The Baby Bond (18 page)

“What are you going to do?”

“I’ll find something. Right now, we’re fine. Janna and Brad had insurance. Alex and I inherited their estate. I’d intended to save the money for Alex’s future so hopefully I can find work soon.”

The nurse appeared at the door, holding a chart. Cassidy glanced her way but the name called wasn’t Alex’s.

“Won’t you have the same problem with any company?” he asked. “I mean, with Alex.”

He didn’t add that she was overprotective, which could cause an issue with any boss. But she was still getting her parenting legs under her. The company should have been more understanding.

“Probably, but I’m sure something will work out. God didn’t bring Alex and me this far to let us fall on our faces.” She pressed a hand to Alex’s cheek. Nic noticed her acrylic nails were missing. “We’re a family now. We’ll manage.”

For all her brave talk, Cassidy was worried. Nic saw the truth in her troubled eyes, in the tightness around her mouth. She loved graphic design. She even created Web sites and other designs for friends simply because she loved the work.

An idea jiggled his consciousness. “Why not start your own business?”

She shook her head, blond hair whispering against her shoulders, but Nic saw a light go on behind her eyes.

He pressed. “Don’t discard the idea too fast. You could work at home and take care of Alex without day care.”

“Oh, that sounds good. Even the day care would love the idea. I drive them crazy calling every hour.”

“You already have the contacts. You have the skills.” He squeezed her fingers. “And you have a computer.”

“I never thought I’d say this, Nic, but you’re a good influence.”

He laughed. She could say the cutest things. “And don’t you forget it, either.” Taking care not to disturb Alex, he leaned close to her ear and murmured, “Now, if I can only get you to come down and look at my etchings.”

She patted the top of his head and gave it a little push. “I never did know what those were.”

“Me, either,” he admitted with a grin. “But I still want to show them to you.”

The nurse appeared again and this time Alex was called.
Feeling more domestic than he thought possible, Nic gently brought Alex to his shoulder and followed Cassidy and the nurse down a short hall lined with posters. A few depicted scenes of child development or calls for immunization. One was a poster about an upcoming blood drive. Yet another announced a Run for the Cure, a race to raise money for breast cancer research. That was something he and his siblings could sink their teeth into.

Lord, if a cure is possible, bring it on.

He could hardly believe how much he’d prayed since his mother went into the hospital. Something had changed inside of him, something that felt good and right. God was the answer, whether he knew all the questions or not. Funny how it took something bad to bring him around to the goodness of God.

“This way, please. Room three.” The curly-haired nurse smiled and showed them into a room. Nic dragged his eyes away from the pink-ribboned poster and went inside.

He and Cassidy sat side by side in hard, straight-backed chairs, their knees touching. Nic couldn’t help himself. Even with Alex snuggled against his shoulder he pulled Cassidy’s hand into his.

The nurse asked a bunch of questions, jotted notes and took Alex’s vital signs. Then she patted the paper-lined cradle of a scale.

“If Daddy will just lay the baby in here for a minute.”

Cassidy’s startled gaze flew to his. She flushed. Nic’s heart did a strange lurch that slammed into his rib cage before settling again.

“He’s not—I mean, we’re not—” Cassidy stuttered, getting nowhere.

Nic winked at her and rose to do the nurse’s bidding. The woman’s mistake was a natural one. No use getting embarrassed.

Especially since the idea of being Alex’s dad didn’t bother him all that much. He was nuts about the little dude. Since meeting Alex and Cassidy, a strange kind of yearning had moved in with him. Watching his brothers and sisters with their families increased the urge.

Beside him, Cassidy patted Alex in reassurance. She brushed against Nic’s side, a beautiful, motherly princess, a woman of faith and strength that occupied his every waking thought. And sometimes his sleeping ones.

A new reality punched him in the gut. One that he wasn’t ready for.

He might be nuts about Cassidy, too.

The idea shook him more than a five-alarm fire in a fifty-story building.

“A
re you sure this isn’t too much for you?”

