Yeah, she was relentless, but Fallon was too busy researching local pediatricians and seeing who was accepting new patients. Of course, she’d need to find out what kind of insurance Jamie had and if he’d added Asher to it.
“Why is there so much to do with a new baby?”
Behind her, she heard the front door open and turned to see Jamie walking in.
“Hey, you’re home early,” she said before returning to her search.
“I see that my sister is here,” he began cautiously. “And by now, I’m sure she told you about what happened.”
Grinning, she looked at him. “That was a terrible waste of perfectly good potato salad.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know. Bobby just about skinned me alive about it. I had to sit and peel five pounds of potatoes before I felt okay about leaving.”
“Well, that was nice of you.”
Nodding, he collapsed in one of the chairs. “Where’s Ryleigh?”
“Changing Asher.”
“And what are you doing?”
“Researching pediatricians.”
He jumped up. “Why? Is something wrong with Asher? Is he sick? Did he get hurt?” He began frantically looking around. “Do we need to go to the ER?”
“For crying out loud, relax,” she told him. “Ryleigh and I were talking and realized that was something you should have done right away. Just because Jenn said he was healthy doesn’t mean you should take her word for it. Were there any medical records in the bag she left?”
“Um…no.”
“Then it just makes sense to get him to a doctor to be seen. What insurance do you have? Did you add him to it?”
Muttering a curse, he sat back down. “Fallon, I haven’t had time to do any of that. It didn’t even cross my mind. Right now, my main goal is to sleep so I don’t face plant in the deep fryer next time.” He yawned loudly and that’s when she knew for sure she was going to be moving in.
Temporarily.
“Well, then tonight’s going to be your lucky night.”
He eyed her warily. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to go home and pack a bag and…stay,” she said, almost forcing the words out. “Just for a couple of nights and…”
She never got to finish. Jamie was on his feet and hugging her for the second time that day.
“Thank you,” he said softly. “Seriously, thank you.”
Unable to help it, she hugged him back. “You’re welcome.”
Now she just had to hope she wasn’t making an awkward situation even worse.
Chapter Six
He couldn’t sleep.
How was that for bizarre?
After face-planting in a bin of potato salad and nearly falling asleep in his plate of beef stew for dinner, Fallon had told him to just go to bed. He’d helped her clean up after dinner and then she had rested her hands on his shoulders and gently turned him before her hands were on his back again to give him a playful shove toward his room.
However…
Her touch felt like it lingered.
And he was really hoping that was the case.
So this is what sleep deprivation does to you…
Honestly, it was the only thing that made sense right now. He and Fallon had grown up together and they’d obviously touched each other a hundred times—normally in the form of poking or shoving to annoy each other—and never once did Jamie ever give those touches a second thought.
Now they were all he could think about.
Turning his head, he looked at the clock and saw it was only a little after ten. He’d been in here for over two hours and still hadn’t fallen asleep. Knowing he was just going to frustrate himself, he kicked the blankets off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants. The rest of the house was quiet, but that didn’t mean anything. If Asher was awake, he wanted to see him.
When he stepped out of his bedroom, he saw that there was only one small lamp on in the living room; the rest of the house was dark. However, down the hall, he saw a sliver of light coming from Asher’s room. Slowly, he made his way there and paused outside the door when he heard Fallon’s soft voice.
“And then, the itty-bitty puppy and the teeny-tiny kitten became best friends. The end.” She paused. “Maybe someday, when you’re a little older, you and your daddy can adopt a puppy or a kitten. Wouldn’t that be fun, Asher?”
She hummed and was whispering something to him that Jamie couldn’t hear, but he desperately wanted to.
“Okay, sweet boy. Let’s get all snuggly in your bed…and watch the little sheep float around on your mobile.”
He could hear the music coming from the mobile and then Fallon humming softly along with it.
“Sweet dreams, Asher,” she whispered, and he held his breath because normally when he put his son down in his crib, he never went peacefully. That’s why he ended up with the stroller in his bedroom. But there didn’t seem to be a peep coming.
It was completely peaceful until…
“Gah! Holy crap, Jamie!” she hissed as she stepped out of the bedroom. “What the heck are you doing? I thought you were asleep!” With the baby monitor in her hands, she shushed him before he could respond and headed to the living room. Then she rounded on him. “Why are you still awake?”
“Because I haven’t gone to bed at 8:00 since I was ten years old. It felt weird.”
“So? You should have turned on the TV or something instead of sneaking around trying to scare me.”
“It wasn’t like I purposely tried to do that,” he argued. “I really just thought I’d say goodnight to Asher again, that’s all.”
“Oh…well…sorry. He was pretty much asleep before the sheep made their first go-round.”
“Really?”
She nodded. “He was yawning while we were reading and sucking away on the pacifier, but by the end of the book, it was just about to fall out of his little mouth. He’s so darn cute.”
“That’s because he looks like me.” The words were out before he even realized it, and she groaned.
“Wow, way to ruin a moment.” Walking to the kitchen, she said, “I’m going to make a cup of tea. Do you want one?”
“Tea? Do I even have tea in the house?”
“I brought it with me. It helps me unwind at the end of the day. Would you like one or not?”
There was that snap in her voice that he was so familiar with, but he didn’t feel like snapping back. “Yeah, sure. Why not? Maybe it will help.”
“Go and sit on the couch or something and I’ll make them,” she told him and began pulling mugs down and putting water in the teakettle.
“You know you can just use the Keurig, right? It’s a lot faster.”
“It is, but sometimes you still get the taste of the coffee and it ruins it. This is fine. Go and relax. I’ve got this.”
The thing was, Jamie wasn’t used to someone waiting on him like this. He lived alone and did everything for himself. Even when they went to his parents’ place for Sunday dinners, everyone helped. His mother didn’t believe in being forced into being the only one working in the kitchen. He’d been living on his own since he was eighteen and it just felt weird to have someone in his home doing stuff for him.