Laura tilted her head back slowly and smiled at him. It wasn’t the going-through-the-motions smile she’d painted on a lot when he first got to Port Jefferson. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen that one in about a week. This one was bursting with something he couldn’t really name. It was definitely on the happy end of the spectrum, though, wasn’t it?
Yeah. His niece was happy.
Was it crazy to think he’d helped her get there?
Pressure started in his throat and cascaded downward. He almost had to set down the pitcher so he could feel around in his chest for the twisting sensation.
“What about dinner?” Danielle singsonged, breaking the spell. “We can’t have cake without dinner first.”
Wes cleared his throat. Noticing Bethany was watching him thoughtfully, he made his voice light. “Dang, girl. You haven’t even tried the tea yet. Are you one of those difficult customers?” On his second pass around the table, he spoke from the side of his mouth to Bethany. “Seriously, though. It’s almost dinnertime and I seriously doubt they want green bean casserole.”
“Oh God.” Bethany hid behind the fall of her hair, but not before he saw her watching him and Laura with a curious sheen in her eyes. “Um. Which Just Us League member made you that?”
“Come on, now.” Desperate to lighten the mood, he gave Bethany a light hip-check. “You know I call her Green Bean Casserole.”
Thankfully back to normal, she snorted. “You’re impossible.” She chewed her lip for a moment. “Go order some pizzas and I’ll stall.”
“On it.”
Wes set down the tea pitcher with a clunk and whipped out his cell, which, of course, had the closest pizza place on speed dial. They put him on hold and, with the music playing in his ear, he watched Bethany further work her magic—and that’s exactly what it was.
“All right, ladies, if we’ve all had our fill of tea, the time has come for the princess ceremony.”
“The what?” Laura asked, in a trance.
“The princess ceremony, of course.” Bethany clapped her hands together. “The Queen has brought you all here today to make you all official princesses.”
Wes was surprised when the roar of excitement didn’t shatter a window.
Bethany was killing it. And the craziest part of the whole situation was . . . she only seemed capable of enjoying their reactions for approximately two seconds before she visibly started worrying about what came next. Didn’t she know how far out of the park she was hitting this? She claimed to know nothing about kids, but she’d won them over faster than a seasoned babysitter could ever hope to do. He’d put money on it.
What the hell had made her so unsure of herself? His earlier epiphany that he’d contributed to her insecurities sat in his gut like a lump of lead.
He wasn’t done making it up to her. Not by a long shot.
Was it wishful thinking, or did Laura seem . . . happy? Very happy. She’d seemed that way all through the tea party and dinner. Afterward, Megan and Danielle had been picked up by their mother, but Laura didn’t seem to want Bethany to leave yet, asking her to read a story. And seemingly enjoying it. Bethany was struck by how satisfying that was. It was nice to know that someone was content, thanks to her efforts. Instead of wondering if they were disappointed in her or the job she’d done or a million other possibilities.
She’d felt the same way when she swung the sledgehammer into the wall and turned to look at Wes—
She really, really needed to go home.
“And that is the story of how Fancy Nancy triumphed in her quest to find the unicorn,” Bethany finished, closing the book. “Good night, Laura.”
Laura put her arms up. “Hug.”
“From me?”
The little girl nodded.
“Oh.” Bethany leaned down and let Laura wrap her in a hug that pulled her hair and put a twinge in her neck, but was somehow the loveliest hug she’d ever received. “Would you like me to send in your Uncle Wes?”
“Way ahead of you,” said the man as he entered the room. “Did Nancy get that unicorn?”
Laura grinned. “Yes.”
“Oh good. I’m always worried.” Wes went down on his knees on the opposite side of the bed from Bethany and dropped a kiss on Laura’s cheek, chuckling when she strangled him with a fierce hug.
“I can’t wait for school tomorrow,” she said.
A smile was blooming on Wes’s face when he pulled back. “That’s great, kid.”
Laura snuggled into the sheets, turning onto her side. Almost as an afterthought, she said, “I love you.”
Bethany held her breath as she watched Wes’s easygoing expression be replaced with dumbstruck awe. “I love you, too,” he said, gruffly. “See you in the morning.”
Both adults left the room. Before they’d even reached the door, soft snores were coming from the bed. Quietly, they stepped into the hallway and Wes closed the door behind them. Then he just kind of stood there, staring into space.
“Is that the first time she’s said that to you?” Bethany asked.
“Yeah.” He scrubbed at the back of his neck. “Shit.”
“Shit, what?”
“Shit . . . no one’s ever said that to me before,” he said, dazedly. “Have a beer with me?”
“I really should go,” Bethany said, too quickly. No one had ever said I love you to this man? She was already having a very hard time remaining detached after watching such a personal exchange between Wes and his niece. Now her fingertips were numb from his admission. He looked like he’d been smacked in the face with a two-by-four and her own dumb heart was pumping like a revved motor in response.
This whole evening had already been an out-of-body experience, but she’d managed to retain a scrap of objectivity. After all, she couldn’t very well make it a regular occurrence. Reading bedtime stories to the adorable niece and spinning tea party narratives. Honestly, Bethany. Shouldn’t she be home updating her professional social media or tackling a design plan for the flip? Something productive?
As if he hadn’t heard her response, Wes herded her down the hallway—and she went, feeling a little like a pirate prisoner walking the plank. They stepped over stuffed animals and crayons until they reached the kitchen. Bethany hugged her elbows until Wes handed her an open bottle of beer, clinking his glass neck with hers.
“Come on.” He padded on bare feet to the back door, flipped the lock, and opened it, summoning her into the backyard with an inviting chin jerk. If she’d sensed she was walking to her doom before, she’d been wrong. The real trouble lay in the romantic outdoor setting.
Neither one of them was wearing shoes and the damp fall grass threaded through her toes. The beer was cold in her hand, the moon was bright, and the wind held just the right amount of chill. Plus he still had that kind of delighted shock on his face that was so sweet, she almost wished she’d never seen it. How was she supposed to go back to disliking him?
Wes tilted his face up at the moon and took several sips of his beer. She was helpless to do anything but watch the silhouette of his strong throat gulping down the liquid.
He squinted over at her. “Do you think she meant it?”