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“I....” Vaughn glanced my way as if to accuse me of telling everyone about his comings and goings.
Before I could intercede, though, Eva explained, “We saw Noel and Aspen last night, and they mentioned it.”
“Right,” I murmured, then pointed between them as I told Vaughn, “These are Trick’s parents, by the way. Eva and Pick Ryan.”
Introducing him to even more family was beginning to weird me out. I knew it should be totally normal that I be the intermediate to link him from Ava to everyone else, but the realization of just how much I was personally connected to him now was really pounding itself into my head. The intimacy of it was just…strange. It didn’t feel as if I should be that attracted to someone who was now “family.”
“Aah, so you’ve met Trick, huh?” Pick was asking. He lifted his brows in interest. Then he sighed. “Sorry about that.”
“Speaking of him…” Setting my hand on my hips, I faced off with the Ryans so I could ignore the chemistry I should not be feeling for my daughter’s uncle. “Were you two aware that your youngest was going to propose marriage to me today?”
“Did he?” Pick grinned and suddenly changed his tune, spouting, “I always knew that boy was a bright one.”
“Well, how did you answer?” Eva demanded, looking almost eager.
I blinked at her before saying, “I said no, of course.”
Had she really expected me to accept such a crazy offer?
“Oh.” Eva’s excitement dimmed. “Well, that’s no fun. I would’ve loved to have you as a daughter-in-law.” Then she leaned in toward me and lowered her voice. “Frankly, some of the women he’s dated have scared the shit out of me.”
I grinned. “Me too.”
With a hopeless sigh, she admitted, “I sometimes worry about what he’s going to fall in love with someday.”
“You mean who he’s going to fall in love with,” I prompted.
“I definitely meant what.” She sent me an arch glance, telling me with a single look that no woman was going to be good enough for her baby boy to even rate a human-status who.
&nb
sp; “Eh, he’ll be fine,” Pick assured, squeezing his wife’s shoulder before stepping past her to approach Vaughn, who was still holding the baby.
Damn, but he did look good holding a baby.
“So this is your little bundle of joy, huh?” Pick asked.
Pride bubbled in my chest. “Yep. That’s my Ava Grace.”
“Aw.” Eva crowded in next to her husband as they hovered over the baby. “She’s precious.”
“I like her,” I murmured, smiling over their adoration.
“Of course, you do. And it’s completely Auntie Eva’s turn to hold her, I think.” Rubbing her hands together, she looked up at the man cradling the baby. “You don’t mind, do you, Vaughn?”
“Uh…” He looked like he totally minded. I half-expected him to lift his elbow, blocking her. But he heaved out a breath, sent Ava a longing glance as if he feared he’d never get to hold her again, and then he murmured, “No. Not at all.”
And he handed the infant over. As Eva stepped away with Pick on her heels, both of them grinning and baby-talking to Ava Grace, Vaughn turned to me as if lost.
“I should probably be going, anyway,” he murmured.
Still rocking my self-conscious embarrassment around him, I merely nodded and started to lead him to the door, only to notice another gift bag on the floor next to the exit, packaged much like the one that had sat there yesterday.
Pausing, I glanced toward Vaughn. “Did you bring another gift?”
Guilt flooded his features. “I…”
“No more,” I told him, shaking my head and rolling my eyes. “You’ve already given her enough.”
