Dry-mouthed and gritty-eyed, she brushed a hand over the t-shirt and shorts she’d worn for two days. Or was it longer?
The apartment was silent. Frighteningly so. Faith went dizzy from sitting up too abruptly. Suddenly she remembered a scene from the previous night. Brian hammering at her door, then barging in looking like a Playgirl centerfold. He’d taken the two crying babies from her arms.
Had he kidnapped them? A sense of panic overwhelmed her. Brian was a cornerstone of the establishment, so the very idea seemed far-fetched. But everyday the newspaper was filled with stories of nice guys doing the unthinkable.
Afraid to see what awaited her in the nursery, Faith prepared herself for the worst. Her heart beat erratically and her stomach churned as she stumbled down the hall and, with badly shaking hands, pushed open the door that stood ajar.
What she saw was the last thing she’d expected. Brian seated in her mother’s rocker, a baby lying comfortably in each arm. They were sucking contentedly on bottles in the fingers he curved around their little faces.
“How do you do that?” Faith inquired softly. “I’ve tried and tried. My arms simply don’t reach.”
His gaze seemed to warm her as it flowed from the top of her tousled head all the way down to her bare feet. “Good afternoon, sleepyhead. I’ve got to admit it took me two night feedings, breakfast and midmorning snack to finally get the hang of doubling up like this.”
“Afternoon?" Her bottom jaw went slack. “I slept that long?”
“I passed a cup of coffee under your nose this morning, after I bathed the kids and had a shower. You didn’t twitch a muscle. I figured you needed the rest. They slept well once I placed them in the same crib. Dr. Sampson said it might make them feel more secure.”
“You bathed the babies?” she parroted dumbly, realizing that Brian had shaved and changed clothes. Now he wore a black Polo t-shirt and grey athletic pants instead of jeans and...nothing. Thank goodness. Faith felt faint at the memory of how he’d looked last night. Or maybe she just needed sustenance. As a nurse she’d seen plenty of naked chests. Other bare parts of a man’s anatomy, too. None had ever affected her with the jolt she’d received last night.
“These two are on the verge of sleep.” He murmured.
“Why don’t you hop in the shower? While you’re doing that, I’ll see what I can round up for lunch.”
Crossing her arms over her chest, Faith propped a hip against the door. “I’ll go when you tell me what’s behind this sudden spurt of domestic benevolence.”
“That was a mouthful.”
“You’re stalling.” She accused him. “You wouldn’t move into the apartment next door unless it served your purposes. And why, by the way, didn’t you tell me earlier? You’d better have a darn good explanation.”
“Won’t you feel more like having this discussion when you’re clean and fresh?”
“I feel fine. Greatly rejuvenated after—-what? Ten hours of sleep?”
“Um...about that.” He gently tugged an empty bottle from Evan's mouth and tossed it into the crib. Rocking forward, he tipped the baby up and patted his back until he burped. Climbing to his feet, Brian settled the baby in his crib, still holding Elyse. He then returned to his seat and transferred the little girl's bottle to his free hand. “This little squirt would sooner sleep than eat. I think we should keep prodding her and get them back on some kind of schedule. Don’t you agree?”
Faith gasped. Of course she did. Erratic schedules were the reason she’d gone without sleep. She’d been in the process of either changing or feeding one baby or the other for a full twenty-four hours. “Let’s back up. You’re right. I will be able to handle this discussion better after a shower.”
Vigorously massaging her temples, Faith left the room. Not until she stood naked under a hot spray did she allow herself to think about what might be going on with Brian. Last night he’d dropped the bomb about being her neighbor. A neighbor who’d moved in last week. Which meant his precipitous appearance last night had not been spur-of-the-moment. He’d been behind the wall, waiting like a vulture for her to screw up.
And why had he acted so secretive about moving into her building?
