Jace leaned back and closed his eyes. Cochran stayed where he was, his head resting against Jace’s chest. It wasn’t long before both of them were sound asleep.
That’s the way Bree found them when she walked in the back door of the house and through the kitchen. She was about to holler out to Blythe, to see where everyone was, but she was glad she hadn’t.
Blythe came around the corner, and Bree put her hand over her mouth.
“Shh. Look,” she pointed to Jace and Cochran, sleeping on the sofa.
“Let’s go outside,” whispered Blythe. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you,” she practically screeched once they were on the porch, and hugged Bree.
Bree hugged her back just as hard. “I missed you, too. And that sweet baby boy. He’s gotten so big.”
“He’s growing up too fast. You have to promise you won’t leave again for a long time. As in, not until he’s in high school,” Blythe smiled.
Bree didn’t.
“What?”
“I can’t make that promise, Blythe.”
Blythe hugged her sister again, even harder. “I know you can’t. I wasn’t really serious. I just missed you, that’s all.”
“Um, I missed you too, but I’ve got to run. I just stopped in to say hello and see when we could get together. Maybe later on?”
Blythe studied her sister, all signs of her previous grin long gone. “Bullshit.”
“What?”
“I said ‘bullshit.’ You didn’t just stop in. You came to visit, and now that you’ve seen Jace, you’re leaving.”
“Blythe—”
“No,” Blythe stomped her foot on the wooden porch. “This is not how it’s going to be. Cochran is not going to grow up with one of the two of you leaving whenever the other is visiting. This is bullshit, and I’m not going to stand for it.”
“Who are you yellin’ at?” Tucker came out on the porch. “Oh, hi, Bree.” He hugged her. “You’re gonna wake the two of ’em if you don’t keep your voice down, and I’m guessin’ that’s the last thing Bree wants.”
“Too late.” Jace walked out the front door with the baby in his arms. As soon as Cochran saw Bree, he started kicking his legs and reaching for her. Jace walked over, handed him to her, and looked into her eyes. “Hi.”
He knew she wanted to focus all her attention on their nephew, but she didn’t look away from him.
“Hi,” she answered.
Cochran put his pudgy hands up to her face and broke the spell.
“Hello, my sweet boy.” She hugged him close and showered his face with kisses, which made him giggle.
She turned and walked down the porch steps, talking to Cochran all the while. Jace wished he could hear what she was saying.
He turned around and saw both Tucker and Blythe had gone back in the house. He sat down on the porch steps and watched Bree walk around the front yard with the baby. She knelt down next to a whiskey barrel full of flowers and picked one for him. He took it in his hand and put his lips against her cheek.
Jace envied the boy. He envied Bree, too. Cochran was getting more comfortable with him, but nothing close to the way he was with her. She had such a way with him. Similar to Blythe, but different. Jace knew Aunt Bree would always have a special relationship with her nephew. They’d have conversations that no one else would be privy to, and the boy would learn a lot from her.
She looked over then. Her cheeks turned pink when she realized he was watching them. She walked back to where he sat on the porch step.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to take him away from you. I just missed him so much.”
“You didn’t. I like watching you with him. He loves you, that’s for sure.”
“Oh, yeah?” She nuzzled Cochran’s hair. “I love him too, like no other love I’ve ever felt.”