On the one hand, he badly wanted to tell them about the baby. It was a significant event for him, and he wanted to share. He was scared to death at the thought of being a single dad. He was excited at the thought of it. He wanted to ask his mother’s advice about feeding and diapering and sleep hygiene. He wanted to speak to his dad about the responsibilities of fatherhood and best practices for discipline. In other words, he wanted to learn Parker McBride’s secret for putting the fear of God into his children with only a look.
And yet the circumstances hadn’t changed from a week ago. It was still in his parents’ best interests that he waited to present the adoption of his new son as a fait accompli. So he bit his tongue and bided his time and avoided looking his mama in the eyes.
Boone woke early the morning his family was due to depart. He went for a run, hoping to burn off some of the nervous energy that had been building over the past few days. His mind was full of plans and possibilities. His parents planned to leave by eight in order to arrive at the Colorado Springs airport in time for the twins to catch a plane back to California. Boone had movers scheduled to arrive at eight thirty to switch out bedroom furniture for a crib, changing table, and other baby gear.
He hoped he’d ordered the necessary baby paraphernalia. His experience with infants was minimal. Okay, it was next to nothing.
He should probably get somebody with experience to review his list and tell him what he needed to add. After all, Eternity Springs didn’t have a Buy Buy Baby where he could run in and grab what he needed.
Although, with all the babies being born here, and the tourists who shopped for their grandchildren during visits to Eternity Springs, bet there was a market for a specialty children’s shop. The one in Redemption appeared to do good business, and the small Texas town where his cousins lived was similar to Eternity Springs in many ways.
He made a mental note to look into the idea at a later date. Of more immediate need, who could he hit up to review his shopping list? Heaven knew there were plenty of people in town with recent baby experience whom he could approach. Eternity Springs’ recent population explosion had some folks jokingly refer to the place as Maternity Springs.
He could call Jenna Murphy or Hope Romano or Gabi Flynn. They’d all be happy to give him advice. Or he could ask Hannah. Her experience might not be as recent as that of his local friends, but he wasn’t worried about having all the new bells and whistles in baby gear. He wanted to confirm that he had the basics covered for a newborn. Fundamentals didn’t change. Babies needed beds and bottles and blankets. Diapers and wipes and—clothes. Oh, crap. Boone halted in his tracks. He hadn’t ordered any clothes!
That was a foolish oversight, but nothing insurmountable. He’d pick up what he needed in Fort Worth. Now to figure out what he needed.
He worked the problem for the rest of his run, but the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and frying bacon distracted him as he entered the kitchen and found his mother at the stove. “You’re up early.”
She glanced up at him and smiled. “I was hoping to have a chat with you. We’ve hardly had any opportunity to visit this trip.”
“Let me grab a quick shower, and then I’ll help make breakfast. Okay?”
“Make it quick. Your dad will be up in twenty minutes.”
“All right.”
A little concerned about why his mother might want to speak to him privately, Boone took one of the quickest showers of his life and returned to the kitchen wearing shorts and a T-shirt. “Is something wrong?”
“What? Why would you ask that?”
“You wanted to talk to me before Dad got up. Tell me nobody is sick.”
“No one is sick. We’re fine. I didn’t mean to worry you. I just wanted a chance to visit with you without all the interruptions we had this weekend.”
“It’s been a busy weekend.”
“Yes, and a wonderful weekend. It’s so good to see Jackson happy again. I wish his parents were here to meet Caroline. I know they’d have loved her, but I’m sure they watched the festivities from celestial seats.”
“I don’t doubt it, Mom.”
As she used a pair of tongs to flip the bacon she was frying, she casually asked, “So what’s up with Tucker and Gillian? I haven’t seen so many sparks fly since the bonfire your father built in 2012.”
“That was one great bonfire.” Eagle eye Quetta. That’s my mom. Boone poured himself a cup of coffee. He needed to watch his words here. He wouldn’t betray his cousin’s confidence. Still, Tucker’s love life might be the distraction he needed to keep the conversation away from himself. “I think Tucker definitely has a thing for Gillian Thacker.”
“I like Gillian very much. Do you think there might be a future there with Tucker?”
Boone sipped his coffee. “Well, I would definitely bet on a present. If it makes it to the future is anybody’s guess.”
“Hmm,” Quetta McBride said. “Well, if Tucker decides he wants her, I’ll put my money on him. He might not be quite up to your standard when it comes to pursuing what you want, but he’s close on your heels.”
Boone wouldn’t bet against Tucker either.
“And speaking of what you want,” his mother continued as she removed crispy bacon from the frying pan onto a platter. “Dare I get my hopes up about Hannah?”
“No,” he fired back quickly. Too quickly, because she pinned him with a suspicious look.
“What’s wrong with her? I liked her very much too.”
“Nothing’s wrong with her. As far as I know. I guess something might be wrong with her, but I don’t know it yet. I don’t know her well enough to have discovered it.”
“Well, I’m a good judge of character, and I think she’s lovely. Quietly classy. Not a snow bunny gold digger like that last girl you introduced to us.”
“C’mon, Mom. The only reason I introduced you was due to some spectacularly bad timing.” It had been one of the most embarrassing moments of his life. What were the chances that his parents would book the same intimate bed-and-breakfast near Wolf Creek ski resort as he, and exit their room at the exact moment Boone was unlocking the door to his room with his date’s hand in his pants?
Quetta McBride’s lips twitched as she reached for her own coffee cup and took a sip. “Well, I’m glad to see you dating a woman your age.”
“I don’t discriminate based on age,” Boone defended. He’d dated plenty of women older than he. But then he’d dated plenty of women, period. That probably was not a direction he wanted to take the conversation, so he said, “Anyway, Hannah is not a permanent resident of Eternity Springs.”
“Unless you decide you want her to be one.”
“Mother.” Boone snitched a slice of bacon off the platter and got his knuckles slapped for the effort. “Your confidence in my ability is gratifying but misplaced.”
She made an unladylike snort.
“Okay, I’ll admit to being dogged in my pursuits, but anything between Hannah and me is truly in the puppy stage. I don’t want you to get your hopes up where my love life is concerned, Mom. I have bigger fish to fry at this particular moment.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d made a mistake. Dang it. This was why he’d tried to steer clear of his mother this weekend.