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She’d been blind to Jeb’s faults for a long time and forgiven him time and again, believing his well-spun lies, right up until the day he wasn’t there when she needed him most. JJ’s birth had been a roller coaster of emotions: intense joy to finally hold her child in her arms and meet him face-to-face that was tempered by the realization that the only people Raina could honestly rely upon were herself and her dad. She’d grown up a heck of a lot that day. She’d thought herself so mature at twenty-seven, so ready to be a mother.
“Will there be gifts under the tree, Mommy?” JJ asked as he skipped along beside her on the sidewalk, holding her hand.
“Not real ones, my boy.”
“Not even one for me?”
Raina laughed and tugged his beanie more securely over his little ears. “Not even for me either! But don’t worry. I’m sure that Santa will remember exactly where we live and will bring you your gifts in time for Christmas.”
Satisfied with her answer, JJ turned his attention to the growing crowd. In the distance, Raina caught sight of Clare Connelly. The chief pediatric nurse at Royal Memorial Hospital had been a wonderful support when JJ had been severely jaundiced after his birth and Raina had worried herself sick over him. Newly abandoned by her partner and with her father still on his way to Royal, Raina had had a severe dose of the baby blues as she began to doubt her ability to look after her newborn son. It had been Clare’s confident and capable manner with the babies in her care, not to mention the gentle support she’d offered to the new mothers, that had made Raina begin to believe she could do this parenting thing all on her own.
Raina caught Clare’s eye and waved a hello. Clare was involved in what appeared to be a very intense conversation with one of the pediatricians who’d also attended JJ at the hospital, Dr. Parker Reese. Raina raised her eyebrows in surprise. Was there something going on between the petite blonde nurse and the sometimes prickly pediatrician? The thought brought a smile to her lips. It had been a joke among the mothers in the hospital that Dr. Reese would make a great husband for someone one day—if he could ever let go of his work and develop a social life. The man was dedicated to his career but everyone needed some balance in their life.
The reminder of balance prodded at Raina’s thoughts. Lately everything had been JJ and work for her. There’d been no time for herself, but she was okay with that. One day, maybe, when JJ was a bit older and when her business was on a stronger footing, then yeah, she might think about dating. Until then, she had to stay focused on keeping her financial footing and being the best mother she could be for her little boy.
“Mommy, I can’t see,” JJ complained, tugging at her arm. “Up?”
“Sure, baby.”
Raina bent and lifted JJ into her arms, settling him on one hip. It probably didn’t make a world of difference to his line of sight but it was all she could manage.
“Still can’t see,” he fretted, twisting in her arms and making her clutch his jacket to stop him from falling.
“JJ, settle down. Trust me, when the lights go on, you’ll see everything.”
“Here” came a familiar male voice. “Maybe I can help?”
“Man!”
JJ flung his arms toward the newcomer with an exuberance that dismayed Raina and almost sent her off balance. Nolan Dane loomed up beside her. She should refuse his offer of help, but JJ was already transferring himself into Nolan’s arms and was soon deposited high on Nolan’s shoulders.
“Better now?” Nolan asked, looking up at JJ who was holding on tight to Nolan’s head.
JJ nodded.
“What do you say, JJ?” Raina prompted.
“T’ank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Nolan turned his smile to Raina. “I hope you don’t mind. You look tired and I could see he was getting heavy.”
Raina’s lips twisted into a smile. “It’s okay, thank you.”
So, he thought she looked tired, huh? Wow, way to build a girl up, she thought, then immediately chastised herself for being so churlish. She did look tired. The three late nights this week with the classes, on top of everything else, had taken a toll. She made a mental note to try to get to bed earlier on the nights she wasn’t working.
The crowd around them thickened as the local singers and dance groups performed on the makeshift stage that had been set up for the evening. Raina’s gratitude to Nolan for taking JJ increased. There was no way JJ would have seen the show, or enjoyed it, from her arms; nor would she have been able to hold him for this long.
