“Morning, Sunshine!” Keveney called brightly, slipping into Jillian’s nursery. It seemed like second nature just to pop around the Dorough household as if she were a member of the family. Howie had finally broken her habit of knocking, so Keveney now could experience the cherished details of the father-daughter relationship that few rarely saw. She smiled sweetly as she watched Howie lean over the crib, speaking softly to Jillian. The child lazily listened to her father’s soothing voice, greeting the early morning with the tiniest yawn. Yet, Howie seemed loaded with energy offering a sharp contrast between father and daughter, but Keveney understood. It was finally his first interview introducing Jillian into his life. Howie wanted perfection for the entire event, so Jillian would be welcomed with open arms, especially since Howie would be taking on a single-father role to the fans.
Keveney continually reminded Howie that everything would be fine. He worried so much about his career, because he realized how much it affected the population’s lives. He needed the support of everyone and feared rejection. He refused to jeopardize anyone’s futures, especially those of his best friends. But everyone supported him with a loving tenderness, constantly reminding him it was the right choice. So, Howie had sent the others away for this interview, deciding it was better for everyone involved. So, naturally, Keveney was honored that Howie asked her to help and could hardly hide the flitter of her heart.
“Funny, that’s what I said to Jillian, but she wouldn’t even open her eyes... I think she’s waiting for a good morning hello from her favorite Kevie,” Howie greeted with a handsome smile, motioning for Keveney to join him. He loved how she surprised them in the mornings, peeking in when they seemed to long for her the most. That day she offered a quick jump-start to his already fevering heart. Her smile always warmed his insides like the warmest cup of his mother’s home-made soup.
“Well, I couldn’t possibly deny Jillie Bean’s request,” Keveney quickly agreed, leaning over the crib beside Howie. She clicked her tongue at the alert infant, causing a smile to erupt from the child’s pursed lips. Keveney immediately cooed with awe, “That’s my girl! Good morning, Sweetheart! Ready for your Daddy’s big day? You have to be extra cute for all those pictures! Make everyone fall in love with you!”
Jillian offered a grunt and then pursed her lips almost with a tinge of question, immediately thrusting her legs in an excited manner. Howie laughed with approval, finally scooping his daughter from the crib to kiss her forehead. She instantly cuddled against him, thrusting her fingers into her mouth. “She’s got her facial expressions perfected. Now she just needs a bath and a gorgeous outfit.”
“Well, let me get started—”
“No, Kevie, I got it,” Howie interrupted. He didn’t want Keveney to think he only needed her for the nanny position. He wanted her to feel comfortable, like a portion of the family. He could bathe and dress his daughter, giving Keveney an opportunity to rest from her late night shift at the hospital. Howie smiled, gently brushing his shoulder against hers as he moved to get passed her. He felt a sharp spark of heat transfer between them, causing Keveney to instantly perk with a smile.
“Then what am I here for?”
“Emotional support of a best friend?” Howie decided with question as he balanced Jillian in one arm while gathering her bathtub and supplies. He glanced up from his balancing act to see Keveney’s light violet eyes spark with amusement, causing him to chuckle. Howie and Keveney had quickly attached to one another as the days passed in their budding friendship. And Howie’s attraction to her only seemed to grow stronger with each visit. Her quirky personality always brought a smile to his and Jillian’s faces, even on the gloomiest of days. And Howie couldn’t deny the sexual tension that settled around them with increasing intensity. He realized that he was already infatuated and possibly in love with this wonderful woman.
Now, Howie just needed the courage for the approach.
“Emotional support, huh?” Keveney snorted softly, taking the bath supplies from Howie’s arms. He offered a relieved smile, immediately cradling Jillian into the crook of his arm. Keveney shrugged her shoulders, carrying the infant’s tub to the master bathroom for Howie.
“Yes, emotional support! Plus I need someone to pick out a beautiful outfit for Jillie and hopefully get me some breakfast?” Howie pouted, cuddling Jillian in his arms.
“And the truth shall make Keveney a slave!” Keveney exclaimed like a spirited Reverend leading his congregation in a stirring revival. Keveney leaned to kiss Jillian’s cheek as she listened to Howie chuckle from her obviously outrageous impersonation. She smiled up at Howie before offering a delicate kiss to his cheek. “You’re just lucky I love you.”
Howie felt his heart catch as he watched Keveney disappear down the hall. He gently eased the bathroom door closed, leaning against it while Jillian cooed softly to herself. Howie sighed, “So, close, Jillie Bean. So close.”
Keveney hummed softly to herself as she listened to the water run before sauntering back to the nursery to fulfill Howie’s requests. She loved how she always felt needed in the home, but just wished that sometimes it was for other romantic reasons. Drawing herself into pleasant thoughts, she opened the creamy yellow curtains to expose the crisp, clean ocean waves crashing against the sandy shore. She opened the window to inhale the salty breeze for a moment before returning to the dresser. She then started to absentmindedly sort through the tiny garments. She briefly glanced between each piece of clothing, but found her eyes traveling about the room to stop at various framed photographs. Finally, her curiousness getting the best of her, she stopped and picked up the first frame.
