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“Not at first we weren’t,” Autumn protested. “You were all about never settling down.”
He pressed a kiss against her brow. “And then I realized how amazing you were, and that I couldn’t live without you.” He glanced at Lydia. “Is that how you feel about Jackson?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I don’t know. We’re just having fun, I guess.” She didn’t want to think too deeply about it, because she was scared what she might find.
Autumn looked from Lydia and back to Griff. “You know, honey, we really could do with a night out. I can’t remember the last time I ate using both hands.”
Lydia sent her sister a silent wave of gratitude. She knew Autumn was worried about her and Jackson as well. She’d said as much when they went out for ice cream the other night. But her sister was soft hearted, and she believed in letting people do their own thing.
So did Griff, for the most part. And if she was honest, Lydia kind of liked his protectiveness. She was a free bird, but even free birds liked a safe place to nest sometimes.
From the way he was stroking Skyler’s hair, Lydia could guess exactly where Griff’s anxiety came from. He was a father now, and that made him constantly concerned for his daughter. His protectiveness over Lydia was just a reflection of that.
“Yeah,” Griff agreed. “Maybe a night out without this monkey would do us both some good.”
Lydia grinned, because she knew they both needed this. “I’ll take good care of her, I promise. You’ll have such a good time.”
Autumn glanced slyly at Griff. “Maybe Jackson could come over to help. He’s going to be Skyler’s godfather, after all.”
Griff’s head shot up. “What?”
“Only if you want him to,” Autumn told Lydia. “But as you can see, four arms are usually better than two. Especially when it comes to changing diapers.”
“Jackson could probably do with the practice,” Lydia agreed happily. “That way he can get comfortable and maybe he’ll be able to babysit after I leave. Give you guys a break.”
“If you think I’m leaving my only child with Jackson…” Griff trailed off when he saw Autumn’s expression. “Okay,” he conceded with a sigh. “He can come help Lydia. But he’s not to be left alone with Skyler until he’s more experienced with babies.”
“I’ll call him in the morning,” Lydia said. “See if he’s free. And you two should start planning your date.” She raised an eyebrow at Griff. “You probably need to make it pretty special.”
Griff huffed. “I’m getting that idea.”
Autumn kissed him softly. “Anywhere is special with you.”
“Yeah?” he breathed, cupping her cheek. The way he looked at his fiancée made Lydia’s stomach contract. There was so much love there, but passion, too.
“Always.” Autumn stared back at him, her eyes shining.
Lydia suddenly felt like an interloper. She ran her tongue along her dry lips and started to back down the hallway. “I’m beat,” she told them. “Time for bed for this girl.”
“Sleep tight,” Autumn called out as Lydia opened the door to the guest bedroom.
Truth was, she’d never felt more awake in her life. After tonight, her whole body was buzzing, like an electric storm crackling in the night sky.
And as for her mind? Well, she had a lot to think about.
15
“Here are three shortlisted candidates I want you to meet,” Lisa said, laying out three résumés on Jackson’s desk. “They’re all good. And this guy was in charge of a department at his last job.” She pointed at the sheaf of paper at the top.
“Why did he leave?” Jackson asked her.
“The owner sold. New owner wanted his own people in place.” Lisa shrugged. “There’s nothing sinister about him. Meet him and you’ll see. I already did the hard work and interviewed them. They’re all good, I promise.”
Jackson read the name at the top. Carl Rubens. He didn’t know the guy, but he’d make a couple of calls to make sure he was as good as Lisa said. Not that he didn’t trust her, but he was running a security business. Anybody he took on was a reflection of him. “Okay, arrange for me to meet with him early next week.”
Lisa beamed. “I’ll call him now. And the others?”
“I’ll meet Carl first. If he’s as good as you say he is, he can help recruit anybody else.”