Already sputtering, she stuck her head beneath the spray. The water might be hot, but Faith’s blood ran cold. Even when he was a resident, others on staff had insisted Brian mapped out and followed a detailed agenda. Back then, his aim had been to become the number-one cardiopulmonary surgeon. A person didn’t have to be too bright to figure out what his goal was now, why he’d barged into her home like this. Brian had his sights set on fatherhood. What Faith found hard to reconcile was that he knew the babies might not be his.
Why, then, was he willing to waste his time? This was the man Chloe had complained never took a day off. The man who rarely took an evening away from his patients.
Guilt was the obvious answer. Faith decided as she grabbed a towel and dried off. Or at least part of the answer. He felt remorse for not trying harder to keep Chloe from following through with the divorce. There was always the possibility that he was spying on her, looking for ways to damage her position in the custody case. Although it hurt to think he’d be so sneaky...
Forewarned now, she vowed to be alert.
A shower and clean clothes refreshed her. Facing Brian didn’t seem quite so daunting as it had. He was a man dedicated to saving lives. A load of guilt drove him to act out of character. It shouldn’t be too hard to offer absolution and send him back to New York.
After peeking in at the sleeping babies, Faith partially closed the nursery door and followed the smell of food to the kitchen. She had only to see the bowls of creamy tomato soup and the thick turkey sandwiches to admit she was starved.
“Yum.” She sniffed the air.
Brian pulled out one of the kitchen chairs. “Better hurry and eat before the soup gets cold. What took you so long?”
“I washed my hair. It took time to blow it dry.”
His gaze wandered to her shoulder-length, curly locks. “I guess you were quick, at that. Chloe used to spend an hour to dry her hair.”
“Because hers was so thick.” Faith said, after taking her seat and letting him slide her closer to the table.
“Was Chloe as bald as Elyse when she was really little?”
Faith bristled. “Ellie isn’t bald. It’s just that her hair is so fine and blonde, it’s hard to see. Evan doesn’t have any more. His is a smidgen darker, that’s all.”
“More than a smidgen. But in the child development book I bought, it says that’s not unusual. Especially in fraternal twins.”
“You bought a book.” Faith’s eyes snapped up from their concentration on her soup.
“Don’t act so surprised. You gave me the idea.”
“What if the twins don’t turn out to be yours?”
He stared at her the entire time he finished chewing the bite of sandwich he’d taken. Then he swallowed. “Is it my imagination, Faith, or are you hoping they aren’t?”
She fumbled for words. “I started thinking, feeling sorry really, for the patients you’re letting down by being here. Say the DNA takes six weeks. How many lives could you save in that period of time?”
His eyes grew wary. “What gives, Faith? Chloe was the one who resorted to flattery to get her way. Not you. You’ve always been honest, direct.”
Ashamed, Faith stirred a spoon around and around in her soup.
“Come on, just say what you’re thinking.”
“All right.” She blazed. “Your patients have always been your number-one priority. What’s changed?”
“What makes you think something’s changed? Doesn’t a man deserve a break from work once in a while?”
She smiled crookedly. “Now who’s being slippery? You’ve hardly taken a weekend off in the six years I’ve known you. Suddenly a vacation? Admit you were spying on me, Brian. That’s why you moved into my building, isn’t it?”
“No, I wasn’t, and no, I didn’t. Priorities can change.” He frowned as he bit into his sandwich again.
“Have yours? Or is this penance because the first time you called Chloe’s bluff, something bad happened?”
Brian choked. “Well, that’s direct enough.” He said when he was finally able to speak. They both sat there, eyes connected and smoldering for what seemed like an eternity. Brian gave in first. He expelled the breath he’d been holding and got up to stare out the kitchen window. “There’s no one thing at the bottom of my decision to take a break. Yes, I’d felt my marriage hitting the rocks, and I found myself powerless to stop it. Then to learn Chloe had died...” he lifted both shoulders and let them fall again. “It’s more than that though. Something...moved inside me the first day I held the twins. I—I can’t begin to explain.”
“You don’t have to.” Faith said meekly, “The same thing happened to me.”
“My book refers to the spell as ‘twin shock’,” Brian returned to the table and sat again to earnestly make his case.
