he really think that made any difference at all? Maybe she wasn’t the only one who needed reassurance.
“There are other ways to have children. Or not. Whatever we decide about that, it won’t change the way I feel. Ever. I want you. I always will.”
He pressed his cheek against hers, the way her mom had done just moments earlier. Only this time she felt moisture on her skin. Tears. And just beneath the salty tang, she caught the faint medicinal scent carried by hospitals everywhere, and Kaleb’s musky aftershave.
But most of all, he smelled like Home.
THE KITE HUNG suspended from the ceiling in Chloe’s room.
Gone was the tiny twin bed in the revamped study of Maddy’s old place. A year’s worth of hard work and counseling on Kaleb’s part had brought him to the place where his heart no longer clamped tight in fear whenever Chloe got one of her headaches or Maddy’s asthma came out to play.
Even before he finished therapy, though, Maddy had allowed him to put a simple gold band on her left hand, a sign of faith that she believed he was there to stay. And he was. He’d moved them into his apartment. Jetta was probably the hardest sell, but even the cat had decided the new digs weren’t all that bad. Especially with the catwalk Kaleb had installed on the veranda, which gave him a wonderful view of the city below.
Chloe was at school until four o’clock. They’d taken full advantage of that time together, since time was in short supply these days. He tightened the towel around his waist and surveyed Maddy’s handiwork. She’d made his house a home. And not just for him.
Right on cue, a sharp cry shattered the peaceful atmosphere. Making his way down the hallway, he intercepted Maddy, a bottle already in her hand.
“We timed that just right, didn’t we?” Her grin was aimed at the towel.
“I don’t know if it was our timing, or if she was just having mercy on us.”
Together they went into the bedroom of another little girl. Rosa Jane. She wasn’t theirs, but she’d already won over their hearts.
Kaleb wouldn’t have any more biological children, but that didn’t mean that he and Maddy couldn’t provide love...and a secure home for children in need. They’d become foster parents, and Rosa Jane was their very first charge. If things went the way they hoped, she might even become a permanent member of their family.
Maddy picked the baby up from her crib and cuddled her in her arms. Trusting blue eyes blinked up at them as Kaleb put his arm around his wife’s waist.
This was where he belonged. Here with Maddy, Chloe and whomever else fate might add to their home.
He kissed the top of her head, his heart brimming with a happiness he’d never dreamed possible. But she made it possible.
“Let me take her,” he murmured.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He gathered the baby and her bottle and settled into the rocking chair in the corner. Maddy leaned against the door and watched as Rosa Jane greedily sucked at the milk.
“I think we can throw away that oil can.”
It took him a minute to realize what she was talking about. He’d placed Roxy’s oil can on a shelf in his office as a reminder to never let himself get rusty when it came to their relationship. “You never know. I might need it someday.”
“I don’t think so.” She smiled and drew in a deep breath, letting it out in an audible sigh. “I think, Kaleb...I think we’re going to be just fine without it. All of us.”
* * * * *
Reunited With His Runaway Bride
Robin Gianna
Brought back together by a baby
It broke Dr. Bree Donovan’s heart to end things with family-orientated surgeon Sean Latham, but marriage and kids are not for her. Only, now Sean is asking her to help care for his newborn nephew while his sister is in hospital, and Bree can’t say no.
It’s temporary, but as Bree experiences how rewarding family life can be—and gives in to the passion she and Sean have always shared—is it possible for her to believe that this time around they really could have it all?
“What else hurts?”
“I’m not going to say everything, even though it does,” she said softly.
The instant vision of smoothing fragrant oil all over her naked body robbed him of breath. Sean lifted his head, and the eyes that met his seemed to have seen exactly the same vision.
They were both remembering well the essential-oil massages they’d shared that hadn’t had a thing to do with homeopathic therapy.
He gritted his teeth, fighting down the insistent hot desire for her surging through his blood. Not only was Bree in pain, the last thing either of them needed was to fall into bed, bringing reminders of all they’d shared together before it had ended. Ripping up old wounds that had barely started to heal as it was. Brief sexual pleasure—which at that moment he wanted with her more than he could remember wanting anything in his life—would be pointless and beyond a bad idea. She would be moving soon, and he still hadn’t figured out how he was going to get on with his life without her.
I realised I’d never had an infant featured in one of my stories, only young children, and decided I wanted that for my next book. The first idea that came to me was this version of the ‘baby on the doorstep’ theme, and I decided to go with it!
Bree and Sean broke their engagement six months ago because it became painfully clear that there are too many differences between them—number one being that he wants children and she doesn’t. When a car accident seriously injures Sean’s nine-monthspregnant sister, who is also Bree’s good friend, they’re unavoidably thrown together to care for the healthy newborn. Sean and Bree have zero experience with infants, and I had fun remembering a few things new parents go through as they learn how to cope with a tiny human arriving in their lives.
Sean and Bree expect to be stuck spending time together just briefly, until his mother arrives to take over baby duty. But it ends up being days longer, and it’s not easy fighting the attraction still sizzling between them. So many good memories are there, too, despite the bad ones that keep surfacing. Ultimately they both figure out what is most important to them, but it isn’t easy!
I love to hear from readers! You can find me at my website, RobinGianna.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter, @Robin_Gianna.
