AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Sable gave her one of those exhausted but proud smiles. “Thanks. I think it’s actually easier the second time around. Eric said you have two boys, how old are they?”
“Logan’s fourteen, and Chase is nine so it’s been a while since the newborn stage.”
“Can we take those two off your hands so you can take a shower, grab something to eat, maybe get a little sleep, whatever sounds good?” Eric asked.
“That would be amazing.”
“Here, lemme grab this little bundle—and don’t tell me, I bet I can guess.”
Eric scooped up one of the babies from Sable and cradled her in his arms and Devaney’s heart almost exploded. It was too much, the way he looked so comfortable, started to walk and sway as he studied the little face peeking out from under a hand knit hat.
“This is Briar,” he pronounced with certainty. “Her face is a little rounder than Hyacinth’s.”
“Got it in one. And for anyone who has a harder time telling them apart, Briar’s in pink this afternoon and Hyacinth is in blue,” Jethro said, giving Devaney a friendly wink.
Devaney moved a few steps closer to pick up Hyacinth who was a sweet-smelling curled up little ball, and got the baby nestled perfectly in her arms. It made her so happy and also desperately sad all at once.
Happy because there were few things she enjoyed as much as cuddling babies but also sad because she doubted she’d get to do this with a baby of her own ever again. She tried to tell herself it was fine, there would be other babies to hold, but it ached nonetheless.
Sable stood and stretched, and at least the woman was human enough to be in soft, drapy lounge clothes instead of something more fashionable. Jethro came up behind her, circled his arms around her and murmured something in his wife’s ear Devaney couldn’t make out.
“Hey Eric, I know you offered to manage these two so Sable could take a shower. Can you stick around long enough for me to give my little miss a bath?”
Eric looked to her since yes, he had a couple patients this afternoon but not for a couple hours. She was the one who’d been in a rush to get back to his place to work on her job search. But there was no way she was going to pass up the chance to snuggle a sleeping infant and watch Eric do the same.
“That’s fine. My job search will still be there,” she said, and also registered that Jethro had called Sable his little miss. That could just be any old nickname, but there was something about the way Sable leaned into her husband, something about the way he’d said he was going to give Sable a bath instead of just that she was going to take one that made her think maybe Jethro was Sable’s daddy too.
Or maybe since being with Eric she just had daddies and littles on the brain.
When Jethro picked Sable up like a damsel in distress, Devaney expected her to argue since she seemed like the kind of woman who could do it her damn self, thank you, or at least slap his chest and give a playful protest. But no—Sable circled her arms around her husband’s neck and seemed to melt. Maybe she’d been right after all.