“Everyone gravitates toward twins.”
“Yes...but the author was referring to parents. A...a...special connection.”
“Then how do you account for the fact that I felt it? I know you’ve experienced a sense of bonding, Brian, so you’re convinced they’re yours. But wouldn’t you rather keep your distance until the tests come back, and save yourself a broken heart?” Faith suddenly sat straighter. “Unless men don’t suffer broken hearts.”
“Of course we do. What do you think? That we’re made of iron?” he glared at her. “You’ve certainly developed a rotten attitude toward men.”
She had the grace to avert her eyes, because quite the opposite was true. At least, when it came to Brian. Since the first moment she’d set eyes on him, the attraction had been there. Heaven knows she’d done her best to resist it. To tell herself it didn’t exist. Apparently to no avail.
“I’m staying here until the tests come back.” He said when it appeared Faith wasn’t going to answer him.
“My book also says raising multiples is physically and emotionally demanding on both parents, and I’ve discovered how true that is. After your first couple of days going it alone, can you truthfully say you don’t need my help?”
Faith didn’t have to think long or hard. Neither did she wish to sound too eager. She slowly counted out fifteen seconds. “I can see the value of having a second pair of hands, Brian. If your mind is made up, I suppose we can split some duties. We need to set down rules, though.”
“Rules?” Brian didn’t think he liked the sound of "setting rules." Fortunately, one of the twins—-Evan, he thought—-awoke with a wail. Brian bounded to his feet. “I’ll go. You’ve barely touched your lunch. Rule number one should be that we keep up our strength. So eat.” Dustbunnies flew in his wake.
Faith planted both elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. She hadn’t had time recently to get the housework under control. Scrubbing floors was about the best way she knew to combat irritation. Was that what she felt at having Brian underfoot? Or was it more like sexual tension?
She didn’t want to examine the question too closely. Getting up, she stomped to the microwave and reheated her soup. She promptly burned her tongue, causing her to mutter something unladylike under her breath. “It’s going to be a long month.”
Brian stuck his head into the kitchen alcove. "Evan has wet through everything. He needs changing from the inside out. Which chest of drawers is his?”
Faith pushed her bowl away and started to get up.
“Hey, sit still and finish you food. I’m capable of handling this.”
After their baths, Brian must have put them back in the same outfits they’d been wearing. “I’m full anyway.” She said. “If we’re going to share baby duty, you need to know my system. By the way, does this sharing include us both doing laundry?”
He looked startled. “Laundry is a mystery to me. I send out everything I wear.” He always had, even as a resident. His colleagues had teased him unmercifully.
“Everything? Didn’t Chloe do laundry?”
“Hers, I suppose. Or maybe not.” It flustered him to realize he didn’t know.
“Well, here the washers and dryers are in the basement. The other day I thought I should buy a set. Then I couldn’t decide where I’d put them.”
“I think there’s a washer and dryer in my apartment. That’ll be much closer.”
“Yes, but you aren’t going to live there forever, Brian. I need to make arrangements for long term.”
“Now who’s second-guessing the court decision.”
Faith wore a sheepish look when she walked into the nursery. “I believe in the power of positive thinking.”
“For you, but not for me?”
“I thought we weren’t going to argue about this.”
“We did say that. I can’t help it, though. It bothers me that you refuse to take me seriously. What do I have to do to convince you I want the twins?”
“This is Evan's dresser.” She said, stopping to pull clean sleepers from a drawer. “I stacked crib sheets, blankets and receiving blankets on shelves in the closet. Diapers to refill the stackers are in there, too. The pink packages are Elyse's, the turquoise ones are Evan’s.”
“His and hers diapers?’
“It has to do with anatomy, Doctor. Evan's have more padding in front, Elyse’s are thicker toward the back.”
“Oh, yeah. I can see that makes sense.”
