baby blankets folded and piled. A pack of diapers. So many things to do right for that little kid, and the ones that mattered most, you couldn’t even see. He wasn’t ready to be a dad.
He managed to say, “Congratulations, Daddy Charlie.”
Nick slid an arm around Brian’s shoulders, like he’d heard the hurt in his voice. “Yeah. Congrats. Don’t forget Uncle Nick and Uncle Brian are available to babysit. Or to help put together the three hundred plastic gizmos you’ll be buying.”
Charlie grinned. “I’ll call you. A one-armed man can’t change diapers, after all.”
“Good thing you still have two, then.” Nick suddenly laughed. “Oooh. Are you going to tell your mother this?”
Charlie stared at him, eyes wide. For a moment, different expressions chased across his face. Then he turned to Lori. “Can I tell her? Just that I signed on, not the rest of it. She’d be another backstop for you, as Josh’s on-paper grandmother, and she’s a good person, despite a quirk here and there.”
“Let me sleep on it,” Lori said thinly. “Maybe.” Brian had a feeling that was a no.
Zander made shooing gestures. “Go on, the lot of you. Go take the baby for a tour of his house while I get my patient squared away. I’ll bring out the form later, Charlie.”
Lori blinked heavily. “Yeah. Damon, you can fill in my bit. Put whatever you like.”
“Right.” Damon put a hand on her shoulder in passing. “You did good, girl. Healthy baby. That counts. Even if that last play was a bit heavy-handed. You still have time to think about it. There’s a legal affidavit you’ll need to wrap it up, but I have to get your ID more solid first. I’ll tell you when.”
She covered his hand with hers, gripping his fingers. “Are you going to stick around for a while?”
“I’m not sure. There’s some delicate plans in the works. I’ll be here if you really need me.”
“Delicate? Like what?”
“Like illegal?” Nick asked.
Damon ignored him but gave her a dark laugh. “Believe me, Lorraine, you don’t want to know.”
“I hate that name,” she muttered. “You know that. I hate you. Bast’rd.” Her voice was slurred with tiredness.
“I’ll put you on the birth certificate as a heavy smoker with six other kids,” he told her. “Then you can really hate me. Get cleaned up and get some rest.”
She let go of his hand but looked over at Brian. “Hey. Bry.” She crooked a finger.
“Brian. Not Bry.” He shrugged out of Nick’s hold and went to her anyway.
“It’s for the best,” she said.
“I know.”
“Not like you’d ever want to be his dad anyhow.”
“No,” he said steadily. Maybe? I wish it was yes?
“Uncle Brian.” She patted at him. “You’ll be a good uncle.”
He turned and left the room. His vision blurred, as he came up to the sliding doors and stared out. It was in the fifties today, and any trace of the brief snow and ice had vanished. The sun was higher than it would be midafternoon in Minnesota. The grass was brown but with a tinge of green here and there. He laid his palms on the door and the sun-touched glass was actually warm— unlike any winter he’d ever known. How did my life end up here?
Behind him, Nick murmured, “Are you okay?”
Oh, yes, Nick’s how I ended up with any life, here or anywhere. He managed a nod. “Fine. Tired.”
“Let’s head home. Yasmin gave you the afternoon off. You can lay around and we’ll watch a movie.”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
“While Charlie walks the baby and changes a dozen diapers.”
“Right.”
Nick moved in close. “Maybe we’ll have kids of our own someday. I wouldn’t totally mind.”
“I’m not sure I even want kids, really. This is so weird. I don’t know what I want.”
Charlie came out with Damon behind him and the infant in his arms. “Brian, do you want to sit down and hold him for a minute? Maybe we should see if you can or not?”
He wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he went and sat on the couch and held out his arms. “Okay.”
“Here.” Charlie started to go to one knee, stiffly, and Damon grabbed his elbow to ease his way. Charlie glanced up as he reached the floor. “I had that, you know.”
Damon let go. “I’d hate to kill you for dropping him on your first day.”
“Hah.” Charlie turned back to Brian. “Are you ready? Support his head with your hand.”
Then the baby was in his arms, solid and sleepy and tiny. Charlie kept a