Tempting Perfection

Knoah smiled from the couch, looking tired. “How’s it going, squirt.”

“Amazing. I knew motherhood would be wonderful, but I never imagined it would be magical like this.”

Garrick’s chest puffed out a little bit more today. I knew the feeling. Dylan and I joined Sawyer. Adaline was resting so sweetly. “She’s beautiful, guys.”

“Thank you. How’s my sweet nephew?”

Knoah reached for Dylan and I handed him over.

Who would have thought all those years ago, when I first met Knoah, this would be where life took us?

“Oh, Kurt, will you hand the bag to Garrick? It’s a present for Adaline.” Sawyer made more kissy faces at the new baby.

I gave him the bag. “I think it’s time to share the baby.”

Sawyer rolled her eyes. “Baby hog.”

Garrick pulled out the little pink shirt with the words miss stud muffin and shook his head. “Adaline isn’t allowed to date until she’s thirty.”

“Don’t be a party pooper, Shaw.”

Holding Adaline close, I touched her cheek. “Hey, sweet girl.”

Yeah, I could take another one of these at some point. Maybe two. Sawyer would kill me if she heard me say that out loud.

Garrick cleared his throat. “What’s on poor George?”

“His doggles. Sawyer thinks his eyes dry out when his face is in the wind,” I answered.

“They do!”

Everyone laughed. I removed the doggles and put them in the bag. Sawyer seemed full of nervous excitement again. And I kept waiting for her to tell me what was going on. She was terrible at keeping secrets.

* * *

When we got home, Sawyer busied herself in the kitchen making a lasagna and garlic bread. The house smelled delicious. Dylan and I had been playing up in his room, but the smells from the kitchen brought us downstairs. I paused when I saw the stack of mint chocolate chip cookies on a platter.

“So, what did you do?”

“Who, me?” Sawyer gave me a cheesy grin as she checked the oven.

“Yeah, you.”

Coming to the counter, she tilted her head and furrowed her features. “Well, technically, you did it.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you.”

Her face was deadpan before she burst out laughing. “Gah! I can’t keep it in. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“What?”

Even Dylan stopped moving around, which was a miracle.

From a random cabinet in our kitchen, she pulled out a wrapped packaged. “I had this made a long time ago but forgot to give it to you because you infected me with forgetfulness. Then I found it. Remembered something, which led to something, and I found out something.”

I put cuss muffs on Dylan. “You’re not making any fucking sense.”