it yourself.” Riley’s smile widened. “We’re happy to help—aren’t we, Aaron?”
Riley was making it clear that he didn’t consider Aaron a threat. You aren’t what Presley wants anymore, he’d said. Was he cocky enough to think he could prove it?
Far be it from Aaron to resist a challenge. “Absolutely,” he said. “We’d never let you do this alone.”
Presley might’ve continued to argue, but Wyatt was trying to escape so he could play in the sawdust and wood scraps.
“You could get hurt,” she murmured as she struggled to restrain him. She looked tired. It was tempting to pick up the baby for her, but she’d been acting so skittish around him that he didn’t dare, not in front of Riley.
“Why don’t you take him home and let him play where it’s safe?” Aaron suggested. “We’ve got this.”
She glanced from him to Riley and back again. “But...”
“What will you be able to accomplish with him here?” Riley asked, throwing his support behind Aaron’s suggestion.
“I could put him in his playpen,” she began.
“Where he’d only last a short time,” Aaron said.
She sighed. “That’s true, but...”
“Go!” Aaron said.
Riley gestured for her to take off, too.
“I’ll do what I can to make it up to both of you,” she told them. Then, in spite of a crying and wiggling child, she somehow managed to pull a paint swatch and some cash from her purse. “Here’s the shade I picked out. If this isn’t enough money to cover it, I’ll reimburse you later.”
5
P resley hated leaving other people to do her work. She didn’t want to feel indebted to Riley or Aaron. Especially Aaron. But she was terrified that if Aaron and Wyatt had any interaction at all he’d suspect the truth. If Aaron hadn’t always been so vigilant about birth control, or if there’d been a specific incident when they’d noticed a broken rubber—which there wasn’t—he would already have questioned her or Cheyenne about the circumstances of Wyatt’s conception.
Fortunately, she had those two things going for her.
She’d made the right decision in not telling him, hadn’t she? Every once in a while, she panicked, wondering if she’d been crazy to make the choice she’d made. But she hadn’t gotten pregnant on purpose; there was no duplicity involved. And she didn’t expect child support or anything else from him. So how was the fact that she’d kept Wyatt hurting him?
It wasn’t. To her knowledge, he’d never expressed any interest in having a child. Indeed, his diligence in the birth control department indicated he didn’t want one. There were times he’d even said as much, when a friend married or had a kid. That meant she was doing him a huge favor by keeping the truth to herself. It allowed him to lead whatever life he chose without having to wrestle with his conscience.
Of course, if he found out, there was no guarantee he’d look at the situation so philosophically. That was what frightened her. She hated to even think of the possibility....
Wyatt, happy now that she’d let him loose to run around the house, started to empty his toy box.
“You little devil,” she teased when she saw the mess he was making.
He grinned up at her, completely unrepentant, and she bent to press her lips to his forehead. Then she dropped onto the lumpy sofa she’d bought from the thrift store where she’d worked in Fresno. “You’re a charmer, aren’t you?” she said as he babbled and played. “Just like your daddy. Headstrong, too,” she added, thinking of how willful they could both be.
“Mama!” He brought her his collection of cars, one by one.
Despite a long list of worries, Presley couldn’t help smiling when he trundled over without a car just to plant a kiss on her face. His kisses were wet and sloppy but, for her, they were one of life’s true pleasures. She loved Wyatt so much—and that was why she had to keep up her defenses where Aaron was concerned, no matter how
Riley was making it clear that he didn’t consider Aaron a threat. You aren’t what Presley wants anymore, he’d said. Was he cocky enough to think he could prove it?
Far be it from Aaron to resist a challenge. “Absolutely,” he said. “We’d never let you do this alone.”
Presley might’ve continued to argue, but Wyatt was trying to escape so he could play in the sawdust and wood scraps.
“You could get hurt,” she murmured as she struggled to restrain him. She looked tired. It was tempting to pick up the baby for her, but she’d been acting so skittish around him that he didn’t dare, not in front of Riley.
“Why don’t you take him home and let him play where it’s safe?” Aaron suggested. “We’ve got this.”
She glanced from him to Riley and back again. “But...”
“What will you be able to accomplish with him here?” Riley asked, throwing his support behind Aaron’s suggestion.
“I could put him in his playpen,” she began.
“Where he’d only last a short time,” Aaron said.
She sighed. “That’s true, but...”
“Go!” Aaron said.
Riley gestured for her to take off, too.
“I’ll do what I can to make it up to both of you,” she told them. Then, in spite of a crying and wiggling child, she somehow managed to pull a paint swatch and some cash from her purse. “Here’s the shade I picked out. If this isn’t enough money to cover it, I’ll reimburse you later.”
5
P resley hated leaving other people to do her work. She didn’t want to feel indebted to Riley or Aaron. Especially Aaron. But she was terrified that if Aaron and Wyatt had any interaction at all he’d suspect the truth. If Aaron hadn’t always been so vigilant about birth control, or if there’d been a specific incident when they’d noticed a broken rubber—which there wasn’t—he would already have questioned her or Cheyenne about the circumstances of Wyatt’s conception.
Fortunately, she had those two things going for her.
She’d made the right decision in not telling him, hadn’t she? Every once in a while, she panicked, wondering if she’d been crazy to make the choice she’d made. But she hadn’t gotten pregnant on purpose; there was no duplicity involved. And she didn’t expect child support or anything else from him. So how was the fact that she’d kept Wyatt hurting him?
It wasn’t. To her knowledge, he’d never expressed any interest in having a child. Indeed, his diligence in the birth control department indicated he didn’t want one. There were times he’d even said as much, when a friend married or had a kid. That meant she was doing him a huge favor by keeping the truth to herself. It allowed him to lead whatever life he chose without having to wrestle with his conscience.
Of course, if he found out, there was no guarantee he’d look at the situation so philosophically. That was what frightened her. She hated to even think of the possibility....
Wyatt, happy now that she’d let him loose to run around the house, started to empty his toy box.
“You little devil,” she teased when she saw the mess he was making.
He grinned up at her, completely unrepentant, and she bent to press her lips to his forehead. Then she dropped onto the lumpy sofa she’d bought from the thrift store where she’d worked in Fresno. “You’re a charmer, aren’t you?” she said as he babbled and played. “Just like your daddy. Headstrong, too,” she added, thinking of how willful they could both be.
“Mama!” He brought her his collection of cars, one by one.
Despite a long list of worries, Presley couldn’t help smiling when he trundled over without a car just to plant a kiss on her face. His kisses were wet and sloppy but, for her, they were one of life’s true pleasures. She loved Wyatt so much—and that was why she had to keep up her defenses where Aaron was concerned, no matter how
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