Brian watched the deft way Faith handled Elyse, who had opened her eyes and started to coo. “I’ll confess it’s my fault Evan is soaked through. This morning I grabbed the first diaper at hand. Now I see it has little pink animals on the front band and not blue.”
“You get a gold star for trying.” Faith said. “Say, did I ever thank you for letting me sleep? And...um...thanks for covering me up.”
He shrugged. “I tried to wake you and send you to bed. That couch didn’t look all that comfortable. But you were dead to the world.”
“Saturday night was the baby shower. Everyone stayed late. I was excited about bringing the twins home, and didn’t sleep Sunday, either. Monday night their schedules were way off. By last night, I’d gone through my reserves.”
“So all that laughter and music I heard until the wee hours on Saturday night was a baby shower?”
“What did you think?” Faith whirled to confront him.
“Frankly, I didn’t know what to think. I checked the hall several times, but never saw anyone come or go. I’d never pegged you as a party girl, but the later it got the noisier it became; I decided you’d changed. Next morning, when I saw you hauling all those champagne bottles down to the dumpster, I was sure you had.”
“You were spying on me!”
“Not intentionally. I glanced out my bedroom window and you happened to be standing by the trash bin.”
Faith bounced Elyse on her shoulder. The nursery had shrunk after she’d installed furniture. Now with two adults trying to change two babies, it seemed smaller yet. Every time she bumped into Brian or he brushed past her to deposit a wet diaper in the shiny chrome can, she felt self-conscious. “I have things under control now, Brian. Feel free to go back to your apartment.”
He sucked the side of his cheek between his teeth and clamped down to keep from reacting to her brush-off. “What’s on your agenda today?”
“Nothing, why? I’m on leave from work, you know.”
“After the babies’ next feeding, let’s sit down and draw up a schedule. Loose, of course, because babies aren’t predictable. We ought to be able to set up some sort of daily planner around their general feeding times.”
“After what you said at the hospital, Brian, I decided to let them eat when they wanted to. I’ll catch up on household chores while they sleep. Or I can do that whenever you feed them. I know you won’t want to hang around all day, every day.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Faith. I do want to. I want us to share fifty-fifty.”
“But...b-but..” she sputtered, her eyes clouding.
“What’s the matter? Do I make you uncomfortable? I certainly don’t mean to.”
“It’s not that.” She hastened to say she didn’t want him analyzing and eventually figuring out why he made her nervous. After only a few short hours in his company, Faith was awfully afraid she could get very used to having him around. And what would happen to her heart when he up and left, as was inevitable? It had taken her years to get over his marrying Chloe. Faith hated to think what it would be like if he took off after she’d come to depend on him—-and on his help with the twins.
“What is bugging you, then?”
“I’ve lived in this apartment house for a long time. I...don’t want the residents getting the wrong idea.”
“I hate to be obtuse, but what wrong idea?”
“With regards to our re-relationship.”
“If anyone read yesterday’s paper or saw the TV news, they’ll know our relationship.” Not that Brian himself hadn’t sat next door a number of days indulging in some pretty explicit fantasies.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll bring you a copy of yesterday’s paper.” He said. “The reporters seem hyped about the custody case, I don’t recall them taking our pictures when we picked up the kids. But there we were, together on the front page. They even had a shot of Nick at the helm of his yacht, and his wife walking into a New York fertility clinic.”
“Why?” Faith gasped.
“It’s sensationalism.” He said bitterly. “Prominent surgeon’s ex-wife dies in childbirth. Her sister and the son of a prominent Wall Street millionaire fight the doctor for custody of the deceased mother’s twins.”
“Millionaire? I had no idea.” Faith exclaimed, looking a little sick.
“James Maxwell phoned last night. From now on, he wants us to say ‘no comment’ to any questions. I think he’s overreacting. By now, we’re yesterday’s news. To clear the air between us, Faith—-Maxwell’s the one who insisted I not tell you or Nick that I’d be spending time in Boston. James would have a fit if he knew I’d rented a place next door to you.”
