MASON WALKED AWAY FROMHarper feeling excited, but also idiotic. He’d been honest when he said he wanted her to visit, but his reasons had nothing to do with more help. Not that he considered himself an expert on parenting now, but using the schedule and tips that Harper had given him a few days ago, he and Layla were doing alright.
But Harper was missing. She had only been around a few days, but with her gone, the house seemed quieter, if that was possible, and Mason was struggling to control his desire to have her close. The idea of being something more than friends just wasn’t going away any time soon, even though logically he knew it was a bad idea. He really should be using this time to continue getting to know Layla and becoming more comfortable with his new role as surrogate dad.
Just this morning, he’d realized how much he was going to have to adjust his time in the mornings when leaving the house. It had taken three times longer than usual to pack up Layla and her gear just to get to the car, instead of just being able to grab his coat and go. And then, as he began to buckle her up, she’d filled her diaper and he’d had to go back inside and start all over.
Now he was going to have to start planning in advance just for him to be able to work. He’d probably need a babysitter or nanny eventually, but Mason wasn’t even sure where to start with something like that. He worked from home most of the time. Could he simply watch Layla on his own? Or was he going to have to adjust to having a stranger plus the baby running around?
Mason felt himself pale and he swallowed hard before looking at his niece. Her wide eyes, so reminiscent of his sister, looked straight back. Without conscious thought, Mason reached up and tucked a piece of her thin hair behind her ear. He’d tried combing it this morning, but...
“We can do this. Right, Tiny?” he whispered.
Layla stuck two fingers in her mouth and looked around at all the hustling happening at the event.
Mason chuckled softly. “Yeah. We can do this.” He strode back to his vendor area and spent the next hour trying to keep Layla from touching sharp objects and talking to potential customers as they walked by. It should have been a disaster. He was constantly darting around, scooping her up before she killed herself or broke something and Mason soon realized exactly why Harper had been so amused that he thought Layla could entertain herself while he worked.
Luckily, most of the customers were understanding and even talked and laughed with Layla. She never spoke, but she smiled and giggled, charming everyone who said hello. When it was time for him to start up the chainsaw, however, Mason was definitely ready for a break. This parenting gig was no joke.
“Hey, sweetie,” Harper cooed, walking up like the angel she was and holding out her arms. “Let Daddy work his big chainsaw and you come help me, okay?”
Layla didn’t complain a bit at Harper’s invitation.
“Uh...” Mason felt his cheeks grow hot. “Don’t you have a booth to run?”
Harper nodded. “Yeah, but unless you’re asking for a trip to the ER, there’s no way you can run that saw and let her be loose.”
He frowned even while knowing Harper was right. His pride, however, demanded that he argue. “I brought stuff for her to play with.”
Harper grinned. “Do you really think she’ll stay in one spot? Has she done that at all this morning?”
He sighed, his shoulders lagging. “Are you sure this is going to be okay?” Mason asked under his breath. “She’s cute, but can be a terror for something so small.”
Harper smiled. “I’ll be fine. Just go and do what you need to do.”
Before he could talk himself out of it, Mason leaned down and kissed Harper’s head. “Thank you.” Spinning on his heel before he did something stupid like try to give her a real kiss, Mason marched to his work site. He needed to do something manly. Something that involved a lot of testosterone, like handling killer wood-carving machines. His life was being run by two females who had no idea just how wrapped around their little fingers he was. One of them couldn’t even speak yet, but she still demanded all his time and attention and Mason gave it all too willingly.
Jerking on the cord to start his chainsaw, he felt a thrum of satisfaction. His niece might be worming her way into his heart and Harper wasn’t too far behind, but geez...there was something so satisfactory about feeling the hum of that engine in his hands. Time to do some carving.
By the time he’d finished his demonstration, Mason was feeling much better. His burdens felt smaller and his energy greater. He was ready to grab lunch and take on being a dad again for the afternoon. He’d always heard men complain about their wives wanting “me time,” but after this...Mason got it. He’d only had Layla a little under two weeks and this hour for himself had done wonders.
Maybe hiring a nanny won’t be such a bad thing,he thought as he headed to the food area. He wanted to be the main adult in Layla’s life, but he still needed to put a roof over their head and food on the table. In time, hopefully he could figure out how to do both. Layla wasn’t going to end up like her mother, at least not if Mason could help it.
Deciding the least he could do was bring Harper lunch, he carried a couple of plates of food back to Harper’s booth and walked around back since she was with a customer. After setting everything down, he grabbed Layla so Harper could better concentrate and plopped her on his lap, handing her a french fry to gnaw on while he waited for Harper.
“Oh, my goodness.” Harper sighed as she came around back. “I’m starved.” She sat down and tucked her hair back. “Today has been crazy busy.”
“Is it too much with Layla? Do you need me to keep her?”
“Do you have another demonstration this afternoon?” Harper asked.
He nodded.
“I’ll be fine for that time, but we might want to consider bringing a sitter next time. She was darling and drew in customers, but it’s hard to answer questions when I’m trying to keep her from knocking everything over.”
Mason chuckled. “I had the same thought. It hadn’t even occurred to me to pass her off to someone else, but now I’m starting to understand.”
“That’s alright,” Harper assured him. “We’ll figure it out. Is this for me?” Harper pointed to the extra plate.
Mason nodded. “It’s my way of saying thanks.”
“Well, thank you,” she said with a grin, pulling the plate into her lap. “I’ll take free food anytime.”
Mason watched Harper from his peripheral vision, keeping most of his attention on the child in his lap. He had no idea if she realized how she had lumped them together as a team when it came to Layla. The words had flowed so easily that Mason was positive they were completely sincere, but also completely innocent.
He couldn’t deny how much he enjoyed them either. But how was he supposed to win Harper’s heart if he didn’t have enough time to date her? No. He shook his head. He couldn’t think like that. He couldn’t let himself hope...could he? Was there really a way to make this work? For him to have it all?
He was still debating with himself, but when Harper pulled Layla into her own lap and began to bounce the little girl until she laughed, Mason knew he would regret not giving it a try.