Baby Makes Six (5 page)

“You know what, seeing Grandma and Grandpa sounds like a super idea.” Eddie grinned as he made his way out of Mrs. Henderson’s very staid street. His mom was a dynamite woman. Even after all these years, she still had a spring in her step and a look of motherly love in her eyes.

Consequently, whenever he opened her back door, Eddie still felt the same surge of warmth he’d felt back when he’d ride his bike home from Little League and she’d be in the kitchen waiting for him. His mom epitomized security and warmth.

“Maybe she has Jell-O.”

“Maybe.” Somehow his mother had memorized a whole gelatin cookbook. Almost every night, she whipped up some concoction with gelatin, fruit and Cool Whip. Back when he was in junior high, there’d been a time when he’d been a little embarrassed about her. Some of his buddies’ moms were thinner, prettier, drove fancy cars and seemed to have lots of friends. Sharon Wagner stayed home, decorated the house for every holiday and made enough food for an army.

Now he knew enough about life to know that he was fortunate to have been raised by one of the best women in the world.

During his tour of duty, Eddie often thought of those Jell-O concoctions with a kind of whimsical nostalgia. When they were married, he and Shawn used to guess what kind of molded creation would be
on the menu. Because it turned out that Shawn enjoyed those crazy gelatin salads as much as anyone. As much as their daughters.

He’d barely gotten the car parked before Elsie was pulling at her car seat with pudgy hands. By the time he got her free, the other two were already in the garage.

“Grandma!” Kit called.

“Well, if it isn’t my three favorite girls,” his mom said just as the door popped open. “Hi, Eddie.” She patted each of the girls’ heads fondly as they slipped through the doorway. “What are y’all up to?”

“Nothing much. I was about to take them home and order a pizza when they clamored for you. Is it okay that we stopped by? I should’ve called.”

“You don’t need to call. Come on in.”

As the girls made their way to the kitchen, his mom looked fondly at them. “I was just sitting here thinking that this room looks too clean. We better make something.” She scratched her head. “But I wonder what?”

“Jell-O?” Mary said hopefully.

“We can certainly whip some up. You can help me stir, dear.”

Eddie was just grinning at his mother’s response when his cell phone buzzed.

His mom paused at the door. “Edward, who’s calling you? It’s not work-related, is it?”

“No. I think it’s Jayne.”

A far different look swam across his mom’s face at that news. “Oh. I didn’t know you were still seeing her.”

Of course she knew they were still seeing each other. Everyone knew that he and Jayne had become pretty serious.

Well, everyone except Shawn and the girls. Flipping
up the receiver, he answered quickly. Suddenly aware that he’d neglected to warn Jayne that he had the girls for the weekend.

“Hey, Jayne.”

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“I just picked up the girls and we’re at my parents’ house.” He frowned into the receiver. How was he going to tell her that he didn’t have time to spend with her?

“Oh. I didn’t know you were going to have the girls tonight.” Jayne’s voice sounded overly bright—like she was the star in one of those toothpaste commercials.

“You didn’t know because I forgot to tell you.” Slowly he ventured, “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing. Well, actually, I’ve been sitting here wondering when you were going to call,” she finally admitted. “We’ve almost always had a date on Friday night.”

She was right. They had. And he knew she wasn’t the type of woman who usually sat at home waiting by the phone. She was too attractive—and nice—for that.

“Honestly, work was crazy, then Shawn asked if I could pick up the girls from the sitter for her. Everything’s been a little hectic.” Funny how his excuses made so much sense, but how many times had he blamed Shawn for not being prompt and more considerate? “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cancel tonight.”

As he gave his excuses, he wondered why that even
mattered. Didn’t he want Jayne to be with the girls, too? She was probably awesome with kids, being a teacher and all.

So how come he wasn’t ready for their two worlds to collide?

“I don’t mind being around your kids, you know.”

Now he felt like a heel. What was he fighting, anyway? Sooner or later both his children and his family were going to have to get used to the fact that he had a new woman in his life. It might as well be sooner than later. “You want to come over? We’re just going to have dinner.”

Immediately her voice perked up. “Are you sure you wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all.” Quickly he gave her directions and hung up.

“Mom, that was Jayne. I hope you don’t mind, but I asked her over for dinner.”

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Actually he was. It was time to completely move on with his life. And Jayne was his future—he was certain of it. “I think it is…unless you really don’t want more company.”

“It’s not that. Of course I don’t mind. It’s just that it sure seems like you’re pushing things along so fast.”

“It’s hardly fast, Mom.” Now that he thought about it, Sal had insinuated the same thing. Honestly, did all those months that had passed mean nothing to anyone but him?

“I’m just not sure if Jayne is the right girl for you. When she was over here for the barbecue last week, she barely mentioned the girls.”

“That would have been awkward, don’t you think? I mean, she hardly knows them. Plus, they’re my kids, not hers.” Warming to the subject, he said, “And that’s why
she’s so anxious to come over. She wants to get to know the girls. You and Dad, too.”

Since she’d already made Jell-O with the girls—lime this time—she was rinsing out the bowl. The girls were all munching on carrot sticks in the living room. But the relative calm of their situation didn’t come across in her body language.

