That made her roar. “Ohmigod,” she said between gasps. “You even …” Another snort of laughter interrupted her. Even Shayna kicked her legs and giggled.
“I’m glad everyone’s having such a good time,” Brogan said,deadpan. He reached over to rub Pixie’s back. “Breathe before you fall out of the chair.”
She tried, but one look at his face set her off again. It took her well over a minute to wind down—and Brogan was still touching her.
While she struggled to get it together, Brogan said to Andy, “No more throwing, dude, okay? It’s not cool.” Then he seemed to have an idea. “Although, we could divert you with a ball, maybe at the park. Or even in the yard.”
He helped Pixie to straighten, but she couldn’t do anything about her watering eyes and the giant smile still on her face.
Brogan’s smile turned tender as he smoothed down her hair. “What do you think? Could you impress on him that a ball—outside—is the only thing he should throw?”
It felt as if her heart floated. “He’s still so young, but we can certainly try.”
After that, everything seemed more relaxed. They talked easily, joking and sharing stories, remaining at the table long after the food was gone. Even then, they didn’t say goodbye.
The kids were cleaned up and the playpen was moved closer. Shayna went into it and Andy was given toys beside her. That worked out well while the adults put the kitchen in order, but then Andy tried to drop one of his toys in for Shayna, and it almost landed on her head.
Nothing heavy, just his soft vinyl book, but it put both Pixie and Brogan on alert. They spent a good five minutes explaining to Andy how dropped toys could hurt Shayna, and then he wanted to kiss her head. He kept telling Shayna, “No boo-boo.”
“He’s a terrific kid,” Brogan said. “Smart and considerate, especially for his age.”
Drying her hands, Pixie stepped up beside him and watched her son squat down to peer at Shayna through the mesh nettingon the playpen. “So you’ve recovered from the food incident?”
He nudged her with his shoulder. “I’ll have you know I’ve handled worse things being thrown at me than a little mushy food.”
“Still.” Pixie smiled up at him. “I’m sorry it happened, and sorry I found it so hilarious.”
“No.” He shook his head, firm in his denial. “No apologies, okay? I enjoyed the whole thing. It was a perfect way to top off a day that could have been tragic.”
“Yeah.” Thinking of Ellen and Benny, and what a close call they’d had, she turned back to Andy. She was so thankful to have him in her life, even when he occasionally misbehaved.
Andy jabbered to Shayna, but whatever he said was indecipherable. Shayna cooed back.
Seeing the two of them so close to each other, practically nose to nose, was eye-opening. “Wow. It just struck me that they could almost be siblings.”
Beside her, Brogan went as still as stone.
“Their hair is almost the exact same color, and of course they both have blue eyes.” She felt Brogan’s wariness and glanced at him. “Many babies have blue eyes, at least until six months or so. Then they might start to change.”
“Andy’s will stay blue,” he predicted softly. “They’re almost as blue as yours.”
She knew the truth. “Blue, yes, but darker like his father’s.”
Brogan stepped away to lean a hip on the counter. “So he had blue eyes, too?”
“Yes. What about your sister?”
“Connie’s eyes were like mine.” He twisted his mouth. “Gray, like our father’s.”
“Do you know anything about Shayna’s father?”
His inhale was slow and deep. He didn’t look at her. “Enough.”
“Oops.” Pixie was instantly distracted when she realized Andy was falling asleep. “I need to clean his teeth and get him into his pajamas.”
Brogan checked the time. “Will you go through your whole routine?”
“Probably not. Ab-a-t-hright now might give him a second wind—then we’d be up all night.” She spelled the word so Andy wouldn’t start demanding. He did love to splash in his bath, and that would definitely wake him up again.
