Read Online Texas Lullaby (Texas Montgomery Mavericks Book 7) by Cynthia D’Alba - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cynthia D’Alba
Ads: Link
feeling sorry for the kids having to grow up with her as their only adult.
But they were here. The damage was done. They’d seen what her life had become…a collection of dirty dishes, messy diapers and little girls who rarely minded her.
She so sucked at this parenting thing.
As she made her way to her bathroom, voices trickled out of the girls’ room. She tip-toed up to the door to see what was going on.
Lane was in the floor. The girls were trying to figure out how to clip barrettes and bobby pins into his chopped hair. Jackie sat on Annie’s bed, giving them suggestions on the best way to fix Papa’s hair. The girls looked happy. Lane and Jackie were wearing grins and flushed faces.
“Everything okay here?” she asked from the door.
“Aunt Lydia. Papa wears barrettes in his hair,” Ellery said.
Lydia nodded. “So I see. You look quite festive, Lane.”
“Thank you,” Lane said. “I’ve been looking for a couple of new ladies in my life to help style my hair.”
Jackie snickered.
“If it’s okay with you two, I’m going to jump in the shower. Jackie, you might want to check on Jason. He and Levi are flying solo.”
She nodded but didn’t get up. “I will…in a minute. It won’t hurt him to be alone for a couple of minutes.”
Lydia’s heart picked up a little. She’d never say it aloud, but it made her nervous to leave Levi with Jason. This was a man who’d made his interest, or rather lack of interest, in childrearing crystal clear, so his nurturing center probably didn’t exist, even if he did feed Levi tonight. Sure, he’d taken care of them for a day, but that’d been an emergency situation, one he hadn’t been able to walk away from easily.
“Are you sure? Maybe you could go check?” Lydia said.
Jackie waved her off. “Go on and get dressed. We’re all fine.” Her gaze met Lydia’s. “We’re all fine. So are you. We’ve got you covered.”
Lydia turned away before Jackie could see the tears that welled up in her eyes. “Damn it,” she muttered as she swiped at her eyes. She was simply tired.
The entire time she was in the shower, she expected the door to come slamming open with some emergency. One of the girls had gotten hurt. Or Levi had aspirated. Or maybe the house was on fire. But nothing happened. The hot water felt like heaven, as did her scalp when she rinsed away days of grime.
Her only problem was after she was out and dried, she realized she’d forgotten to bring any clothes with her to the bathroom. She wrapped her damp towel securely around her and peeked out the door. The hall was clear. She threw the door fully open and made a dash for her bedroom.
“Oh, good,” Jackie said when Lydia walked in. “You’re here. Would you mind if I gave Levi his bath tonight?”
Lydia startled at finding Jackie in her bedroom, but of course, it was Levi’s room too.
“I’m sorry,” Jackie said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you saw me when you walked in.”
“I didn’t, but no biggie. Sure, you can bathe Levi, but you don’t have to. I can clean him up.”
Jackie narrowed her eyes in a threat. “Don’t you dare take this baby away from me. It’s the only baby I’ve got to play with right now.”
Laughing, Lydia headed for her closet. “Hey. You two don’t mind me. I don’t want to get between true love.”
As she stood in her closet and dressed, she listened to Jackie talking and cooing to Levi, who was giggling. Granted, she didn’t know a lot about babies outside her medical training, but she knew Levi was the definition of a good baby.
The clean hair, fresh shorts, clean polo and sandals made her feel better. However, she still wasn’t keen on leaving the children. What if something happened? Her sister had trusted her. Wasn’t leaving them a violation of that trust? Maybe just having the time to shower and dress in peace was enough. She’d thank Lane and Jackie and let them go home.
Jackie and Levi were gone when she
But they were here. The damage was done. They’d seen what her life had become…a collection of dirty dishes, messy diapers and little girls who rarely minded her.
She so sucked at this parenting thing.
As she made her way to her bathroom, voices trickled out of the girls’ room. She tip-toed up to the door to see what was going on.
Lane was in the floor. The girls were trying to figure out how to clip barrettes and bobby pins into his chopped hair. Jackie sat on Annie’s bed, giving them suggestions on the best way to fix Papa’s hair. The girls looked happy. Lane and Jackie were wearing grins and flushed faces.
“Everything okay here?” she asked from the door.
“Aunt Lydia. Papa wears barrettes in his hair,” Ellery said.
Lydia nodded. “So I see. You look quite festive, Lane.”
“Thank you,” Lane said. “I’ve been looking for a couple of new ladies in my life to help style my hair.”
Jackie snickered.
“If it’s okay with you two, I’m going to jump in the shower. Jackie, you might want to check on Jason. He and Levi are flying solo.”
She nodded but didn’t get up. “I will…in a minute. It won’t hurt him to be alone for a couple of minutes.”
Lydia’s heart picked up a little. She’d never say it aloud, but it made her nervous to leave Levi with Jason. This was a man who’d made his interest, or rather lack of interest, in childrearing crystal clear, so his nurturing center probably didn’t exist, even if he did feed Levi tonight. Sure, he’d taken care of them for a day, but that’d been an emergency situation, one he hadn’t been able to walk away from easily.
“Are you sure? Maybe you could go check?” Lydia said.
Jackie waved her off. “Go on and get dressed. We’re all fine.” Her gaze met Lydia’s. “We’re all fine. So are you. We’ve got you covered.”
Lydia turned away before Jackie could see the tears that welled up in her eyes. “Damn it,” she muttered as she swiped at her eyes. She was simply tired.
The entire time she was in the shower, she expected the door to come slamming open with some emergency. One of the girls had gotten hurt. Or Levi had aspirated. Or maybe the house was on fire. But nothing happened. The hot water felt like heaven, as did her scalp when she rinsed away days of grime.
Her only problem was after she was out and dried, she realized she’d forgotten to bring any clothes with her to the bathroom. She wrapped her damp towel securely around her and peeked out the door. The hall was clear. She threw the door fully open and made a dash for her bedroom.
“Oh, good,” Jackie said when Lydia walked in. “You’re here. Would you mind if I gave Levi his bath tonight?”
Lydia startled at finding Jackie in her bedroom, but of course, it was Levi’s room too.
“I’m sorry,” Jackie said. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you saw me when you walked in.”
“I didn’t, but no biggie. Sure, you can bathe Levi, but you don’t have to. I can clean him up.”
Jackie narrowed her eyes in a threat. “Don’t you dare take this baby away from me. It’s the only baby I’ve got to play with right now.”
Laughing, Lydia headed for her closet. “Hey. You two don’t mind me. I don’t want to get between true love.”
As she stood in her closet and dressed, she listened to Jackie talking and cooing to Levi, who was giggling. Granted, she didn’t know a lot about babies outside her medical training, but she knew Levi was the definition of a good baby.
The clean hair, fresh shorts, clean polo and sandals made her feel better. However, she still wasn’t keen on leaving the children. What if something happened? Her sister had trusted her. Wasn’t leaving them a violation of that trust? Maybe just having the time to shower and dress in peace was enough. She’d thank Lane and Jackie and let them go home.
Jackie and Levi were gone when she
Similar Books