If anything, his mom looked a tad agitated. “I can imagine there’s all kinds of reasons Jayne wants to be with you, Eddie. But it would be a stretch to imagine that your dad and I are one of the reasons.”

“She’s a great person, Mom. She’s great for me.”

“Maybe.” Drying her hands, she murmured, “But don’t forget—she’ll never be their real mother, Eddie. Shawn will be. And your dad and I will always have a special place for Shawn in our hearts.”

“I know that.” Lord, how he knew that! For some reason, things weren’t getting any better. “Listen, how about I call Jayne right back and tell her another time. I don’t want her to come over and feel awkward.”

“I’d never make her feel anything but welcome, you know that.”

“You sure?” He knew how his mom could be. Sweet as sugar, then,
pow!
She’d bite, just like a Doberman.

“Oh, Eddie, settle down. You coming over is fine. Dad and I had just thawed out a bunch of hamburger meat in case you did call. One more person won’t make a difference. I’ve got plenty of hamburger thawed for sloppy joes.” Brightening, she pulled out another can. “And plenty of sauce, too.” She shooed him to the door. “Go visit with your dad and try to help Elsie not ruin my pansies.”

Eddie scrambled out just in time to get a healthy burst of water sprayed on him.

J
AYNE WASN
’
T FITTING IN
very well. Actually that was putting things pretty mildly. Having Jayne over for dinner with the girls was a disaster. And she’d only been there thirty minutes so far.

And she was so perfect, which really was confusing, because Eddie had always assumed that her many great qualities would mesh well with his family’s.

“It’s not that I don’t enjoy sloppy joes, it’s just that I try to stay away from red meat and prepackaged foods most of the time,” she told his parents earnestly from her perch on the end of his mom’s “good” couch. “I usually eat salads and grilled fish.” With a chuckle, she shook her head. “But boy, I used to love eating burgers and fries.”

“We like them,” Mary said.

“Mommy says she eats too much fast food and it makes her ankles swell,” Kit said from the corner of the room, where she was laying train tracks along the edges of his parents’ gas fireplace. The girls loved to play with his old wooden train set.

Instead of looking jealous, Jayne ruffled Elsie’s downy hair. “I bet it’s hard for her to always know what to eat. I only have kids during the day, not 24/7. That is, for now.”

Eddie choked on his tea. Well, there was a hint if he ever heard one. It wasn’t unexpected, either. After all, he’d been hinting for some time that he wanted to take their relationship to the next level. Whenever the timing seemed right.

Talking about Shawn was not going to get them there. “Mommy’s ankles are just fine. And we’re not worried about them, anyway.”

“She is,” Kit retorted. “Mommy says they drive her
crazy. Her ankles and her tummy. She’s had four kids, you know.”

His mom winced. “Oh, Kit.”

Jayne raised a brow. “Four?”

Kit filled her in before he could. “Mommy lost a baby. She died, but we’re not sad anymore. Right, Daddy?”

“Right,” he said automatically, though he wasn’t sure if it was a lie or not. Was he still sad? But no matter what, it wouldn’t do any good to admit his weaknesses. “My daughter has a habit of saying everything that’s on her mind at all times.”

Jayne turned to him, her expression quizzical. “I guess you don’t have that problem at all.”

Now he felt like he was in the doghouse. But had she really expected him to tell her just how hard losing that baby had been? He sure hoped not. That was no one’s business.

But still…at the moment, Jayne was staring at him like she didn’t know him at all.

Luckily his mother came to the rescue. “Girls, did you see all the new farm animals your grandpa bought in the playroom? I think I spied two pigs and a goat!”

Squealing, all three girls tore off to investigate. Eddie’s dad grinned. “The toy store down the street was having a sale.”

“You spoil them, Dad.”

“Not possible. They’re cute as bugs.”

“If bugs could be cute,” his mom sassed.

“It’s the salt,” Jayne explained, getting them back on track to the subject of water retention. “You should tell your ex-wife to eat less salt. She’ll feel better. Less bloated.”

“Shawn,” his dad said. “Eddie’s ex is named Shawn.”

Jayne looked confused. “I know.”

A long moment passed as his parents exchanged incredibly meaningful glances without a single word being said.

Eddie glanced at the kitchen clock. Thirty-five minutes had passed.

“Though salt can be, uh, bothersome, my sloppy joes aren’t salty at all.” His mom glanced his way before replying. “And, well, I do like to serve things I know the girl’s love. And they love sloppy joes.”

“And macaroni and cheese,” Eddie said.

“I make great mac and cheese,” his dad said proudly. “It’s the Velveeta. Melts in your mouth.”

“Kid food never seems to change,” his mom said with forced merriment. “I suspect as a teacher you know that.”

Jayne nodded. “I do. It’s a shame, too. If children were introduced to a variety of healthy, tasty meals, that’s what they’d naturally yearn for.”

His mom’s smile dimmed. “Is that right?”

“Oh, yes. I’ve done a lot of research on properly caring for and feeding infants. When I have my own children, I’m going to make sure I feed them all organic baby food—when they’re done breastfeeding, of course.”

