Homecoming Day by Holly Jacobs Page B

crying.
    â€œLaura, I have no doubts that you could have managed on your own if you’d had to.” He resisted the urge to brush away the one tear that had escaped to run down her cheek.
    â€œThank you. Sometimes I don’t feel like I could.”
    â€œWell, if you forget, I’ll remind you. Are you certain that I can’t do anything else before I go?”
    â€œI’d really love to take a shower in my own bathroom, but I don’t want Jamie to wake up here alone. Could you wait a few minutes and listen for him? I know I’ll eventually have to risk him crying while I shower, but not today.”
    â€œNo, not today. I’ll stay until you’re settled.” He had his uniform in the car, so he didn’t need to go home before he started his shift.
    Laura got up gingerly from the couch, walked over to his chair and kissed his cheek. “Great. I won’t be long.”
    He heard doors opening and closing, and finally he could hear the sound of water coming from the bathroom. He ran a finger over the spot she’d kissed. Beforehe could dwell on why he wished the very platonic kiss was more than that, he heard the baby stirring on the monitor.
    Seth hurried down the hall and leaned over the crib. Jamie stared at him. He picked the baby up and went to sit in the rocking chair.
    He murmured a rhyme near Jamie’s ear, until the sound of clapping pulled him from the song. Laura was standing in the doorway, wearing a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt, with her damp hair twisted into a messy bun. “That was lovely.”
    He felt self-conscious. “I don’t normally sing for audiences, well, other than babies.”
    â€œHmm, maybe you should start?”
    He didn’t know what to say to that, so he simply skirted the compliment.
    â€œHaving so many siblings must be why you look like an old pro rocking Jamie, while I still worry about dropping him or goofing up.”
    â€œYou’re a natural. You’ll feel like a pro in a couple days. But you can always call me if you need anything. Night or day. I’m on second shift the rest of the month and don’t get off until ten or eleven. When you account for wind-down time, I’m up late.”
    He stood carefully and handed Jamie to her. She didn’t look nervous or like a novice at all. She looked like a mom as she took her son and sank into the rocking chair.
    â€œSpeaking of work, I’d better go.”
    Jamie squawked and Seth laughed. “I think he’s hungry, and while I can help with many things, I can’t help with that.” He leaned down and kissed her onthe cheek without thinking. The fact that he’d done it surprised him, and despite the fact Laura had done as much earlier, she looked as startled as he was. He hurried toward the door. “I’ll leave the spare key on the hall table.”
    â€œMaybe you should hang on to it? I don’t have a spare key with anyone else, and if I have the new mom brain-dead moments and lock myself out, it would be nice to have someone who could come let me back in.”
    Seth nodded. “Sure. I’ll hold on to it for now. Night, Laura.”
    â€œNight, Seth.”
    Â 
    S ETH PATROLLED THE STREETS of Erie.
    It was after eleven, and Seth should have long since gone home, but third shift was running short on staff, so he agreed to work some overtime. Third shift could be a busy one, but the late November night was crisp and cold. So much so that even the worst of the nighttime elements preferred staying inside.
    He drove by Laura’s house and wondered, not for the first time, why they’d kissed. Granted, they weren’t exactly steamy kisses. They were about as platonic as kisses could get. But despite the fact they barely qualified as kisses, he kept coming back to them. Worse, he kept wishing there were more.
    Seth hadn’t been with any woman since Allie. And if he were going to jump back into that