been smooth sailing.
For a while.
Then Denise became distant, distracted, and he, unable to reach her, started to work even longer hours, determined to land the promotion to vice president before he was thirty—stupidly convinced that more financial security and maybe even a bigger house would help repair their faltering marriage.
Things continued to slip away, the snowball slowly becoming an avalanche.
“I guess it’s been an adjustment,” Darcy whispered, careful not to disturb Reba. “Having a baby in the house again.”
Ryder walked over to where she sat, glancing down at Reba’s face. “Not a bad adjustment.”
Darcy grinned up at him. “You like babies?”
He nodded, wondering if he’d somehow given Yvonne and Leo the impression that he didn’t. Or if there was some other reason they didn’t want to leave the baby alone with him. “I love them. Yvonne and Leo could have asked me to come home early tonight. I would have watched her for them so they could go out.”
“Are you trying to steal my job?” she teased.
“I’m just saying…I live here and I’m not sure why they…”
Darcy rose slowly, handing him the sleeping baby.
Yvonne was a first-time mother, Leo a hovering and smitten father, Vince and Clint the loving big brothers, so Ryder’s opportunities to hold Reba had been few and far between. Somebody else in the family always got there first.
Reba shuffled slightly at the handoff, then settled right back down to sleep. She really was precious. He huffed out a quiet laugh as he looked at the tiny girl.
“Something funny?” Darcy asked curiously.
“You’re sharing. Everybody else in this house hogs the baby. I never get a turn.”
Darcy’s smile grew and he suspected if she weren’t trying to be quiet, she would have barked out one of those loud, infectious laughs of hers. He’d heard it around the office quite a few times over the past couple of months and it never failed to make him grin.
Darcy was very much like his son, Clint. A bundle of positive energy. If they were walking, they were dancing. If they were talking, they were singing.
“Sometimes…” he began, then closed his mouth.
“Yes?” she prodded.
Somewhere along the line, he’d lost the ability to shield his thoughts around Darcy, saying things aloud he never felt compelled to share before. “Sometimes, I feel a bit like the third wheel in this family. Or I should say the sixth wheel?”
“Do you think that’s because you spend a lot of time at work? Maybe if you were here more…”
“Yeah. I probably shouldn’t complain about not being included in stuff because I’m aware it’s my fault.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know that. But the fact is, it’s true.” Ryder recalled coming home a couple of weeks ago to discover Yvonne had made Clint’s Halloween costume for him, and he’d felt guilty because he hadn’t even realized the holiday was coming up.
“You should tell Yvonne you wouldn’t mind staying alone with Reba. I know she wouldn’t have a problem with that at all. I think tonight was more along the lines of she didn’t want to impose if you were busy with work. And I also begged to do it.”
Ryder nodded, appreciating Darcy’s comments. “Okay. I’ll tell her.”
He shifted toward the crib, carefully putting Reba down. The baby never stirred.
They left the room, walking back toward the family room. Ryder was surprised to discover Vince and Clint clearing out as he’d asked.
“Where are you guys going?” Darcy asked.
“Video games in our room,” Vince answered. “Ryder wants the TV.”
“Gotcha. I’ll come in before I leave to say goodbye,” she said.
Ryder considered telling her she didn’t need to stay, but he didn’t want her to leave yet.
Vince and Clint continued to their room.
“Want a glass of wine?” Ryder asked.
Darcy’s expression brightened as if he’d offered her a diamond necklace. “That would be great. Thanks.”
She followed him to the kitchen, grabbing two wineglasses from the cabinet while he opened a bottle of Chardonnay, then poured. Darcy was completely at home in his house, something he knew but had never really paid attention to.
They returned to the family room. Darcy claimed her previous spot on one end of the couch, so Ryder took the other side. If he were less of a sadomasochist, he would have chosen the recliner, which was well away from her, instead of sitting so closely, knowing he couldn’t kiss her.
Now he was close enough to catch a whiff of her coconut-scented hair.
Darcy took a sip of the wine before setting it on the end table. She sighed, looking