Eddie didn’t dare look at his dad. Bill Wagner talked military tactics, police procedures, Miami Dolphins and Sponge Bob. Eddie could almost bet money no one had ever mentioned breastfeeding to him.

Shawn certainly hadn’t.

“Organic?” his mom said quickly, thank goodness, before Jayne latched on to some bit of info about breast milk.

Eddie glanced at his watch again. Thirty-eight minutes.

“Oh, yes. I plan to make a lot of my baby’s food myself. All in a blender or food processor. It will be so much better than anything prepackaged from the store.”

Sharon Wagner blinked. “I always imagined that would take a lot of time.”

“Maybe, but it will be worth it, don’t you think?” Smiling Eddie’s way, Jayne said, “Plus, I don’t plan to work, so making sure my family eats only nutritious meals will be my main job. That and making sure my home is well taken care of.”

“That’s commendable.” His mom looked at the array of sloppy joes, tater tots and iceberg lettuce, carrots and ranch dressing she’d set out. And, of course, the lime Jell-O in plastic parfait holders. “But tonight, what do you plan to eat?”

A faint crease marred her brow. “I don’t know. Where are we going for dinner, Eddie?”

That caught him completely off guard. “What? We’ve got dinner here.”

“I know you need to feed the kids.” She leaned closer, treating him to a touch of her fragrance—something cinnamon and exotic, the exact opposite of Shawn’s Nivea-lotion scent. “But where do you want to go later, you know, when we go out?”

His mother blinked. “Edward, you’re planning to go out later? Without the children?”

“No, Mom. I never said that.” Turning to Jayne, he said, “I’ve got the girls this weekend. I thought you knew that.”

“Oh.” Jayne paused. “I just assumed since you invited me over and said your parents were cooking, you meant that they were watching the girls. That’s not what you meant?”

“No,” he replied, pretending not to catch the unspoken invitation.

“You can go out, if you’d like.” But his mother’s tone said she would like anything but that.

“No, we can’t. I couldn’t ask it of you.”

But Jayne stood up as if she’d just won the lottery. “Thanks so much, Mrs. Wagner. Obviously I wouldn’t have worn white if I’d known we were going to be eating that.” She slipped her bag on over her wrist. “When did you want to leave, Ed?”

“Ed?” his dad repeated.

“Not yet.”

“Oh.”

Before she could argue, the girls entered the room again. “We’re starving,” Kit proclaimed. “When can we eat?”

His dad narrowed his eyes. “Anytime.”

Elsie came running to Eddie. “Hi, Daddy!”

He swung her up in his arms and instantly imagined what his three-year-old would look like in minutes. A gooey mess.

There was no way he could leave.

What was more, he didn’t want to. “Jayne, we’re going to have to take a rain check. I’m going to eat here tonight.”

“Why? Your parents said it was fine.”

“What is?” Kit asked.

“Nothing.” No way did he want his kids getting into the discussion.

Jayne shook out her hair. “It was
too
something. Your dad was going to take me out to dinner, but I guess that isn’t in the plans anymore.”

Kit turned to him, her wide eyes full of concern. “Daddy, you don’t want to stay here? With us?”

“Of course I do, sweetheart. Jayne, if you’d rather not have sloppy joes, I completely understand. I’ll just have to see you later.”

His dad’s eyebrows rose. His mother almost smiled.

And Jayne…well Jayne looked flabbergasted. “But Eddie—”

“I’m not babysitting. I’m their dad.”

“Did you want to give sloppy joes a try, dear? We could give you one of Bill’s old T-shirts to slip on if you wanted.”

Eddie buried his face in Elsie’s wispy curls to hide his smile. Shawn would have slipped on any of her father-in-law’s shirts without hesitation. Well, after asking for one of his faded police academy T’s. She loved anything to do with the police force.

Smoothing down her crisp white skirt, Jayne shook her head. “I think it might be best if I went on my way. I’d hate to be a bother.”

Kit waved. “Bye.”

Jayne glared.

Oh, boy. “I’ll be right back,” Eddie said as he walked her out. The moment they stepped into the heat of the early evening, he turned to her. “Jayne, when you asked to come over, I thought you knew what the plans were. I told you I had the girls this weekend.”

“You have them a lot.”

“I’m their father. Shawn and I share custody.” But even as he explained, Eddie found himself wondering why he had to say anything at all. She was a teacher. He always thought teachers put kids’ needs first.

“Eddie, I really didn’t think we were going to sit here all night. I thought you wanted to spend time with me.”

“I’m not going to foist my kids off on my parents.”

“Your parents would have liked that.”

“I didn’t want to, Jayne.”

“No, I guess you didn’t.” When they stopped next to her bright white convertible, she sighed. “I’m sorry about this. I guess I wasn’t thinking. You always seem so happy whenever you’re on your own.” Reaching out,
she pressed a slim hand to his chest. “And I’m always on cloud nine when it’s just the two of us.”

Eddie waited to feel something. The first time they’d kissed, he’d been intrigued. And, well, just enough of a man to be thankful that he could still catch the eye of a beautiful woman.

But now, her touch wasn’t making him want more of her. On the contrary, it just made him realize that something was missing.