Nic knelt on one knee next to a blue-striped lawn chair stationed on the sidewalk parallel to Broadway Avenue, the official start and finish line of the Run for the Cure. His mother, dressed in a pink shirt and cap, although she claimed the color did nothing for her, had insisted on watching the race even though she was still recovering from surgery.

“Don’t worry, son.” The aluminum legs of his dad’s lawn chair clattered as he unfolded it next to Rosalie’s. Other members of the Carano clan formed a watchful semicircle around Mom. “With all of us here, your mama doesn’t stand a chance. One tired look and she’s going home.”

Rosalie patted her husband’s weathered hand, a simple gesture Nic had seen hundreds of times over the years. Now, the depth and strength of their love and care for each other brought a lump to his throat. He saw the importance of what they shared…and wanted that same thing in his own life someday.

Of its own volition, his mind shot straight to Cassidy. He gazed around at the hoard of people crowding the streets and lining the race route, but didn’t see her. She was here somewhere, preparing for the race. Earlier she’d dropped Alex off
with Mia who had stayed home to look after the little ones. Although the little dude had recovered from his viral infection, Cassidy hadn’t wanted to bring him out into a crowd, especially when she would be racing.

He spotted his sister’s husband, Collin, dressed in police uniform as part of security. Seeing him reminded Nic of his own job here as one of many volunteer paramedics.

“I’m on my cell if you need me.” He patted the instrument at his waist as he pushed to his feet.

“Those runners will need you more,” his mother said.

“Yeah,” Adam piped up from his spot just behind Mama. “Keep an eye on that pretty blond girl especially. You know the one. Big blue eyes. Dynamite smile. Looks great in running shorts.”

He jabbed an elbow into his brother Gabe who added his two cents. “I heard she has a thing for firefighters.”

Nic laughed off the teasing comments, waving as he headed for his assigned station.

The brothers were wrong. Cassidy didn’t have a thing for firefighters. She might like him but she didn’t like his profession. She’d told him as much.

He liked her, too. Good thing he wasn’t going to be a fireman forever. He turned the situation over in his mind, thinking about exactly where he wanted the relationship to go. He didn’t quite know yet, but he wanted to find out.

He wove his way through the spectators, thinking. His MCAT results would be back soon. With all the hard work he’d put in, he felt good this time about his chances for a top score. Yet, whenever he thought about the future, about leaving the fire department, his stomach tied into a hundred knots.

“Nic! Nic!”

Tottering on heeled sandals that Nic found ridiculous given
the outdoor sporting event, several girls of his acquaintance rushed toward him. He was outside a small tent near the finish line, administering first aid to those runners with cramps, dehydration and plain old fatigue. Most of the entrants were holding up well today in this relatively short race.

He smiled at the girls, but his usual zip was missing. He had an eye on the race and was waiting for Cassidy to come into sight.

“What’s up, ladies?” he asked. “Why aren’t you running for the cure?”

Mandy made a face. “And get all sweaty? No thanks.”

“But we donated to the cause, Nic,” Lacey hurried to add.

“I appreciate that.” When word of his mother’s cancer diagnosis spread, most of his friends had bonded together to either form running teams or to raise money. The gestures blessed him.

Mandy fanned her face with one hand, blocking his view. “Hot out here.”

Nic stretched around her to watch the race. Where was Cassidy? He’d expected her to be in with the early finishers.

“Earth to Nic. Hello.”

He refocused on the speaker. “What?”

“Got any cold drinks in that tent? I’m parched.”

“Only for the runners.”

“Well, pooh.” Mandy pushed her bangs back. “A bunch of us are going to the dance and fireworks after the awards ceremony. Want to come along?”

Before she finished, he was already shaking his head. “Can’t. But thanks for asking.”

“Why not? You never want to do anything fun anymore.” She pulled a pretty pout that would have worked on him in the past. He didn’t understand why it didn’t now, but it didn’t. “What’s the deal?”

Just then, he spotted a shiny platinum blond ponytail bobbing up and down in a group of about six runners. His heart lurched. Cassidy. Finally.

He reached for a bottle of water. She’d need this. His focus on that bounce of blonde, he stepped around his friends in order to better observe.

Cassidy broke loose from the pack. He could see her arms moving, still relaxed as she powered for the finish line. Man, she was something.