“He’s not alone.” She grumbled. “But back to the news article—-I want the reporters to leave us alone. I’ll phone David and ask his opinion on how to stop their intrusions.”
“You might want to do that now, while the babies are quiet. I can’t get over how alert they are. They’re already turning toward us when we speak.”
“Tomorrow they’ll be two months old. According to my baby book, they’ll be playing patty-cake by the time the DNA tests are back and their future is settled.”
Brian’s expression softened. “I’m not thinking that far ahead. I’m taking one day at a time.”
The look of love he focused on the twins brought a rush to Faith’s heart. Mumbling an excuse to leave, she hurried out to call her attorney.
By the end of the second week, it appeared Brian’s assessment was more accurate than James Maxwell’s. At first, any time they took the babies out for walks, it caused a stir. Faith even had to escape a reporter when she made her weekly visit to see her father. The first week, news teams hung around outside the apartment. Then, little by little, as both Faith and Brian refused to speak, the reporters lost interest.
By the middle of the third week, Faith had begun to relax. She and Brian had fallen into a comfortable routine. They shared chores during the day. He cooked as many meals as she did. She’d throw laundry into the washer and Brian would put it in the dryer, or vice versa. Though they spent their days together, every night after the eleven o’clock feeding, he returned to his apartment. He joined a health club and went there every morning, delaying his arrival at Faith’s until after she’d dressed for the day.
She found herself wishing for more. No matter how sternly she chastised herself for thinking foolish thoughts, her feelings for Brian didn’t go away. Far from it.
She loved to watch him with the babies. She’d initially assumed he’d gravitate toward Evan—-masculine bonding or some such thing. After all, Nick and his father certainly showed a preference. But Brian divided his time equally. He seemed as delighted over Ellie’s blowing bubbles as he did when Evan latched onto his finger and cooed.
Faith teased him when he came home from the store with frilly dresses for Ellie. Not that she didn’t splurge on the babies, but she tended to favor practical cotton outfits.
Faith’s phone rang early one morning near the end of the third week, while she was home alone. The call threw the first wrench into her idyllic days with Brian and the babies. Nick Carter was on the line.
“I’m home from Florida.” He announced without preamble. “Dad and Shelby have been too busy to visit the twins. We’re driving down to Boston today. Should be there by eleven. I’d like directions to your apartment.”
Taken completely off guard, Faith stammered out her address. Then after they’d said goodbye, she began to fume. The judge had said to phone ahead and request a convenient time. Nick hadn’t even asked if she had other plans. And he hadn’t asked how the babies were, which struck her as odd, considering how silent the Carters had been.
In the next instant, Faith panicked. She hadn’t vacuumed in two days. The apartment wasn’t dirty, but it was cluttered. She had a tendency to leave packages of diapers in every room. It was easier than always running to the changing table.
She looked quite harried and disheveled when Brian let himself into the apartment half an hour later than usual.
“Where have you been?” Faith demanded in such a shrewish tone that he swallowed the catchy tune he’d been whistling.
“Working out. Same as I’ve done every morning. I stayed later than usual—-ran into an old friend.” He paused. “Faith, is something wrong?”
She shoved a stack of medical journals he’d brought over to read into his hands. “Do you have any other stuff here that’s obviously yours?” she asked, opening the door and literally pushing him into the hall.
“A coffee cup in the kitchen, and a couple of shirts in the guest bedroom. I put them in the closet because I never know when Ellie’s going to spit up or if I’m going to be slow with a diaper and Evan’s going to pee all over me. What’s all this about?”
“The Carters are coming.” She said, sounding a bit hysterical.
Brian tipped back his head and laughed. “Sorry,” he said when she glared at him, hands on hips. “Reminded me of Paul Revere, ‘The British are coming, the British are coming!’ Why are you so worried?”
“I’m not worried about Nick and Shelby, although Nick’s father is intimidating. It’s more that I don’t think they’d be overjoyed to find us consorting. In a manner of speaking,” she said, blushing wildly when Brian arched a brow and stared straight at her in a slightly mocking fashion.
