Christmas Showdown (4 page)

“I didn’t mean to make you cry. Please, baby,
stop crying. We’ll work something out, together.”

Kelly wanted to believe him—needed to believe
him.

As she calmed down, her mind began to churn.
Maybe giving him a taste of actual fatherhood, a trial run, would
solve her problem without getting the court system involved.
Because who knew better than she that raising a child wasn’t all
fun and games?

TJ was a ball of energy and the little devil
would make that point clear sooner rather than later. After the
holidays, she and TJ would return to their home. Trey could go back
to whatever he was doing before he walked back into her life.

This time when she pulled away he let her
go.

“Just hear me out, Kelly. I have a house and
acreage on my family’s ranch outside of Chandler. It’s a
four-bedroom home, with a big fenced yard. You and TJ will have
your own rooms. You can come and go as you please. And more
importantly, I’ll be there to help you while I get to know my
son.”

As if on queue, TJ let out a blood-curdling
scream. She jumped to her feet and ran for the stairs, Trey right
behind her. When she entered the bedroom, she went straight to the
boy and picked him up. Immediately she could tell he was feverish.
Tears stained his reddened cheeks as he pulled on an ear.

God. Not another ear infection.

“What’s wrong with him?” Trey’s eyes were
huge.

“Well, it looks like you get your first dose
of parenting. Your son has an ear infection. We need to take him to
the doctor.”

One thing Trey could say about his son was he
had good, strong lungs. The baby screamed when his mother wrapped
him warmly in a blanket. He shrieked all the way down the stairs,
where they stopped to get Trey’s hat and her purse. TJ was still
howling when they stepped outside. Trey got the car seat from
Kelly’s beat-up old car and fastened it in the backseat of his
truck before she buckled him in. And damn if the boy didn’t cry all
the way to the doctor’s.

Night had fallen. His vehicle’s lights
bounced off the street, casting shadows. Trey had been around sick
children throughout his life, but there was something about his own
that made this personal and frightening. What if it wasn’t an ear
infection? What if something else was wrong? The thought made his
teeth grind together. And yet Kelly acted so undisturbed. Yes, she
was concerned for TJ, it was in her wary eyes and her tight
expression, but she spoke so softly, so reassuringly to the
boy.

“Go left at the light. When you make the turn
you’ll be able to see the facility,” she informed him.

The building was lit up and the entrance easy
to find as he pulled into the parking lot that held only a few
vehicles. “Would you like me to carry him in?”

Kelly agreed to his suggestion, but TJ had
other ideas. He wanted his mother and nothing would change his mind
as they made their way inside the building.

Juggling him on a hip, Kelly went straight to
the front desk. When she began to struggle, trying to hold TJ and
retrieve her insurance identification out of her purse, Trey took
TJ, but the child wasn’t happy. He shrieked so loud, Trey swore the
high-pitched wail busted his eardrum. In fact, he was grateful when
Kelly tucked her things back in her wallet and opened her arms. TJ
crawled eagerly into them, hugging her like she was a lifeline as
she took a seat.

The woman had the patience of a saint as she
jostled the boy while they waited. He was so upset that he didn’t
pay attention to the brightly lit Christmas tree or the presents
beneath it or even the television, which played some kind of
children’s movie.

Thankfully they didn’t have to wait long
before a nurse appeared and ushered them back into a room. Several
more minutes passed before a doctor of Indian descent entered the
room with the same brunette nurse who had lead them into the
back.

Since Kelly had her arms full, the doctor
held out his hand to Trey. “Good evening, I am Dr. Nair, Mr.
McMaster, what do we have here?”

The misconception caught Trey off guard. Of
course TJ would have his mother’s name since she hadn’t even known
what Trey’s last name was when the child was born. Still it rubbed
him the wrong way.

Before he could gather his wits and respond,
Kelly stepped forward and began to explain the events of the
child’s day and his symptoms. Trey stepped aside. Intrigued, he
watched how she conducted herself, interfacing with the doctor as
he examined TJ. And it wasn’t an easy task. Kelly had to hold the
squirming, bawling child firmly during the entire ordeal. Trey
offered to help, but she shook her head.