Rachel followed the direction of his gaze. “She’s the one, isn’t she?” Rachel accused, one hand to her hip in disbelief. “That blonde who lives upstairs from you. The one with the baby. She’s the reason you never want to have fun anymore.”

Cassidy, running at a steady pace, perspiration giving her face a glow, spotted him and smiled. When she saw the girls gathered around him, the smile faltered and she glanced away.

The action struck him as meaningful. Suddenly, he was feeling really good.

“Yes,” he said, never taking his eyes off the race. “It’s her.”

Without further explanation, he moved away from the gaping girls and toward the oncoming runner.

As she crossed the finish line, he stepped into her path. Startled, she pulled up but stumbled, falling against him. Down they went onto the hard street. Nic could feel Cassidy’s heart pounding wildly against her rib cage. She was damp with perspiration and her breath came in deep drags.

Cassidy pushed away and sat up, arms over her knees to draw in deep drafts of fresh air.

“Good race,” Nic said.

She grinned into his eyes, breathing hard but not struggling. Nic felt the strongest need to kiss her. Instead, he handed her the water bottle.

She took the bottle gratefully, uncapped and gulped down
most of the contents. As she tilted back her head, Nic noticed her T-shirt. The same bright pink his mother wore, Cassidy’s T-shirt displayed something special—a huge screen-printed photo of his mother with the words, “In honor of my hero, Rosalie Carano.”

Nic’s throat clogged with emotion. He draped an arm around the woman at his side and gently kissed her hair.

No doubt about it. If he hadn’t been in love with Cassidy Willis before, he was now.

After the successful race Cassidy was stoked, so much so that she let Nic talk her into leaving Alex with Mia again that evening while they attended the race day finale, live entertainment and a dance. The idea of spending a romantic evening with Nic was both exhilarating and nerve-racking but she wouldn’t have missed it for the world. In spite of her best intentions, she’d fallen in love with him.

“Your sister is a doll for babysitting Alex,” she said as they entered the ballroom and started to weave their way through the crowd.

As a runner, she and her date were allotted a table close to the bandstand. Her date. Nic Carano. Her heart danced a happy jig. Would wonders never cease?

Somehow she’d convinced herself that once Nic left his dangerous job and entered medical school everything would be all right. The flock of females fluttering around him at the race should have stopped her in her tracks, but they hadn’t.

Rosalie’s words played in her head. If Nic wanted to be with those other girls, he would be. He’d chosen her, not only tonight but over and over again in recent weeks.

The reasonable portion of her brain said she was asking for a broken heart, and yet in the last few months she’d done a lot of unreasonable things. Just ask Grandmother.

“Can’t argue that,” Nic was saying, a hand at the small of her back as he guided her through the crush. “Mia’s a jewel.”

She turned her head to look at him, her stomach dipping at the look in his eyes. “We’ll have to babysit for her and Collin some night and let them go out alone.”

“Sounds good. You and me snuggled on the couch listening to romantic music while the rug rats play.” They’d reached their table and Nic pulled out a chair, waiting for her to sit. As she did, he leaned down to nuzzle her hair, jump-starting her pulse.

Her heart as light as a helium balloon, she touched the side of his face, wishing she could hold him near this way forever. His clean, masculine smell lingered after he broke contact and took his own seat.

“If I know you,” she said, not about to let him know how affected she was by his nearness, “you’ll be on the floor playing with the rug rats.”

“Mmm, maybe not. None of them smell as good as you.” He scraped his chair closer and leaned in.

Cassidy smiled on the inside. Hadn’t she just been thinking the same about him? “You couldn’t have said that earlier today.”

“Sure, I could have. It wouldn’t have been true, but I could have said it.”

She whacked his arm. “Flatterer.”

“All for a good cause. When I saw your T-shirt—wow.” His fisted hand thudded once against his chest. “Got me right there.”

“Your mom’s a special woman.”

“Yeah.” Some of his ebullience faded.

Hurting for him, Cassidy touched his arm. “She’s going to beat the cancer, Nic. I believe that with all my heart.”

His nostrils flared. “We’re trying to stay optimistic.”