“You know what I mean.” She snapped, throwing her hands up.
“I don’t. So spell it out, please.”
“Have you forgotten that Nick’s team of attorneys filed a complaint over the two of us having greater access to the babies? You said yourself that James cautioned you to hide the fact that you’d moved to Boston.”
“I know he did, but the judge decided old man Carter and Shelby could visit as often as they wished. Which, by the way, I haven’t seen them doing. Not even once.”
“Please don’t be difficult, Brian. You’ve had three weeks of nearly twelve-hour days with the twins. It can’t hurt to let Nick and his family have one day. They’ll probably only spend a few hours. I’ll call you the minute they leave. I promise.”
Her dark eyes seemed so genuinely distressed; Brian wasn’t able to refuse her. He bent to kiss her forehead. “Okay.”
Faith jerked back as if she’d been burned. “Wh-why did you do that?”
“You still act as if my primary goal in life is to cause you trouble. I just want to convince you that my motives are pure.” He grinned, but then his expression grew more serious. “I can’t see any reason I should disappear while the third party in this case decides to exercise his court-mandated rights. But because it matters to you, Faith, I’ll stay out of sight. What will you say, though, if Nick asks how many times I’ve visited?”
She chewed disconsolately at her bottom lip. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he doesn’t. I’m not very good at fibbing.” She said.
“That’s a relief. I’d hate to think you’d let them believe I’d fallen off the face of the earth. I have a vested interest in those babies. I don’t happen to care who knows it.”
“I’m sorry, Brian. Of course you do. After all, you loved their mother.” Faith stepped back and gripped the doorknob. “I guess you loved her even after the divorce.” She avoided looking at Brian as she said it.
He placed a curled finger under her chin, forcing her to meet his brooding gaze. “I’ve deliberately avoided having this conversation with you. The truth is, I didn’t want you to think less of me. I know Chloe meant the world to you. But our marriage had more downs than ups. While it’s true that I wasn’t the one who opted out, it’s taken me some time to realize I felt a sense of relief when all was said and done. Maybe you’d rather not know it, but I’m telling you anyhow. These last weeks with you have been more enjoyable than all the years I spent with Chloe. Oh, at first, with the move, starting the clinic and arranging her follow-up transplant care, our differences weren’t so apparent. I may even discount the second year. After that, though...”
Faith wished he hadn’t said a word. And yet she was glad he had. His confession eased some of her guilty conscience over dreaming of things she shouldn’t. But she felt a great sadness for her sister and a disloyalty at her own reaction. Because what he’d said had thrilled her. But poor, misguided, childish Chloe...so unhappy in her marriage.
“Don’t look so shocked by my confession.” Pulling out his keys, Brian turned toward his door. “I’m camped out on your doorstep because of the twins. You don’t have to worry that I’ll take advantage of you.”
She said nothing. He’d gone inside his apartment and closed the door before she moved. He’d certainly made himself clear. Had burst the bubble on her foolish daydreams. He might enjoy her companionship, but as far as attraction went...forget it. In bed at night, she’d actually dared to imagine that he might ask her to live with him if it turned out he was the twins’ dad. Last night, they’d watched a late night movie seated side by side on the couch. The way they’d laughed and talked so comfortably together, she’d let her imagination run wild after he’d gone. Oh, she hadn’t kidded herself into believing he felt for her what she did for him. But they got along, and they both loved the babies. A marriage could start with that and build.
Slipping inside the apartment, she quietly closed her door. It was never going to happen, no matter how much she prayed. It was time she stopped being naïve.
She finished picking up the place and pulled on a clean t-shirt and a pair of faded denim overalls. Her hair curled over her ears. She needed to cut it. Maybe Brian would watch the babies one afternoon next week. She might even treat herself to a facial. Funny how he’d become so entwined in her life in such a short time. How on earth would she manage things like haircuts if he weren’t around?
