long coming, right, Sharon Lynn?”
“Way too long,” Sharon Lynn replied fervently. She beckoned to Patsy. “Come with me. I hear there’s a huge Tex-Mex buffet in the dining room and the word is that the housekeeper at White Pines made the food. Maritza’s enchiladas are to die for.”
From that moment on, everyone made a deliberate effort to include Patsy in the celebration. By the time it was over, she had pushed aside the words she had exchanged with Justin and her worries over a custody battle for Billy. For a couple of hours, she actually managed to live in the moment. More than being accepted as a stranger in their midst, she felt as if she were part of this large extended family.
If only it were true, she thought wistfully as the last of them left. Surrounded by their strength, she was pretty sure she could face just about anything.
As she helped Sharon Lynn pile the last of the packages into the back of her car, Justin came up the walk, carrying a sleeping Billy in his arms. He grinned at Sharon Lynn.
“Looks like you picked up a lot of loot. Any sexy lingerie in there?”
“None that you’ll ever see,” Sharon Lynn told him. “You find your own woman and your own sexy lingerie.”
Justin’s gaze shifted instantly to Patsy. She could feel her cheeks burning as he studied her thoughtfully. To cover her rush of embarrassment, she reached for her son.
“I’ll take Billy.”
“No need,” Justin countered, his expression turning stubborn. “I’ll carry him in to bed.” He held out a huge sack. “You can take this, though.”
She reached for the bag and almost dropped it. “What on earth?”
“Billy and I did a little shopping.”
Remembering what Jenny had said earlier, she asked, “For yourself or for him?”
He grinned. “He’s promised to let me come over and play with his new toys every now and then.”
“Justin, you really shouldn’t have.”
“Of course I should. I haven’t had so much fun in years. Wait till you see this really nifty police car. It even has a siren.”
Sharon Lynn regarded him with amusement. “I thought you had your own police car with a siren.”
The comment didn’t seem to faze him. “Yeah, but Billy didn’t,” he said matter-of-factly.
As far as Patsy knew, Billy had never expressed any interest in having a remote control car. As Jenny had suggested earlier, she suspected the toy really was for Justin, bought under the guise of a gift. She hefted the bag, which weighed a ton.
“There’s more than a car in here, isn’t there?”
“We saw a basketball set that was pretty snazzy, too.”
Patsy stared. “Basketball? Billy’s two. It’ll be a long time before he can even hold a basketball, much less play hoops with someone your size.”
“This is a toddler basketball set. The net’s only as high as my waist and the ball weighs about five ounces. It’s not exactly regulation.”
“I see. Anything else?”
“A surprise for you. Billy picked it out.”
“At the toy store?”
“Yep.”
Sharon Lynn regarded them both with tolerant amusement. “Looks like it’s your turn for surprises, Patsy. I’ll just run along now and leave you to it.”
“Don’t go,” she said in a rush. She didn’t want to be left alone with this man whose every action charmed her and reminded her of how long it had been since anyone at all had given a thought to what might make her happy.
“I have a long drive,” Sharon Lynn said, ignoring the plea and getting into her car. “See you two in the morning.” She blew a kiss in Patsy’s direction. “Thanks again for everything.”
After she’d gone, Patsy seemed to be rooted to the spot. It was Justin who finally said, “I think maybe I ought to get Billy into bed before he wakes up.”
Flustered, she murmured, “Yes, of course.”
Inside, she followed him into Billy’s room. She took off Billy’s shoes and socks, then stripped off his shorts. She left his spaghetti-stained T-shirt on, fearful that removing it would awaken him. He settled onto his tummy, his thumb going instinctively into his mouth.
She glanced up and caught an odd expression on Justin’s face, something that might have been longing.
“He’s a terrific kid,” he said softly.
“He’s the light of my life,” she said. “I don’t know what I’d ever do if something happened to him.”
Justin’s gaze shifted to her. “What could happen?”
Realizing that she’d almost given her very real fears away, she said, “You know, any of the million and one things that can happen to a kid.”
Justin shook his head.