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Cassidy was dumbfounded. “They’re bringing those things for Alex?”
Oh dear. What did she do now?
The dimple in Nic’s chin widened. “Unless you wear Huggies and onesies and play with bathtub toys.” He shook his head, one hand up to wave off the remark. “Scratch the last comment. Everyone needs a rubber ducky.”
Against her own better judgment, Cassidy laughed. “Nic, you’re a nut.”
With a cocky grin, he turned and hollered down the stairwell. “Come on up, folks. She’s laughing. I don’t think she’ll shoot.”
While Cassidy wrestled with the wisdom of letting Notorious Nic into her house, a ribbon of chattering, jostling Caranos, all toting various baby items, trudged up the steps and into her space. Nic stood in the doorway like an affable traffic cop, rattling off introductions as three men and three women passed through. Even with six, Nic declared that some of the family had to work today.
“These are only the goof-offs,” he said with affection.
Cassidy, confused, touched and annoyed in equal amounts, could only watch in stunned amazement. How many Caranos could there be? Where did they get all this stuff? Why would they give it to her?
A man Nic introduced as his father, Leo, paused in the living room to ask, “Where do you want us to put everything?”
With his blue-collar physique and thin ring of hair around a shiny bald head, Leo Carano would have been perfect in a sitcom set in a pizza parlor.
“Anywhere,” she said, and then, discombobulated, changed her mind. “No, wait. The guest bedroom.”
What was she doing? Alex wasn’t here to stay. The furniture would only have to be moved again.
Before she could tell them as much, a beautiful, full-figured woman reminiscent of Sophia Loren stopped with a box of baby clothes in her arms.
“I’m Rosalie,” she said, hitching her chin toward Nic. “This rascal is my baby boy.”
No wonder Nic was so handsome.
“Now, Mom,” Nic said with considerable humor. “Don’t start telling stories.”
Rosalie cocked an eyebrow at him. “Then stop lazing in the door and go help your brothers. Cassidy won’t remember who was who anyway. Later, we’ll get acquainted. Anna’s bringing pizza.”
Pizza? Somehow she had to stop the madness and tell these people that she could not accept their generosity. Alex was not here to stay.
A painful knot formed in her throat.
“Nic,” she started.
“Gotta go,” he said, cutting her off.
With a parting wink, he saluted his mother before bounding down the steps. On the way, he shouted general insults at his brothers. They shouted back, all in good fun.
Cassidy watched in fascination at the family dynamics. Teasing, working together, the bond of love between them was practically visible. Her heart ached with the knowledge that this was the kind of life Janna and Brad had been building for Alex. Now what would he have? Where would he go?
Rosalie returned from the bedroom, empty-handed. “I think my Nicky likes you.”
Liked her? No way. “He likes the baby, I think. He rescued him from the fire and they seem to have formed a bond.”
It was the only explanation she could think of, the only acceptable one.
“Precious angel from God.” Rosalie looked over at Alex who didn’t seem to mind that an army of Caranos were tromping all around him. “You’ll be a fine mother for him, I’m sure.”
“Oh, I can’t keep him. That’s what I’ve been trying to say.”
The woman was taken aback. “I’m sorry. I thought Nic said you were the aunt, the only sister of the baby’s mother.”
“I am. It’s just that…”
Rosalie tilted her kind face to listen. Cassidy stumbled through her litany of reasons.
“I’ve already missed four work days. I can’t keep a baby. I’m single. I don’t know anything about babies. My job is demanding. I’m working my way up to creative director. That’s even more demanding. Alex deserves…” Realizing she was babbling, Cassidy clamped her lips together.
Rosalie patted her arm. “It’s all right, Cassidy. Alex deserves love. Everything else is negotiable.”
Cassidy opened her mouth to say more but nothing came out.
“You’ll do the right thing. God will guide you.”
She hoped she could count on that.
“But what about all these lovely things? I can’t keep them.”
The woman waved her off. “As long as you need them. We know where they are.” Then Rosalie stuck her head out the door and called down the stairs. “Come on, boys. This baby does not need to sleep on a floor with all of you tromping around like Bigfoot. Bring that up here.”
Two men who looked remarkably like Nic pulled a baby crib from the back of a pickup.
