her.
When we arrive at the house, Sophia is in the foyer, pacing. She grins when she sees us. “I’ve heard a rumor that we have a guest.”
“It’s only for a week,” I emphasize.
“The sheriff will pick him up next Monday,” Leyla reiterates. “We’ll probably be in Portland when he comes by, so you might be the one resending him.”
Sophia claps and smiles. “Let’s soak up on baby goodness, then.”
“You’re going to have to wait for your turn,” I say, guiding Leyla toward the living room. “I’m next.”
“Why bother building the crib when that baby is never going to be in there? Everybody is going to want a turn.” Blaire jokes. Hayes rolls his eyes. “We’ll be right back. We’re going to buy formula and baby bottles.”
“Thank you,” I say, pulling out my wallet.
Hayes shakes his head. “I got this. The boxes are upstairs. The guys are waiting for you to tell them where you want the crib before they start putting it together.”
I turn to look at Leyla, “Do you want it in the nursery or our room, babe?”
“I don’t know,” she whispers, staring at the sleepy baby. “We need a rocking chair. Maybe we should move my bed to storage and put the crib in its place. He’ll be closer to us.”
“That’s a great idea,” I agree. “I’ll go upstairs to tell the guys and help them.”
Beacon and Henry are in the middle of the hallway, opening the box. When I pass the nursery, I spot Mills, who is opening the clothing boxes. Vance leans against the wall, tapping his phone.
“We need to move Leyla’s bed out so we can set the crib in there,” I instruct.
“If you take the comforter and sheets off, I’ll start doing that,” Vance volunteers then looks at me. “Congrats on the kid.”
“It’s not ours. We’re just taking care of him for the week,” I announce. “Don’t get too attached.”
“Why not adopt him?” Henry asks, staring at the crib’s instructions and looking at the tools as foreign objects. “I swear my children are going to learn to do stuff by themselves. We’re not hiring people, or they’re going to be useless, just like me.”
Beacon laughs. “Your family spoiled you. The good news is that you’re not hopeless.”
“I still don’t understand why you’re so grounded,” Henry says, scratching the back of his head. “Your grandfather was a famous actor. Your mother is a diva—worse than how my mother was.”
Beacon shrugs. “My grandparents decided to raise me better than they did with my mother. One of his best friends lives in Seattle. They are celebrities too, but pretty grounded people for that matter.”
“Is that why they moved there?” I ask, intrigued.
He nods. “Yeah, they wanted me to grow up in a more normal environment.”
Obviously, the baby of the family has his issues, but he’s pretty grounded despite his fame, parents, and being filthy rich.
“Pierce, can you leave the gossip for later?” Vance yells from the room.
“Go! It’s obvious that his schedule is packed,” Henry says mockingly.
It’s at three o’clock in the morning—while I’m feeding the baby—when I feel complete. Leyla is right beside me, her head leaning against my shoulder. She holds the baby’s little hand.
“I want one,” I whisper, kissing her forehead.
“What made you change your mind?” she asks.
“The reason I didn’t want them in the first place was that I didn’t want anyone else to have to deal with what I did while growing up,” I answer. “I should’ve seen it from a different perspective. Trying not to be my parents, I shied away from feelings. If I had told you more about myself, maybe you would’ve helped me see things from a different light.”
Since Henry and I are getting help to deal with our issues, we have discussed our upbringing in depth. So far, we’ve concluded that it was the adults’ job to handle the situation differently—not ours. Children learn from what they see. Our mothers resented our brothers and their mothers. It doesn’t take a genius to understand why we could barely stand each other. Except, during the weeks we were here in Baker’s Creek, we could get along well enough.
We could’ve had a different childhood if they had allowed us to be a family.
“I wish I had been a better man when you met me,” I confess. “But, I swear to be a better man for you.”
Leyla snuggles closer to me. “Do you know what this reminds me of?”
I shake my head.
“When we brought Daisy home,” she answers. “I know it’s