Midlife Love Story

“Stinker? I’ll have you know that my beautiful little girl smells like the softest, sweetest rose petal.” She stuck her nose in the air and gave me her snootiest look. “Ryanna Mirabel Carson-Gregory. It’s a mouthful I know,” she rolled her eyes. “But my princess needs a big name to fit her big personality.”

“So what you’re saying is, that I’m getting another difficult female in the family?” She nodded primly. “I guess normal was too much to hope for.”

“Better luck next time?’

“Yeah, I guess.” I shoved my arms out clumsily. “These are for you. Well technically they’re for Ryanna, but she’s too young to appreciate them right now.”

Pippa laughed again and held out her arms to receive her gifts. “Good thing for you that both me and Ryanna love gifts. Gimme.”

“Greedy,” I grumbled and handed over the giraffe first, and then the gift bag. “I hope you both like them.”

“I’m pretty sure this sucker will serve as a jungle gym until she starts walking.” She laughed and wrapped the giraffe in a big hug. “Thank you, Chase.”

I spotted the little bundle wrapped up in pink in the little bassinette on the other side of the bed and hesitantly walked over. I thought she was sleeping at first, but her big hazel eyes were wide open and she sported a head full of wispy red curls. Her rosebud lips curved into a smile, but maybe that was just my imagination.

“She’s so beautiful, Pip.”

“Right?” She sighed and shook her head. “She is absolutely perfect Chase.”

I couldn’t argue with that, and when I reached down to touch her hand, her tiny chubby little fingers curled around my index finger. “Think I can hold her?” It was probably a stupid question, the baby was less than an hour old, and probably didn’t need to be manhandled for a few days, but as I gazed down at her, I had a craving to just cuddle her.

“Absolutely. Just bend with your knees, and scoop her up like a football in the crook of your arm.”

I did exactly as Pippa instructed, and I couldn’t take my eyes off the tiniest bundle I’d ever held. “She’s so small. So soft.” Carlotta was right, babies do smell good. Really good. “Is she wearing talcum powder?”

Pippa laughed. “Baby powder, that’s why you can’t stop smelling her head.”

I froze at her words, and pressed a kiss to Ryanna’s forehead. “I wasn’t smelling her, I was making sure I didn’t kiss her soft spot.”

“There is no soft spot.”

It was my turn to laugh at my sister. “All babies have one, including this one.”

She smiled softly, but I knew that look in her eyes, it was her mischievous look, and I knew I had to brace myself for whatever came next.

“So Chase, I have a favor to ask.”

“And you waited until I had Ryanna in my arms so I couldn’t run away?”

“Maybe?” She laughed and reached up to rub Ryanna’s soft hair. “It’s nothing big, just a teeny, tiny little favor.”

I kept my gaze focused on Ryanna. She was tiny and beautiful, and so soft. “I’m listening.”

“I need your help Chase.”

“With?”

She sighed. “Planning the wedding.” Pippa held up her hands before I could spit out the “no” that was on the tip of my tongue. “Carlotta is the official wedding planner, but she’ll need some input, and since I’ll be busy with Ryanna, I figured you could help with the details?”

“Anything but that Pip. Please.” As a small town mayor, I attended more than my fair share of weddings, more than any single man would ever agree to, in fact. But this was my sister, and I couldn’t let her down.

“All you need to do is help with the details so Carlotta can plan it all.”

“What kind of details?” As Ryanna squirmed in my arms, I understood the appeal of babies. She was the perfect distraction, calming, so that I couldn’t just freak out and shout at my sister for her outrageous request.

“Cake flavors. Invitation fonts, styles and colors, things like that.”

I frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense. You can answer those questions on the phone or by email, and Carlotta knows you well, she knows all this stuff already.” Something was going on, I was sure of it.