Be My Babies

“Hello, Mother.”

“Are you all right?”

Sighing, he hoisted himself up and stuffed a pillow behind him. “I’m fine.”

“You missed a meeting with vendors this morning.”

“I did?”

“Listen, darling, I know you’re upset that Liliana left, though I think it might be for the best. But your father isn’t happy about your not showing up.”

“I’m sorry, Mother.” For a lot of things. Not the least of which was the wreckage he came face-to-face with when he looked around the bedroom. The desk chair was on its side. A lamp lay broken on the floor. A wastebasket was tipped over, its contents tumbling out onto the floor.

And several pictures of him and Liliana were smashed into pieces. He must have lost it last night. Damn, why did she have to leave him? He couldn’t function without her.

You couldn’t function with her, either.

He swore vilely.

“Derek!”

“Sorry, Mother. I stubbed my toe. What were you saying?”

“Would you like me to come over there? I could cancel my nail appointment. I know Liliana didn’t appreciate my visits, but now that she’s gone…”

He rubbed a hand over his jaw. God—days of growth. He could smell himself, too, and it wasn’t pleasant. “No, Mother. I’m going to shower and head over to the office.”

“Placate your father, dear.”

“All right. I’ll talk to you later.”

He hung up and surveyed the room again.

No wonder Liliana had left him.

Chapter Three

“OH, MR. MARTINI, they’re beautiful.” Simon watched Lily gush as she knelt on the floor of the reception area and picked up a furry black creature. She looked cute in a dark pink-and-red skirt and pink blouse. Not for the first time, he noticed how attractive she was. “He’s so little. And soft.”

“I like the one with white on his face.” Jenna scooped another kitten out of the box, and Simon watched as she held it the same way Lily held hers. For a minute, he worried. His daughter mimicked Lily Wakefield a lot these days. Then, with less effort than last week, he let it go. He believed in the old adage that you could tell a person’s true character by how he or she treated children, older people and animals.

In the three weeks she’d been in Fairview, Lily had earned gold stars in all categories. She even had the cranky O’Malley brothers behaving. They owned the local pub and usually made everybody miserable. It was odd how people in small towns were so trusting. But Simon vowed he’d keep a clear head about her. He would try not to jump to conclusions.

“Any takers on the ads?” Lily asked Mr. Martini, as she scratched the kitten’s neck. Her nails were painted pink to match her blouse.

The seventy-year-old man smiled at Lily. “All but these two.” He stretched out a stiff leg, and winked at Simon. “Don’t know what I’m gonna do with the last of them.”

Jenna’s eyes widened. She looked heartbreakingly young in overall shorts and a T-shirt, with her long hair pulled back in a ponytail. “Oh, Dad, can we?”

He stuck his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Who’d take care of it?”

“Me. I’m not a baby. Lily says I’m very mature for my age.” She lifted a chin in a haughty manner. She’d learned that from Lily, too. “I can do it.”

“Well, if Lily said so.” The woman already had spent an inordinate amount of time with Jenna. She was even taking his daughter along to her next prenatal checkup after Jenna had begged to hear the babies’ heartbeats.

Lily looked over at Simon. Her smile was genuine and it did beautiful things to her eyes. Her face, fuller now, was alight with that pregnancy glow. He wondered about her life before she came here and why it had been stressful enough to make her thin and pale, as she’d been when she arrived. Gil hadn’t told him and he hadn’t asked. “They make wonderful pets, Simon.”

“I’ll think about it.”

After a minute, Lily stood and stretched, placing her hands on the small of her back.

“Your back hurt, Lily?” Jenna asked.

“A bit. I can’t figure out why. I’m not quite five months along. I haven’t gained that much weight. I’m not even in maternity clothes.”

“Cells are dividing in your lower back, stretching your muscles to accommodate the babies. Probably more than normal with twins.”

She stared at Simon, as if he were speaking Greek. “How do you know that?”

Simon brushed his hand down Jenna’s hair. “I learned everything I could about my baby girl, even before she was born.”

Mr. Martini harrumphed. “In my day, we didn’t take much interest.” He went on to tell Lily about his wife, who’d been dead ten years, and his four kids, all of whom had moved away to bigger cities.

Seating herself across from the older man, Lily listened intently, petting the kitten the whole time. Simon watched that soft rhythmic stroke, mesmerized. It stirred something inside him; something he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Eventually, Mr. Martini struggled to his feet. “So, should I take them back with me?”

“Dad?”

“All right. You can have one.”

Mr. Martini zeroed in on Lily. “What about you, young lady?”

“Me? Oh, no, I can’t have a kitten.” Her expression was sad.

“Why not?”

“What if I don’t stay?” Her voice trailed off, reminding Simon of the damage she could do to Gil and Jenna if— when—she left Fairview. Lately, that had been even more of a concern to him than her laying claim to the paper.

Then, she surprised them all by saying, “You know what? Yes, I’m going to take him.”

“Yay!” Jenna threw her arms around Lily. “They can visit each other for company.”

Lily laughed, Jenna laughed, and Mr. Martini forgot for a minute to maintain his gruff exterior and smiled broadly.

The front door opened, and Mr. Martini said under his breath, “Here comes Her Ladyship.”

“Hush,” Lily told him, then turned to the visitor. “Miss Jameson, how nice to see you.” She nodded to the woman’s outfit. “That green dress goes great with your hair and eyes.”