a bite, Jill could tell this NFL chef knew what he was doing. She moaned softly.
“This is amazing.”
“It’s just spaghetti and meatballs.”
“You must have picked up extra tips from those chefs you hire because Carmen’s food did not taste like this.”
Maxwell’s boyish smile was magazine worthy as he twirled his fork in the spaghetti. “Maybe I did.”
Shelley grunted with frustration as her food continuously slipped off her fork. Maxwell hurried to help her, and once the kids were quietly eating again, Jill asked, “So how have things been going the last few days? Any issues?”
Maxwell heaved a sigh. “Mostly sleep. These three little monsters don’t like bedtime.”
“Not surprised about that.”
“I’ve taken to leaving the TV on for them,” Maxwell said with a grimace. “I know that’s the worst—but I was at my wit’s end.”
She tutted. Definitely not a habit they should be continuing, but she understood the frustration—and helplessness—of being thrust into a new world like this. Maxwell deserved some slack. “It’s all about the bedtime routine. Do you want me to help with that? I’d be more than happy to.”
Maxwell nodded. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”
She rolled her lips inward, fighting a laugh. Bless his heart. “But you’re figuring it out. Just like all new parents. And now we’ve got two heads in the game. Why don’t I help get the bedtime thing settled? I could stay over, so that way you don’t have to worry about waking up and taking care of things if they don’t sleep through the night. You get your sleep. I’m the one who is off tomorrow.”
Her heart pounded as soon as the words left her mouth. She hadn’t intended to propose a sleepover this quickly—or ever—but it made sense. He needed someone else to set the routine, and once the kids had the habit in place, he could simply maintain it. It was an easy way for her to help.
So why did it feel like a justification?
“You would do that for me?”
“For all y’all,” she corrected, pointing her fork at Maxwell and the kids. “Sleep is important. Not just for us, but for them too. It might take a few nights, but I know how Carmen and Wayne used to put them down. I’ll get them back on track.”
Maxwell covered his heart with a hand, gazing at her with a look that said marry me now. To the kids, he said, “You better start calling her Auntie Angel from now on, you hear me, kids?”
Jill fought a grin. It was easy to get swept up in the feeling of family like this. Especially when Maxwell sent her looks like that. Her ex had done a good job of wooing her in the beginning too. Complete with warm moments and plenty of promise of what might lay ahead.
These warm moments with Maxwell were nothing more than a family arrangement to benefit the kids. Sleepover included.
She just needed to remember that.
6
Days churned by in relative domestic bliss. Jill had basically moved into Maxwell’s house, though she insisted on visiting her own home daily to refresh her clothes and overnight supplies. Shacking up in one of Maxwell’s many guest bedrooms made it feel a little bit like a vacation, even with how lush his entire house was.
And within days, as promised, she had the triplets on their nighttime schedule. She waited until Sunday before broaching the topic of not spending the night at Maxwell’s house, but really, she needed to wake up Monday morning in her own house, in her own headspace.
Because Monday was the day her new dental practice opened.
She woke up extra early that morning, mostly due to nerves, and spent more time than usual perfecting her hair and makeup. She and her partners still had plenty of details to finalize about the practice—and even more kinks to unravel—but the practice was ready for patients, and they were putting their collective best foot forward. The plan was to open the clinic part time until their clientele was established and then grow from there.
All in all, Jill was bright-eyed and ready for this new chapter of her life. She practically floated into the office that morning, looking at all their design touches—from the yellow- and white-accented waiting room, walls covered with big decals of giraffes and monkeys, to the ample greenery that dotted the halls—with fresh eyes. Her partners, Diana and Shanice, were already there, hanging balloons at the reception desk and passing out coffees. Their small staff consisted of just a receptionist