it."
Brushing a soft kiss over her lips, he studied her face for a long time. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known."
"That can't possibly be true."
He stopped her from looking away and forced her to meet his gaze. "It's absolutely true."
Her fingers skimmed over his chest to his belly, which quivered under her tentative touch. Mac inhaled sharply as he reached out to stop her wandering hand. "Sleep." Glancing at his watch, he discovered it was after five. For a long time, he lay there listening to the bleat of a foghorn and squawking seagulls before he finally fell into a deep sleep.
Thomas's crib chatter woke Mac at six thirty. His eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, but when he remembered the night he'd spent with Maddie, he was filled with energy and renewed determination to take care of her and Thomas. He moved slowly to extricate himself from her embrace without waking her. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he brought the sheet up over her and went to find the baby bouncing in his crib.
Thomas let out a happy squeal when he saw Mac.
"Hey, buddy," Mac whispered. "You're up early." Mac scooped him up and carried him to the changing table where he removed what felt like a twenty-pound diaper. Amazing to think that just yesterday he'd never changed a diaper before, and now he handled the squirming baby like an expert—and didn't mind doing it. That was the odd part. He, Mac McCarthy, commitment-phobe and bachelor extraordinaire, was taking care of a baby and liking it.
"You and your mother have done quite a number on me, mister," he told the baby.
Thomas rewarded him with a smile full of new baby teeth and a good dose of drool. What a cutie.
Mac changed him into a clean all-in-one shirt contraption that snapped between his legs and picked him up.
Thomas grabbed a handful of Mac's chest hair and gave a healthy yank, bringing tears to Mac's eyes. "Yikes," he said. "No no. That hurts ."
Thomas's mischievous smile made Mac laugh. "You're a devil, aren't you? What'd you say we let Mom sleep a while and take a walk?"
When the baby seemed to approve of the plan, Mac put him back in the crib for a few minutes so he could get ready. They snuck out of the apartment a short time later. Mac debated taking the stroller that was parked under the stairs but decided he'd rather carry the baby.
In town, workers swept and washed the sidewalks in front of the various establishments. Shopkeepers carted samples of their wares to the street and rolled back awnings. Mac and Thomas wandered down to the ferry landing where Captain Joe supervised the loading of a fuel truck onto one of the smaller ferries.
"Whoa, dude," Joe said when he saw Mac carrying the baby. "You work fast!"
"Very funny."
Joe toyed with Thomas's pudgy foot, earning a squeal from the baby. "Who've you got there?"
"This is Thomas. My friend Maddie's baby."
"And how long, exactly, has Maddie been your 'friend'?"
"Since I knocked her off her bike about ten minutes after I left you yesterday."
"Awww, and now you've got yourself a little family. Isn't that sweet?"
"It's not like that." But wasn't it? "Exactly."
Joe barked with laughter and tugged cigarettes from his shirt pocket.
"You can't smoke in front of the baby," Mac said.
"Wow, look at you. All paternal and everything. Never thought I'd see the day."
"If you're quite finished, Thomas and I are going to grab some coffee. Want to join us?"
"He's kind of young for coffee, isn't he?"
Mac shot him a withering look.
Joe checked his watch. "Yeah, I've got some time. My first run isn't until eight." He hollered for someone to take over for him and walked with Mac and Thomas up the hill to the South Harbor Diner. When Mac walked in with Thomas in his arms, everything came to a halt in the small restaurant, and every eye in the room landed on him.
"Morning, everyone," Mac said.
Murmured greetings followed as Mac and Joe slid into a booth.
"Jeez, man, you've got the whole town buzzing," Joe
Brushing a soft kiss over her lips, he studied her face for a long time. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever known."
"That can't possibly be true."
He stopped her from looking away and forced her to meet his gaze. "It's absolutely true."
Her fingers skimmed over his chest to his belly, which quivered under her tentative touch. Mac inhaled sharply as he reached out to stop her wandering hand. "Sleep." Glancing at his watch, he discovered it was after five. For a long time, he lay there listening to the bleat of a foghorn and squawking seagulls before he finally fell into a deep sleep.
Thomas's crib chatter woke Mac at six thirty. His eyes were gritty from lack of sleep, but when he remembered the night he'd spent with Maddie, he was filled with energy and renewed determination to take care of her and Thomas. He moved slowly to extricate himself from her embrace without waking her. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he brought the sheet up over her and went to find the baby bouncing in his crib.
Thomas let out a happy squeal when he saw Mac.
"Hey, buddy," Mac whispered. "You're up early." Mac scooped him up and carried him to the changing table where he removed what felt like a twenty-pound diaper. Amazing to think that just yesterday he'd never changed a diaper before, and now he handled the squirming baby like an expert—and didn't mind doing it. That was the odd part. He, Mac McCarthy, commitment-phobe and bachelor extraordinaire, was taking care of a baby and liking it.
"You and your mother have done quite a number on me, mister," he told the baby.
Thomas rewarded him with a smile full of new baby teeth and a good dose of drool. What a cutie.
Mac changed him into a clean all-in-one shirt contraption that snapped between his legs and picked him up.
Thomas grabbed a handful of Mac's chest hair and gave a healthy yank, bringing tears to Mac's eyes. "Yikes," he said. "No no. That hurts ."
Thomas's mischievous smile made Mac laugh. "You're a devil, aren't you? What'd you say we let Mom sleep a while and take a walk?"
When the baby seemed to approve of the plan, Mac put him back in the crib for a few minutes so he could get ready. They snuck out of the apartment a short time later. Mac debated taking the stroller that was parked under the stairs but decided he'd rather carry the baby.
In town, workers swept and washed the sidewalks in front of the various establishments. Shopkeepers carted samples of their wares to the street and rolled back awnings. Mac and Thomas wandered down to the ferry landing where Captain Joe supervised the loading of a fuel truck onto one of the smaller ferries.
"Whoa, dude," Joe said when he saw Mac carrying the baby. "You work fast!"
"Very funny."
Joe toyed with Thomas's pudgy foot, earning a squeal from the baby. "Who've you got there?"
"This is Thomas. My friend Maddie's baby."
"And how long, exactly, has Maddie been your 'friend'?"
"Since I knocked her off her bike about ten minutes after I left you yesterday."
"Awww, and now you've got yourself a little family. Isn't that sweet?"
"It's not like that." But wasn't it? "Exactly."
Joe barked with laughter and tugged cigarettes from his shirt pocket.
"You can't smoke in front of the baby," Mac said.
"Wow, look at you. All paternal and everything. Never thought I'd see the day."
"If you're quite finished, Thomas and I are going to grab some coffee. Want to join us?"
"He's kind of young for coffee, isn't he?"
Mac shot him a withering look.
Joe checked his watch. "Yeah, I've got some time. My first run isn't until eight." He hollered for someone to take over for him and walked with Mac and Thomas up the hill to the South Harbor Diner. When Mac walked in with Thomas in his arms, everything came to a halt in the small restaurant, and every eye in the room landed on him.
"Morning, everyone," Mac said.
Murmured greetings followed as Mac and Joe slid into a booth.
"Jeez, man, you've got the whole town buzzing," Joe
Similar Books