Cassidy felt a moment of panic. This was getting out of control. Did she need a crib?
One of Nic’s dark-haired sisters, Mia, if she remembered correctly, asked, “The baby is awake. Do you mind if I pick him up?”
“No. Please. I—” Cassidy blinked, as confused as a minnow in a whirlpool.
Her heart continued to race as load after load of baby paraphernalia, much of which she could not identify, found its way into her apartment. By the time the pickup and two cars were unloaded, the guest room was crammed with baby items.
With relentless cheer, the Caranos went to work organizing and setting up. The men clanged away at the crib, arguing over the direction of the springs and screws. The ladies folded sweet-smelling clothes and placed them inside a small chest.
The Caranos were like a tidal wave, overwhelming in their power. Cassidy gave up the battle. She’d deal with this later.
“What is this thing?” Nic asked, holding up a device with a dangling electric cord.
“Baby wipe warmer.” Mia’s full lips curved in amusement at her clueless brother. “Now that my little one is out of diapers I don’t need it or most of this other stuff. Thank goodness.”
“Sweet,” Nic answered and found a place for the warmer on the baby changer. “Right here okay, Cass?”
No one called her Cass.
“Perfect,” she muttered, helpless to say otherwise.
Nic efficiently filled the machine from a package of wipes, plugged it in and then wove his way through the maze of working Caranos and baby stuff to her side.
Smelling like baby wipes, a fact that made Cassidy want to giggle, the macho fireman plopped down on the floor and tilted a roll of Life Savers toward her.
She was on her knees next to Rosalie sorting onesies by size.
“Overwhelmed yet?”
She dug a cherry candy from the wrapper. “A little.”
“Want us to disappear?”
What could she say? To tell the truth would be both unkind and lacking in gratitude. Suspecting she would live to regret the decision, she said, “Stay.”
“Sure?” He popped a lemon Life Saver into his mouth.
Trying not to remember who he was or his role in her sister’s death, Cassidy controlled the urge to send him away. She slid the candy onto her tongue and sucked at the sweetness.
During the hour since the Caranos had swept into her life with their friendly laughter and kindhearted intentions, she’d pushed aside the terrible circumstances that brought them here. For this little while she’d witnessed the inner workings of a real family, the kind she and Janna had dreamed of. For the first time since Janna’s death, she’d felt almost human. That’s why she’d let them stay. She’d needed to feel normal again.
Now the sorrow came back in a rush.
Nic was silent beside her as though he guessed her thoughts. Guilty, troubled, hurting, she folded and refolded the onesie, never taking her eyes off the tiny garment.
I’m a mess. She, a woman who had long known what she wanted and where she was going, now floundered like a baby bird fallen from the nest.
The intrusion of a single, high-pitched, nasal voice jolted Cassidy from her brooding.
“What is all this?” Eleanor Bassett stomped into their midst, the heels of her alligator pumps thudding ominously on the beige carpet. Beverly and Thomas Brown peeked in behind her. Ignoring them, Grandmother swept one arm imperiously around the bedroom filled with boxes, diapers, bottles, a changing station, a crib and a lot of people.
Nic leaned into Cassidy’s ear and whispered, “Cruella de Vil. Hide the puppies.”
Squelching a gust of sudden and surprising laughter, Cassidy pushed at his shoulder and stood. He came up with her, eyes dancing above an expression as innocent as a rose. He’d probably gotten away with a lot of things because of that face.
“Grandmother, come in. I’d like you to meet the Carano family.” She’d almost added “friends of mine” and yet she hardly knew them. This amazing group that had baffled her with their display of generosity to a bereaved aunt and an orphaned baby were basically strangers.
Introductions were made and Grandmother perched on the rocker, ready to take over. The Caranos, while polite, didn’t seem all that impressed.
“Cassidy, we’ve come to discuss the situation. Although I see no reason whatsoever for you to have purchased all this frippery, shall we adjourn to the living room and leave these people to their work?”
The Caranos exchanged amused glances, aware they had been relegated to the position of hired help.
“Grandmother, the Caranos are friends.” There. She’d said it. “They donated these items for Alex.”
