Page 47 of Unveiled

“She’s going to be a talker, huh?”

Adalyn smiled over at him as she scooped the baby off the changing table. “She’s trying. It’ll come sooner or later.”

He ran a hand over Jaclyn’s silky white-blonde hair. “She’s perfect.”

“She is.” Adalyn’s gaze met his, and she returned his smile with a soft one of her own. “Would you mind if we stole the chair for a bit so I can feed her?”

He noticed the sippy cup full of milk on the nightstand for the first time, and understanding dawned. “Sure.”

She settled in and cuddled the baby on her lap. After losing almost two whole years, first with the pregnancy, then Jaclyn’s birth, he didn’t want to miss another moment. “Would you mind if I stayed?”

“Do you want to feed her?” She studied him intently, a strange expression on her face. He felt for some reason like this was a kind of test.

“Absolutely.”

A brilliant smile curved Adalyn’s mouth, making her look a thousand times more beautiful, and his heart nearly melted. She stood and gestured with her head for him to sit, then passed Jaclyn to him. The baby peered up at him curiously, probably wondering why he was there. “What do I do?”

“Just hold her. She’ll hold the cup herself.” Adalyn handed the cup to Jaclyn, who snatched it up and began to greedily gulp down the contents. “Usually we read. She loves the pictures.”

He chuckled as he watched her. There was so much that went into caring for a baby. How had Adalyn done it alone? On top of that, she was still running her own business. He’d seen the dark circles under her eyes, the ones that told him she stayed up too late and woke much too early. Adalyn was working herself to the bone, spending every spare moment sewing when she wasn’t with their daughter. She was going to kill herself if she kept it up.

Jaclyn’s eyes began to droop, and Adalyn extracted the now-empty cup from the baby’s slack fingers. “Can you put her in bed?” she whispered.

He stood cautiously, trying not to wake the dozing baby, and gently placed her in her crib. His breath caught as her eyelids fluttered open then closed again. Her arms and legs twitched, her muscles relaxing into slumber. He watched in fascination as her tiny mouth puckered, like she was dreaming of her late-night snack. He automatically slipped a hand around Adalyn’s waist. She stilled for a moment before leaning into his embrace, then rested her head on his shoulder.

He shifted her closer to him and set his chin on the top of her head. Staring down at Jaclyn, he couldn’t believe that they’d made something so small, so perfect. “It still blows my mind sometimes.”

Though he kept his gaze fixed on Jaclyn, he could feel Adalyn tip her chin up to look at him. “Her?”

He nodded, his throat too clogged with emotion to speak. Reluctantly, he released Adalyn and bent over the high wall of the crib to place a gentle kiss on his daughter’s pudgy cheek. “Night, baby girl.”

Adalyn followed suit, then closed the door behind them. He caught her hand in his, drawing her near. “I’m really proud of you.”

Her eyebrows dipped. “For what?”

“This. All of it.” He gestured with his free hand. “Your business. This house. The way you are with Jaclyn—especially the way you are with her. You’re a great mom, Addy.”

She blushed. “It’s no big deal.”

He smiled down at her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know how you managed.”

Her expression immediately sobered, the smile sliding from her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I can’t begin to tell you⁠—”

“Hey.” He hooked a finger beneath her chin and lifted her glassy gaze to his. “That’s all in the past. You’ve done an amazing job, but I’m here to help from now on. Will you let me do that?”

She nodded jerkily.

“Good.” He stroked a thumb over her cheek. “Come on.”

Tugging on her hand, he pulled her toward the stairs. Once in the kitchen, he swiped two bottles of beer from the carton he’d stashed in there earlier. He twisted off the tops and passed one to Adalyn, then nodded to the couch. “Let’s sit.”

She sank down next to him on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her as she half-faced him. “Thank you for this.”

“The drink?” He took a long swig of his and watched her do the same. “No problem. Thought you could use it to unwind a bit.”

“It’s been a while.” Adalyn’s tongue darted out, swiping up the tiny drop of liquid hovering on her bottom lip. “Actually, I think the last time I drank was with you.”

“You don’t go out much?” He couldn’t help the little flare of satisfaction when she shook her head. She’d said the dates she’d been on had all been orchestrated by her mother. Still, she needed some time to herself once in a while. “Why not?”