As soon as the doctor shined a light in TJ’s
left ear, he hummed, “Ahhh. It appears you’re right. An ear
infection is the cause of his discomfort.”

Dr. Nair spoke quietly to the nurse and she
left the room, returning with a little squeeze bottle. She held
TJ’s head to the side while the doctor applied the medicine
directly to the ear.

“The eardrops will deaden the pain and allow
him to relax.” He handed the bottle to Kelly, gave her the
instructions on usage, and then he typed something in his computer.
“You can pick the antibiotic prescription up on your way home.”

That’s when Trey noticed that TJ had stopped
crying. His face was still beet red as he laid his chubby cheek
against his mother’s shoulder, his body shaking from the energy
spent.

Kelly cooed something in the child’s ear and
he smiled, both of them appearing happy while Trey remained wound
as tight as a top about to spin out of control. And he was a cop. A
man who had dealt with life-and-death situations, but this event
almost forced him to his knees.

How did Kelly deal with raising a child, or
for that matter his two brothers when it came to rearing their
kids?

When they left the office and stepped
outside, a cool breeze chased fallen leaves around the parking lot.
Kelly pulled the blanket over the baby’s head to guard his ears.
Her beautiful long hair blew behind her as a strong wind nearly
knocked Trey’s hat off his head.

TJ took one look at Trey’s truck and started
to fuss again.

“I thought the doctor said the eardrops would
pacify him,” he said, opening the door to the backseat while TJ got
louder.

“He doesn’t want to go back into his car
seat. It’s natural for him to want to be held when he’s not feeling
well,” she explained.

“But he has to.” It was the law.

“Yes, Trey, I know. Just give me a minute.”
Again, she spoke tenderly to the child, but he was having none of
it. He wanted his mother and he wanted her now. “Baby, please. I’ll
hold you as soon as we get home.” When that didn’t work she
regretfully buckled him in. Releasing a heavy sigh, she climbed
into the front seat and sat quietly.

“Why don’t I take the two of you home, and
then I’ll go to the pharmacy for the medicine?”

“Thank you. I would appreciate that.”

When Trey pulled up before Kelly’s
condominium, TJ had finally cried himself to sleep. The silence was
breathtaking.

“Do you want me to carry him in?” Trey asked,
getting out of the vehicle and opening her door.

“No.” She slid out, digging into her purse
and wallet to extract a prescription and credit card, extending it
toward him. “If you’ll pick up the prescription, I’d appreciate
it.”

Selecting only the insurance card, he said,
“I’ll take care of this.”

She stared at him for a moment and then
dropped the card into her bag. Throwing the strap over her
shoulder, she opened the backseat door and peeled a sleeping TJ out
of the car seat.

Trey watched her disappear into the house
before he climbed back into his truck and crammed it into gear,
pressing the accelerator.

On the way to the pharmacy he thought how
he’d woken up this morning to one life, but everything had changed
in the blink of an eye.

How would his parents and siblings react to
the news that he was a father? Could he get Kelly to see what he
had to offer TJ? And what would happen between him and Kelly? Under
the stressful undercurrents of all that had happened today, Trey
still felt that electrifying pull of attraction between them that
had been there in Denver.

He wanted her.

Switching on the radio, he listened to the
country twang of the male singer. He didn’t even know what kind of
music she liked. From her neat, tidy home he knew she wasn’t a
slob. She was articulate and intelligent, based on speaking with
her and the position she held as a lead teller. Her transfer hadn’t
been a problem according to the bank manager, who said that Kelly
was a stellar employee. She further went on to say that Kelly was
trustworthy and above reproach.

Judging how Kelly reacted to a gun shoved in
her face, she appeared levelheaded. Sure there had been reasonable
fear and some tears, but she didn’t freak out. The only time she
had lost control today was when she thought Trey planned to
separate her from her son. Which meant she was protective and
obviously proud and stubborn. All endearing qualities he had never
found packaged in one woman, until now.

They were also values that would help her
survive in a family like his, a group of headstrong men and women
who didn’t take crap from anyone.

