morning his family was due to depart. He went for a run, hoping to burn off some of the nervous energy that had been building over the past few days. His mind was full of plans and possibilities. His parents planned to leave by eight in order to arrive at the Colorado Springs airport in time for the twins to catch a plane back to California. Boone had movers scheduled to arrive at eight thirty to switch out bedroom furniture for a crib, changing table, and other baby gear.
He hoped he’d ordered the necessary baby paraphernalia. His experience with infants was minimal. Okay, it was next to nothing.
He should probably get somebody with experience to review his list and tell him what he needed to add. After all, Eternity Springs didn’t have a Buy Buy Baby where he could run in and grab what he needed.
Although, with all the babies being born here, and the tourists who shopped for their grandchildren during visits to Eternity Springs, bet there was a market for a specialty children’s shop. The one in Redemption appeared to do good business, and the small Texas town where his cousins lived was similar to Eternity Springs in many ways.
He made a mental note to look into the idea at a later date. Of more immediate need, who could he hit up to review his shopping list? Heaven knew there were plenty of people in town with recent baby experience whom he could approach. Eternity Springs’ recent population explosion had some folks jokingly refer to the place as Maternity Springs.
He could call Jenna Murphy or Hope Romano or Gabi Flynn. They’d all be happy to give him advice. Or he could ask Hannah. Her experience might not be as recent as that of his local friends, but he wasn’t worried about having all the new bells and whistles in baby gear. He wanted to confirm that he had the basics covered for a newborn. Fundamentals didn’t change. Babies needed beds and bottles and blankets. Diapers and wipes and—clothes. Oh, crap. Boone halted in his tracks. He hadn’t ordered any clothes!
That was a foolish oversight, but nothing insurmountable. He’d pick up what he needed in Fort Worth. Now to figure out what he needed.
He worked the problem for the rest of his run, but the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and frying bacon distracted him as he entered the kitchen and found his mother at the stove. “You’re up early.”
She glanced up at him and smiled. “I was hoping to have a chat with you. We’ve hardly had any opportunity to visit this trip.”
“Let me grab a quick shower, and then I’ll help make breakfast. Okay?”
“Make it quick. Your dad will be up in twenty minutes.”
“All right.”
A little concerned about why his mother might want to speak to him privately, Boone took one of the quickest showers of his life and returned to the kitchen wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “Is something wrong?”
“What? Why would you ask that?”
“You wanted to talk to me before Dad got up. Tell me nobody is sick.”
“No one is sick. We’re fine. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just wanted a chance to visit with you without all the interruptions we had this weekend.”
“It’s been a busy weekend.”
“Yes, and a wonderful weekend. It’s so good to see Jackson happy again. I wish his parents were here to meet Caroline. I know they’d have loved her, but I’m sure they watched the festivities from celestial seats.”
“I don’t doubt it, Mom.”
As she used a pair of tongs to flip the bacon she was frying, she casually asked, “So what’s up with Tucker and Gillian? I haven’t seen so many sparks fly since the bonfire your father built in 2012.”
“That was one great bonfire.” Eagle eye Quetta. That’s my mom. Boone poured himself a cup of coffee. He needed to watch his words here. He wouldn’t betray his cousin’s confidence. Still, Tucker’s love life might be the distraction he needed to keep the conversation away from himself. “I think Tucker definitely has a thing for Gillian Thacker.”
“I like Gillian very much. Do you think there might be a future there with Tucker?”
Boone sipped his coffee. “Well, I would definitely bet on a present. If it makes it to the future is anybody’s guess.”
“Hmm,” Quetta McBride said. “Well, if Tucker decides he wants her, I’ll put my money on him. He might not be quite up to your standard when it comes to pursuing what you want, but