She carefully dressed Evan in a sailor suit and Elyse in a pretty yellow dress. “Wait.” She said, slapping her forehead with a palm. Why give the Carters greater reason to choose Evan over his sister? She removed the nautical outfit and dressed him in a green-and-white short set that had lambs all over it.
No sooner had she finished with the last snap than there was a knock at her door. Scooping up the twins, she strolled through the living room to answer it.
The three who stood there might as well have come for a wake. Nick nervously pulled at the neck of his polo shirt. His father wore a scowl. Shelby hovered behind them, studying the ceiling, the walls, the floor. Her gaze lit anywhere but on the infants Faith held.
“Welcome.” Faith pasted on a phony smile. Actually, it wasn’t so phony. There was obviously dissension in the ranks. She shouldn’t be happy about that, but it was only human nature, she thought.
“They’ve grown.” Nick observed after they’d taken seats around the room.
“Yesterday was their check-up.” Faith rattled off a height and weight for each child. “They had their first set of shots. So if they’re fussy, that’s why.” She stopped beside Nick. “Would anyone like to hold them while I fix us some iced tea?”
No one said a word. Faith whipped a baby blanket off the arm of the couch. She spread it on the floor and laid Evan and Elyse down. Both immediately kicked and waved their arms. Ellie blew bubbles and Evan began to sputter and drool.
“Why is the boy doing that?” demanded the elder Carter with a certain degree of revulsion.
Faith tried not too sound defensive—-or angry.
“Dr. Sampson said Evan may be cutting teeth. It’s early, but the doctor said some babies teethe at six or eight weeks. Drooling is quite common. You’ve probably forgotten how your son reacted to teething.”
“My son never drooled.” The pompous man declared.
“Okay.” Faith wasn’t about to argue. “I’ll get that tea,” she said. “Sugar or lemon, anyone?” she asked.
Shelby folded her hands. “Nothing. We can’t stay. You said we’d just pop in and out.” She aimed her comment at Nick’s father.
Faith thought it odd that Shelby appealed to her father-in-law and not her husband.
“Cool it, Shel.” Nick said mildly. He slid to his knees and after some hesitation, picked Evan up. Nick's dad moved to where he could get a clearer look at the boy.
After five silent minutes had passed, Faith hoisted Elyse onto her lap. It broke her heart to see that sweet baby being ignored.
All in all, the Carters stayed half an hour. Only until the babies began to fuss and Faith said it was time for their bottles. “You can feed Evan if you'd like.” She offered magnanimously.
Nick was indecisive; he might have agreed if his wife hadn’t risen and hurried to the door.
“Uh, we really don’t wish to disrupt your schedule.” Nick told Faith.
“We only came because Bob Schlegel said we should.” Shelby burst out. “Although it makes no sense. All this fuss and you don’t even know if that child is your son.”
Nick apologized for his wife’s petulance. He placed Evan in Faith’s arms and followed his family out. “On Friday, I’m off to the Carolinas for another race. I’ll touch base when I get back.”
“The DNA results might be in by then.” Faith said, wanting them just to leave.
They did, without a backward glance, and she went to prepare bottles. Uncommonly depressed, she was reluctant to phone Brian although she’d promised. But within minutes, he was standing in the kitchen; he’d obviously been keeping tabs.
Faith doubted the Carter troop had made it down the elevator before Brian used his key and let himself in.
“Short visit. Is old Nicky having second thoughts about daddyhood?”
“Oh, Brian...” Faith dropped the bottles and burst into tears.
He caught her in his arms and let her sob against his chest. “Nick only wants Evan. Shelby doesn’t want either baby. How can anyone be so...so coldhearted? Elyse is gorgeous. She’s going to look just like Chloe. Please, Brian...don’t let them win!”
Brian rocked her, rubbing his cheek across her hair. “I see Ellie’s resemblance to Chloe, now that you mention it,” he murmured. “Maybe that’s Shelby’s objection. God, I wish I could promise, Faith. I can’t.” His voice dropped, reflecting his frustration. “Dammit, if I could put a rush on that DNA, I would.”
