Dreaming of His Snowed In Kiss - Jessie Gussman Page 0,33
too,” Garrett echoed.
“I knew you were hungry,” Poppy said, looking at Garrett. “You’ve already eaten your clothes.” She gave Warren a warning glance. “You’d better be careful, he might start on yours next.”
The boys giggled, and West had to fight again to keep his own lips from twitching up. She was silly enough to appeal to boys, and she hadn’t even gotten to bodily noises and passing gas at either end. The boys would probably be rolling on the floor if she started on that.
He just hoped he had the self-control not to join them there.
She scooped Garrett up and patted Warren’s shoulder.
Putting her forehead on Garrett’s and wiggling it back and forth, she said, “Where are your clothes, my child?”
Her tone was just goofy enough to make Garett grin with all of his teeth showing. His little narrow shoulders went up and down and up and down.
“For some reason, he goes in the potty if he doesn’t have any clothes on,” West mumbled, feeling stupid. What kind of person let a kid run around naked? That wasn’t something that was done in polite society.
“I believe you already mentioned your newfangled way of potty training. It probably also makes it easier if you don’t have to scrape poop off underwear.”
She tilted her head toward him while keeping her forehead against Garrett’s, who seemed to be pushing on her and turning the whole forehead thing into a competition.
Typical boy.
Their eyes caught, and it took him a couple of seconds to even think about replying. She didn’t seem to be yelling at him for letting the kid run around naked. Not like a normal person might have. In fact, she kinda acted like it was an okay idea.
“Easier isn’t always better,” he said.
Somehow, his dad’s comment that he heard a million times growing up as a kid came into his head at that time.
“If you had four small children dumped on your lap, and you’re just trying to survive, I’m sorry, but easier is better.”
He almost thought she might have winked at him before she turned her head back and ground it into Garrett’s. He seemed to be pushing with all his little might with his head against hers.
“If you two boys want to help me mix up some pancakes, you can.”
She slipped her head away, and Garrett’s head surged forward, bopping on her shoulder before he pulled back, blinking.
She lowered her head at him. “But you, sir, at least need to have a pull-up on. We can’t have naked cooks in the kitchen.”
“I’m naked. I’m all naked.” He giggled, like it was funny.
“How about we just have a naked top and a not naked bottom?”
“I can help?” He seemed to want to make sure of that before he agreed to any type of covering. West almost smiled.
“You sure can.” Her brow scrunched up like she was going to ask a very deep question. “Can you crack eggs?”
Garrett’s head went up and down, big and deep.
Poppy’s head tilted. “Have you ever cracked eggs before?”
Garrett’s head paused for just a moment before it started going back and forth just as big and wide.
“That’s what I thought.” She grinned and looked down at Warren. “Have you ever cracked eggs?”
“I dropped one on the floor once. That one cracked.” Warren’s lips didn’t even move up; the kid was serious.
“Let’s not count that one,” Poppy said, her face just as serious. “I think anything that ends up on the floor doesn’t get counted.” Maybe she added that last bit when she saw how Warren’s face fell when she discounted his “experience” in cracking eggs.
“I guess that means you and I are on baby-watching duty,” he said to Hazel, who had not stopped touching Gabriella’s legs and feet and rubbing her hand softly and carefully over her head.
“Can I hold her?”
West looked again at Poppy; she’d adjusted Garrett and had dug one-handed into the bag that contained the pull-ups.
She nodded her head at his look, and he said, “I’m pretty sure that everything that you do with children requires you to be skilled at working with just one hand.”
She laughed. “I hadn’t ever thought of that, but I’m sure you’re right. Sometimes, I think a secondary skill is being able to work with your teeth. I had a sister who could tie a knot in a cherry stem in her mouth.” Her voice trailed off, and she moved the hand that was under Garrett around and started seriously digging in the bag, suddenly focused on getting a