A pleased smile curved to her glossed lips, noting it was a picture of Howie and Jillian. It looked to be Jillian’s first day at the beach. The tiny girl was dressed in a sweet yellow bonnet to compliment a cotton sundress printed with baby bees fluttering amongst patches of white daises. She looked like a small princess nestled against her father’s bare chest as he lay on the sandy beach. His arms were drawn securing around the infant to protect her from any harm the salty winds might provide while they both offered smiles brighter than the sun.
Keveney exhaled a soft breath of admiration, easing the picture down to its proper place. She then picked up another photograph of Howie at the beach with AJ. Her brain seemed to mentally delete AJ’s presence as she focused upon Howie. Her eyes first locked upon the warmth radiating from his passionate eyes as his short brown locks tussled in the strong, salty breeze. Her eyes then traveled down the length of his fit, muscular body, finally realizing the strength he possessed. She then naturally traced down the subtle lines of his tight abdomen that drew down to the depths of his raw sexual power. Her cheeks immediately flushed with a raw excitement that couldn’t be explained. Yet as intrigued as she was with his physique, her eyes finally lingered the longest on his smiling lips. Those were the lips she dreamed of kissing.
How she wanted him in so many ways. Her desolate mind mostly focused upon the physical needs during the lonely nights curled under a cold comforter while she deliberated her failure for romance. She spent agonizing nights pondering how it would feel to lay nestled in his warm embrace, feeling his nimble fingers trace lightly over the contours of her hungry body. She would instantly curl into his strong arms to promote the exchange between them, trailing sweet kisses along the length of his neck. He would then offer sweltering kisses back to escalate the fervor, sweeping her into a passionate affair of love.
But as much as she longed for the physical company, her needs for Howie didn’t just solely lie within physical attraction. He had stolen her heart in so many other ways. Like his compassion and unending love for the abandoned child. So many men would have turned away from the desperate cries or considered their duty fulfilled once the child was handed over to the hospital. Yet, Howie took the grandest and most benevolent step anyone could think take – offering the child never-ending love. And he actually cared enough to make sure Keveney was okay with her childhood. Not once did he take advantage of her golden heart. Instead, he offered his purely golden heart back in exchange. Then Keveney focused upon his sweet disposition that caused never ending smiles to erupt from his friends. Now matter how Keveney figured, she could only come to one conclusion - she loved him.
Now if she could only father the courage to tell him so.
Sighing, Keveney busied herself with the infant’s clothing, trying to transfer her focus. She shifted further into the piles of clothing to pull out the perfect outfit. A soft lavender dress with intricate detailing of baby lambs napping along the bottom portion. She then retrieved a small purple hat to compliment the outfit, obviously given to her by her Uncle AJ.
Keveney then flicked her eyes to her watch, noticing a chunk of time had passed. She shook her head, hurriedly setting the outfit upon the changing table with a fresh diaper. She moved out of the room and down the hallway. She couldn’t imagine what was taking Howie so long with Jillian. The child was only a month old and already loved bathing. So, she shouldn’t have given him any problems. Keveney clicked her tongue, “Where’s Howie?”
Keveney’s question was only answered with a sharp splash of water followed by a string of unnatural curses. Her heart immediately leapt to her throat as hormones were dumped into her system to initiate the natural Fight-Or-Flight reaction. She took no regard for privacy as she rushed into the bathroom, only able to think about protecting Howie and Jillian. She expected the worst possible situation, immediately fumbling to retrieve her cell phone from her back pocket. She stumbled into the bathroom with shock, her fears quickly replaced with relief and amusement.
“What happened?” Keveney laughed, glancing at Jillian. The infant was lying upon the floor on a soft terry towel, perfectly content as she sucked on her fingers. Knowing Jillian was safe, Keveney’s eyes traveled back to Howie, biting down hard on her bottom lip to keep from laughing. The large splash had been Howie diving into the large bath. And he seemed none to pleased with the results as he sputtered the soapy water from his mouth, wrinkling his nose in utter disgust at the taste. He struggled to get away from the slippery tub while pulling the damp locks from his eyes, but only managed to fall back into the tub to further soak himself while bubbles sloshed onto the floor.
“It was her or me!” Howie exclaimed, pulling the water-logged shirt from his muscular form for some kind of comfort. There was no logical way to explain this folly, both adults knew that much. A faint blush crept to his cheeks, obviously embarrassed for Keveney stumbling upon this less than flattering scene.
“Well…” Keveney trailed, glancing down at the dry infant. Her eyes then locked upon his wet form with a mischievous smile. “Looks like you lost…”
