“Hold your arms open.”
He did as she said and she stepped into them, easing Alice off her shoulder and onto Noah’s. He was quite a bit taller than she was, but she managed it. Their bodies didn’t quite touch, but they were close enough she could feel his heat as he moved. He closed his arms around Alice, shifting her gently, and Jenna took a step back.
Her heart pounded much harder than it should, and her throat felt dry. “I, um, I have to go. I’ll swing by your table in a few minutes and refill your drink. Do you want to order anything else?”
He shook his head. “It’s okay. Someone will be here soon and I’ll have to go. Thanks for everything, Jenna. I appreciate it.”
“You’re welcome,” she said, ducking her head before scurrying away to help Vicki with seating new customers and taking orders.
It was a good thirty minutes before she had a free moment to take a breath. She looked in Noah’s direction, but there was nothing to look at.
Noah and Alice were gone.
Chapter Three
One week later…
Noah turned his Jeep into Saint and Brooke’s driveway and shut off the engine. He stared at the house, guilt swirling inside.
He couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t let others take care of Alice for him. It’d only been a week, but he was still fucking figuring it out. That first night—Jesus, it’d been tough. Alice had cried and clung to him, and he’d abused Brooke’s kindness by texting her at the drop of a hat.
She’d never complained, and neither had Saint. They didn’t have kids—yet—but they were planning on it. Brooke’s best friend, Grace Spencer, had a baby that Brooke watched from time to time. She was the most experienced person in his inner circle at this point. Between her and Google, he was figuring some things out.
But he was still at a loss, still felt like the whole thing was a bad dream and he’d wake up any minute. Except he didn’t wake up. The nightmare kept going.
He hadn’t been to the Early Bird Diner in a week, but he kept seeing Jenna’s face when he closed his eyes. Kept hearing her tell him matter-of-factly to use Google to find out what he needed to know. He’d taken her advice immediately, and while it wasn’t perfect, it helped. Though not everything was on Google. Like when Alice cried for three hours straight and he never did figure it out. She hadn’t been hungry, or tired, or wet, or sick. She’d just been cranky. He’d walked around with her in his arms, rocking her almost frantically until she went to sleep.
The next day he’d had bags under his eyes and she’d been as fresh as a flower. He’d dragged through the day, then picked up a boisterous Alice from the babysitter. When they’d gotten home, there’d been a repeat performance—though Alice thankfully tired out after only two hours that time.
He couldn’t keep going like this. He had to find a nanny ASAP.
Noah went to the front door and knocked. Max, Brooke’s German Shepherd, barked once before someone must have shushed him. Brooke answered a few moments later, looking petite and pretty, and he felt a little pang of envy for his team leader. Saint was happy, and it showed nearly all the time.
“She’s napping. She was such a good little girl today,” Brooke said, opening the door wide. Max stood there with his tail wagging back and forth. “Come on in. Did you eat? We’re having tacos. I’d be happy to set a place for you.”
Saint emerged from the back of the house, grinning when he saw Noah. “Yeah, man, stay for dinner. Brooke always fixes enough for an army when it’s her turn to cook.”
Brooke snorted and rolled her eyes. “Listen to you. You always fix enough for ten armies, mister. That’s why I keep freezing leftovers.”
He snaked an arm around her and kissed her temple. “Gotta feed my woman.”
“I’ve imposed enough,” Noah said, scratching Max’s ear. The dog tilted his head for more.
“Not at all,” Brooke replied instantly. “Alice isn’t any trouble.”
He appreciated how quickly she said that. Made him think she meant it, which was good. Plus, he was too damned tired to figure out what to get for dinner anyway. “I could eat a taco or two,” he admitted, because he was getting sick of takeout and leftover takeout.
“Then come on into the kitchen and help me get it on the table while Cade finds mood music for dinner. Maxie. Outside, buddy.”
Cade scrolled through his phone, grunting an acknowledgment, while Noah followed Brooke. She let Max into the backyard and then they gathered bowls of ingredients, plates, and soft tortillas that Brooke had wrapped in foil, and carried everything to the dining room. Soft jazz began to filter through the speakers as they took their seats.
They passed the food, building tacos, and talked about work and life and Alice.
“I called another nanny agency today. They don’t have anyone available,” Noah said, shoving a fork into the rice on his plate.
“I asked Grace if she had any recommendations, but she doesn’t. She and Garrett have a nanny, but she’s been with them for a while. The agency she came from is also short-handed at the moment.”
“Jeez, was there a baby boom among rich people or something?” Noah grumbled. Not that he was rich, but he was single and he had combat pay, so he could afford to pay someone to help him until he figured things out. He also had a three-bedroom house—his own, because he’d thought investing in a house was a good idea at the time—and he could offer accommodations, which had to count for something.
“Probably,” Saint said, taking a bite of his taco. “Mmm, honey, I don’t know what you do with the spices, but it’s always so good.”
Brooke just smiled. “I’m not telling. If you ever want to leave me, then you’ll be leaving my spice blend too.”
“Not leaving, honey. And not because of your spice blend.”
Brooke grinned, and Noah felt like he was intruding on something private. He kept his head down, eating until the conversation moved on.
“Will you be able to make Alice your dependent?” Brooke asked.
“I’ve started the paperwork, but it takes time.”
As Alice’s legal guardian, he could make her a dependent without adopting her, which certainly made things a little easier. He hadn’t given up on the idea of finding her a family, but at least he could provide for her until then. He could get her into childcare on the post. Still didn’t solve the issue of what to do with her when he deployed, but for now the plan was that his teammates and their women would help. He couldn’t rely on them forever, though, so he had to figure something out.
As far as finding Alice a family, he wasn’t sure how to go about it, but he knew he wasn’t letting her go into the foster care system. His biggest hope was that someone in his inner circle—a teammate, or someone assigned to HOT—would be the right fit. Someone stable, like Brooke and Saint. Not someone like him, who had trouble showing emotion and wasn’t sure he’d ever get married or want kids.
Sally knew those things about him, and she’d still named him as Alice’s guardian. He wanted to ask her what the hell she’d been thinking. A knot formed in his gut. He wished he could. So badly. Because that would mean she was still alive.