Seeing her disappointment bothered him, so before she answered, he said, “Pixie?”
“Yes?”
“I’d love to come in. Thank you.”
There was a lot of confusion once they got to the house. Andy woke up cranky; Brogan was supposed to call back the police, who had a few questions about the boating incident; Shayna was hungry; and their food was now cold.
Still, Pixie was unreasonably excited. Nervous too.
Of course, she understood that Brogan’s visit was only friendly. Not at all romantic. Undoubtedly, he wasn’t even interested in friendship if it came with any type of restriction. She got it. Before Brogan, she’d felt the same.
Andy’s father had burned her so badly, disrupting her life in ways she never could have anticipated, that the idea of getting close to a man, any man, turned her stomach. Trust another guy? No, never.
Except … she trusted Cort, mainly because he was like a big brother, showing only the concern of a natural-born protector. It hadn’t taken Pixie any time at all to see that Cort loved Marlow, and vice versa. They were perfect for each other.
Brogan, however, was not in the same category.
For one thing, he was completely unattached. For another, she’d never met a man so physically imposing, or so appealing. What she felt for him was in no way sisterly.
She hadn’t even felt this way about Dylan. With Andy’s dad, she’d mostly been delighted to be noticed, flattered to be included, and thrilled by the numerous gifts he’d given her. She hadn’t looked at Dylan and gotten tongue-tied or felt warmth swirling in her stomach. She hadn’t fantasized over him when she should have been sleeping.
The sex had been great. Eye-opening even. But already she anticipated dinner with Brogan far more than she’d ever wanted sex with Dylan.
Such a startling realization.
As they went through the house, she flipped on lights, aware of Brogan’s curious gaze taking in everything. The foyer led straight into the kitchen, with a dining room on the left and the living room just beyond that. Along the entire left side of the house was a long, narrow porch that had been enclosed and turned into a summer room. It was her favorite spot in the house.
He spotted the playpen in the living room and asked, “Okay if I put Shayna in there for a minute?”
“Sure.” She had her hands full with Andy as he woke up. He clung to her, grumpy and no doubt hungry. She kissed her son, then said, “Our food is still in the car.”
“I’ll get it. I was going to grab the stroller, too. If you don’t mind, I can use it like a high chair, assuming you only have the one.” He nodded to Andy’s chair in the kitchen.
“Good idea. I’ll keep an eye on Shayna while I change Andy’s diaper.” She paused when she caught his smile. “What?”
“Sorry, nothing. It’s just … fun.” He gestured around the house, at Shayna and Andy fussing, and their diaper bags on the floor. “Sorting this out with you, I mean.”
Now that he mentioned it, she agreed. Hoping it wouldn’t be too much, she said, “Better than doing it alone.”
He hesitated, then gave a nod. “Definitely better.”
The second he turned to leave, Andy started crying. “Shh, Andy. None of that now. Brogan is coming back.”
“Fend,” he said in a pitiful little voice, and Pixie couldn’thelp but smile. “Yes, sweetie, he’s our friend and he’ll be right back. First, you need a clean diaper.” His shorts were wet through, so she put his changing pad on the floor next to the playpen and knelt down with him. “You’re soaked, little man.”
His face lit up at seeing Shayna. “Baby!”
“See? Brogan wouldn’t leave her behind.” She quickly stripped off his shorts and put on a dry diaper, all the while knowing that Andy was already far too attached to a man who’d only be around for a temporary time. “We’re going to share dinner—just this once. Are you hungry?”
“Baby.”
“The baby will eat with us.” She was sorting through the diaper bag, looking for clean socks, when Brogan reentered. Andy was off like a shot, wearing only his little T-shirt and snowy diaper, his bare feet slapping the hardwood floor as he ran.
Laughing, Brogan quickly set the food on an entry table and caught Andy up in his free arm. The folded stroller was held in his other hand. Immediately, his gaze went to Shayna. The baby was on her tummy, head and shoulders up so she could look around with wide-eyed interest.
“I’ve got her,” Pixie said as she lifted Shayna out of the playpen. “Her diaper is still dry.”
Brogan was careful not to ding the walls as he carried the stroller into the kitchen.
