The Baby Arrangement (The Daycare Chronicles 3)

Mallory shook her head. “I had confirmation that it will be sometime after two,” she told him and looked at her menu.

She wasn’t going to tell him.

So he let it go. He looked at his own menu, though suddenly he didn’t give a damn what he ate.

“Mallory?”

She glanced over at him.

“Please, tell me what’s going on. What’s this call you’re expecting?”

Her frown was full-scale, her hair jumbling around her shoulders as she shrugged and shook her head at the same time.

“Julia told me you stayed home to get it because it could upset the kids. She thought I knew what it was about. And she clammed up the second she realized I didn’t.”

“Oh.” She watched him, seeming to consider something.

“Don’t blame her. She’s got your back completely.”

“I know that. I’m sure she’ll tell me about your call as soon as we next speak.”

He was sure of it, too, which had been part of the reason he’d said what he had. But only partly. He mostly wanted her to tell him what was going on.

How did a guy fix something if he had no idea what to fix?

“It’s nothing,” she said now. “Nothing that you can do anything about.”

He didn’t know that. Not until he knew what it was.

“You know you don’t have to take on every single one of my problems, Bray.” Her smile was calm, almost serene.

That didn’t set well with him, either.

“I know you can make it just fine on

your own. I’m not trying to imply otherwise, even to myself. Or to think that I’m the save-the-day guy. I know full well I’m not. It’s just...”

He needed her to understand. “I think about you,” he told her. “I’d like to know that you’re okay and—”

“I’m okay,” she interrupted and he held up a hand.

“And to know that if something’s bothering you, enough so that you stay home from work, and I’m right here and know something’s going on, that—Oh for God’s sake, Mal, please tell me what’s going on.”

She grinned, but it lasted only a second.

“I had a genetic defect positive come back on some blood work last week. The doctor isn’t worried. It’s not all that unheard of for this particular test to show false positives. I had a more in-depth test done on Thursday and I’m expecting the results today.” She met his gaze the entire time she delivered the news.

And then she glanced at her menu as though there really was nothing big going on.

“You’re telling me that the babies have something wrong with them?” And she hadn’t called him immediately?

“Did you call Tamara?” he asked when she didn’t answer.

“Yesterday,” she said, turning the page of the menu. She was studying the thing like she couldn’t make up her mind what she wanted.

He knew what she was going to order, so she must, too.

Reaching across the table he took her hand. She glanced over at him, a sheen in her gaze that was unmistakable.