still better get used to it.
“Do you realize the
