Just One Look (Castleton Hearts)

She dumped a cup of chamomile tea and some melatonin gummies down my throat and tucked me in.

“You’re very sweet to be so involved, but I need you to go to sleep,” Theo said in my ear. Thanks to the tea and the gummies, I was starting to crash, and my body was ready to sleep whether I wanted to or not.

My eyes shuttered closed and I was out.

“Hey, baby’s here,” Theo said, shaking my shoulder. I opened my eyes and it was morning. “I just got the message from my brother. He would have let me know sooner, but she started needing to push and then she had him a few minutes later. I’ve got to get Mia ready to meet her brother. You can stay and sleep.”

I sat up, cringing at the sunlight. I didn’t feel very rested.

“No, I’m coming with you,” I said. “I mean, if that’s okay. If it’s family only, that’s fine.”

“Teetee?” a little voice said.

“No, you’re absolutely included,” Theo said, going to the living room to take care of Mia.

We ended up throwing her in the car in her pajamas and we both wore the same clothes from the night before. I really needed a shower.

It didn’t matter, in the end. We brought Mia into the hospital and Theo handed her off to her dad so he could take her in to meet her little brother. Theo and I hung outside until Clint came out and motioned us in.

“Are you sure?” I whispered to Theo, but she just grabbed my hand and dragged me into the room.

“We’d like you to meet Oliver James Harmon,” Kim said, holding a very small bundle in her arms. I had never seen a human so tiny and fragile. I was afraid to breathe near him, so I tried to stay back as Kim handed the baby to Theo after she washed her hands.

“Hello, sweet boy,” Theo said in a voice that I’d never heard before. “You and I are going to have so much fun together. I’m going to give you a whole lot of candy.”

“Don’t you dare,” Kim said. “I’ll get Mia hopped up on sugar and then ship her off for you to deal with.”

Theo walked around with the baby, holding him with so much confidence, and I had to sit down because I’d never been more attracted to anyone in my life.

Theo holding a baby? Instant ovary explosion. I was ready to drag her to a supply closet and practice making a baby, even though that was scientifically impossible for us.

Theo softly sang to Oliver as she carried him around and then she turned to me.

“Do you want to hold him?”

Would it be rude to say no? I shot Theo a panicked look.

“It’s okay. You’re sitting down. It’s easy.” She told me how to arrange my arms and before I knew what was happening, I was holding him.

“This is terrifying,” I said. I’d never really babysat or been around kids before and this was definitely my first time holding a newborn.

Oliver blinked his eyes and looked up at me.

“Hello,” I said. “You’re very cute.”

Oliver made a cute little baby noise and wiggled his legs.

“What do I do?” I asked Theo.

“Nothing. He’s just figuring out his body,” she said.

Little Oliver wiggled again and started to cry. It was such a soft, small sound, but it got loud, fast.

“Time to eat,” Theo said, taking him from me and handing the baby back to Kim.

“Would you mind taking Mia down to the cafeteria and getting her something?” Clint asked.

“No problem,” Theo said. We took Mia with us down the hall to the cafeteria, where they were still serving breakfast. Mia lost her mind when they had chocolate chip pancakes. Looked like she had her aunt’s sweet tooth.

I realized I was starving, so I loaded my plate with bacon and eggs and several pieces of toast. Theo got a plate for herself with pancakes and bacon and covered both in syrup. Mia saw her doing that and demanded the same thing.

The three of us sat together at a table near the window. Mia swung her feet back and forth as she ate her pancakes and got syrup all over her hands.

“We can take her back to her parents and then run back to the house and grab her some clothes,” Theo said.

“Good idea.”

“You can go home and take a nap if you need to,” Theo said. In addition to my orange juice, I was drinking coffee as if my life depended on it.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I’m happy to help. It’s nice being included.”

Theo reached across the table and squeezed my hand.

“I’m really glad you’re here,” she said.

“Me too.”

We did our best to wash Mia up and took her back to her parents while we drove back to the house to grab anything they might need. They had their baby bag packed pretty well, but they had forgotten a few things, so Theo collected those, and I tidied up the house so it would be ready for them when they got home.