Yes, she would be able to hold her own with
his family, but what about their relationship? Could they become a
family for TJ’s sake? And was it what either of them wanted? One
thing he did know, family was family. He was in it for the long
haul.

Still, the more Trey contemplated the rash of
questions assaulting his brain, the more nervous he became. What
the hell was he going to do if Kelly refused his offer of help?
Would she force him to fight for his rights? Because he would, with
everything he had.

Trey remained plagued by more questions then
answerers as he pulled up to the drive-through window of the
pharmacy. When the clerk opened the bin, he placed the slip of
paper inside.

“Birthdate?” the short blonde with glasses
asked.

“I-I don’t know.” The fact he knew very
little about his son hit him hard.

“Address?” she asked.

That he could help her with and gave her the
information.

“It will be about ten minutes. As long as no
one is behind you, you’re welcome to wait here. Otherwise I’ll need
you to come inside. Alright?”

“Sure.”

She turned away and walked off.

While he waited, he dug his cell phone out of
his pocket and dialed his parents’ number.

“Hello,” his mother’s sweet voice came over
the telephone.

“Mom?”

“What’s wrong?” she asked immediately. His
mother had a knack for knowing when he or one of his siblings was
hurt or in trouble. His predicament didn’t fit into any of those
particular categories though. No, this one had a category of its
own.

“Nothing. But I do have something to talk to
you and Dad about. How long will you be up tonight?”

“Tonight? Trey, you’re scaring me.” He tried
to laugh off her concern, but failed horribly, and she insisted,
“What is it, son?”

“Well, I think you’ll need to add two more
chairs to the table for Christmas dinner.”

“Who should we expect?”

“My son and his mother.”

Dead silence stretched between the phone
lines.

“Your dad and I’ll be up as long as it takes.
Swing by when you’re finished with whatever you’re doing.”

Kelly woke with a start when she heard the
doorknob rattle and twist open. “Ohhh,” she groaned, discovering
her left arm had fallen asleep beneath TJ’s head. She fought not to
move it as Trey entered, quietly shutting the door behind him.

“How’s he doing?” he asked.

“Exhausted. He collapsed back to sleep the
second I sat on the couch with him.” No way would Kelly admit she
had done the same. Today had proven to be trying. “The pharmacy
should have included an eyedropper. If you’ll fill it to the
appropriate level, I’ll give it to him now.”

Trey took a minute to read the instructions,
which surprised her. She didn’t think any man read directions. When
he began to shake the bottle with gusto, she hid a smile. Then he
wrenched open the bottle and measured out the correct amount.
Weariness tugged on his brows as he handed her the medicine. Today
couldn’t have been easy on him either.

She gazed down at her son who looked so much
like his father. His rosebud-shaped mouth made little sucking
motions as she slipped the dropper between his lips. Instinct had
him swallowing the liquid as it slowly flowed upon his tongue. As
she handed the dropper back to Trey she was again taken by surprise
when he began to wash the remainder of the medicine from the
applicator and then place it back into the bottle before opening
the refrigerator and slipping it inside. When he was finished, he
sat beside her.

“Have you thought about what I said earlier?
Moving in with me?”

“I thought perhaps after tonight you might be
ready to rescind your offer. This is just a small sampling of
parenting. Are you ready for the whole enchilada?”

“I think I deserve the opportunity to be TJ’s
father and not a part-time or a weekend dad. The child deserves it.
And you do too. These last two years couldn’t have been easy on
you.”

“No. They haven’t been easy years, but I have
concerns. It isn’t good for a child to have a father who comes and
goes at will. TJ needs stability. A home. Parents he can trust to
provide for him not only financially but also emotionally. Are you
sure that’s what you’re offering?”

“Absolutely.”

Kelly chuckled uneasily. “You answered way
too quickly. I don’t think you’ve had the time to really consider
what’s involved.”

“I answered quickly because there isn’t any
choice in my mind. The boy is my son. He’s my responsibility.
Besides, my mother would skin me alive if I shunned family,
especially my own flesh and blood.” His attempt to make light of
the situation warred with the intensity in his eyes. “I want the
two of you to move in with me tomorrow.”