“Oh. Well.” Eleanor tilted her nose down a notch. “Unnecessary given the situation, but thank you. How generous. Now, Cassidy, as I was saying, let’s adjourn to the living room. I need to get back to Dallas tonight. The Forkner merger is set for tomorrow and I have tons of paperwork to prepare.”
Cassidy looked from the woman who’d birthed her mother to Nic’s sister who held Alex. The blue-clad baby reached chubby arms toward his aunt. Cassidy’s heart swelled with an undeniable emotion—love. Her knees started to shake. Could she do this? Could she let Grandmother ship him off to virtual strangers? Could her heart let him go?
The answer came loud and clear. No. She could not.
Lord, help me. She was about to jump off a building without a safety net.
“Grandmother. Mr. and Mrs. Brown.” She sucked in a steadying lungful of Nic-scented air and let it out slowly. This was the right thing. The only thing. “I want to keep Alex.”
Nic squeezed her elbow.
Buoyed by that simple gesture and the growing confidence that no one else could love Alex the way she would, Cassidy took her nephew from a gently smiling Mia and kissed the top of his head. His warm baby smell filled her senses and settled in her heart.
“That’s ridiculous, Cassidy. You have no business with a child. You have a busy, growing career.”
That was one of the dozen problems she hadn’t figured out—yet.
“Something will work out.”
“Well now, if that isn’t a well-considered plan.” Grandmother’s nostrils flared in sarcasm. “You’re single, Cassidy. You cannot raise a child and that is all there is to it.”
The Caranos had grown quiet, eyes averted as they busied themselves with work, trying not to listen. All but Nic who stood at her side like some kind of warrior, which was ridiculous given that this was Notorious Nic. Despite his job, Nic wasn’t a fighter. He was a player.
Still, his solid presence was oddly strengthening. She, who had rarely won a battle with Eleanor Bassett, quelled the trembling in her bones.
“I promised Janna and Brad.”
“Promised them what?” Grandmother’s mouth puckered. Vertical lines, like spokes in a wheel, circled her lips. “To give up your own life?”
Cassidy’s chin rose a notch. She could feel the red blotches creeping up her neck. She hoped Grandmother didn’t take them as a sign of weakness. She was anxious, not weak.
“I promised to take care of Alex if anything should ever happen to them.” With the stress and confusion of the past few days, she’d forgotten the conversation and the piece of computer-printed paper until this moment.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” Eleanor waved at the air in dismissal. “No one would hold you to some silly, sentimental promise.”
“I would. I believe God would, too. Janna and I knew from experience that the worst could happen. She loved Alex so much, she wanted to be certain he would never—” She stopped before she could say too much. Her grandmother had tried. Hurting her now had no value. “We even put her wishes in writing with the nurses as witnesses. I have the paper in my safe-deposit box, if anyone wants to see it.”
The day after Alexander Bradley Brown was born, Brad and Janna had handed her a document asking her to act as legal guardian if anything should ever happen to them. She’d wanted to laugh it off, but she and Janna knew that life didn’t always play fair.
“We think it’s a wonderful solution, Cassidy,” Beverly Brown said, coming close enough to stroke Alex’s hair. Tears filled the woman’s eyes. “This is what we’ve prayed for, though we didn’t want to pressure you. You’re young and healthy, and you love this baby.”
“You’ll always be his grandparents,” she said, aching for Beverly’s loss. “He’ll need you in his life.”
“Thank you, honey,” Beverly whispered. “We want that very much.”
Without a word, she slid Alex into his grandmother’s arms and watched her cradle the infant tenderly. Tears shimmied loose and slid silently down the woman’s ruddy cheeks.
Grandmother Bassett, however, was determined to have her way. “You’re running on emotion, Cassidy Luanne. This can’t last. Then later, you will be sorry you made such a drastic mistake.”
With a sharp pang, Cassidy realized Grandmother spoke from experience. She considered taking Janna and Cassidy into her home a “drastic mistake.” That final, cruel comment gave Cassidy the last bit of courage she needed.
“Loving Alex could never, ever be a mistake.”
Regardless of her single status, regardless of the demanding career, regardless of her goal to be a premiere graphic designer, and though she knew nothing at all about raising a baby, Cassidy Willis would find a way to give her sister’s son the loving home he deserved.
