Page 96 of Just the Wrong Twin
“Dada!” Michael insisted, reaching out both hands.
“Hi Cassie,” Shannyn said sleepily. “Give him here, Ty.” He nestled the baby into her arms and Joshua’s mouth pursed immediately. Ty helped Shannyn to sit up, then came back to lift Michael from Cassie’s arms.
“Your brother is going to have a little snack,” Ty said to his older son. “Then we’ll have to find some supper, too.” Michael settled against him to doze, and Ty wrapped him in a blanket, settling back into the chair.
“With Reid’s compliments,” Cassie said, putting the box down on the tray. “Michael ate already but there are some of the cookies in there that he liked.”
The toddler’s eyes opened a little bit as he fought against sleep. “Cookie?”
“Maybe just one,” Ty said with indulgence. “Special occasion and all that.”
Cassie opened the box and gave Michael a cookie, then set out dinner for Ty and Shannyn. “Meatloaf with mushroom gravy was the house special today, with mashed potatoes. Michael liked it. Well, not the mushrooms.”
“Comfort food,” Ty said with a smile.
“It smells wonderful,” Shannyn said, looking a little more alert. Cassie remembered being ravenous after Marty had been delivered.
“Thanks Cassie,” Ty said with a warm smile. “Thank Reid, too.”
“When are you going home?”
“Probably tomorrow,” Shannyn said, glancing down as the baby nursed. “It’ll be good to be home again.”
“Home sweet home,” Ty agreed and took a bite of meatloaf. “This is great.” He waved the fork at Shannyn. “You want some?”
“Just a bite or two before you eat it all,” Shannyn said.
“A girl next time?” Cassie teased and they laughed together.
“Maybe we’ll leave that up to you,” Ty said.
“Maybe I’ve already got it covered,” Cassie said, touching her stomach.
“No! When?” Shannyn asked with delight.
“Christmas or so.”
Shannyn held up crossed fingers and they laughed together. “Maybe next time,” she said, giving Ty a mischievous glance. His gaze heated as he watched her, both of them obviously still crazy in love. The sight made Cassie feel good. She said goodnight and withdrew, her footsteps quick in the corridor as she headed to her own home sweet home.
It wouldn’t be long until she made another visit to the obstetrics ward. Would Marty have a brother or a sister? Cassie couldn’t wait to know for sure. Maybe Shannyn was right about having a surprise on the day. Maybe she’d ask the doctor not to tell her the baby’s gender in advance.
It didn’t really matter either way. She knew that their second child would bring as much light and love into their lives as Marty had, and that was the biggest blessing of all.
She really had to get home to her men.
* * *
That night,after his coursework was done and he’d made burgers for himself and Sheba, Nate checked out the new cable channel for Flatiron Five Fitness. Sheba wasn’t shy. She’d eaten a burger as well as her kibble, and jumped up on the couch beside him as soon as he turned on the television. She brought a tennis ball up on the couch and dropped it beside her paw. It was lime green and wet, obviously a favorite already. Nate had thrown it outside earlier and she’d been carrying it around ever since.
“I used to work at this place,” he told her. He was already in the habit of talking to her, since she seemed to listen. In less than a day, she’d brightened considerably. They’d gone for two walks, and then a short run together. Nate had rubbed salve into the blister and would work on modifying the harness later.
Right now, he wanted to check in on Sonia’s new podcast.
It was amazing to see how many of his former co-workers had started podcasts and were being featured by the club. He knew that the club was setting it up and encouraging people to teach, but he hadn’t expected the variety. There were sessions from nutritionists and dieticians, gentle exercise for pregnant women and new moms, cardio workouts of all levels including Lyssa’s HIIS. There were classes for stretching, yoga, and weight lifting, programs to greet the morning and sessions for ending the day. The course list echoed the diversity of options at the club itself and it was easy to see that they’d have to add more channels soon.
He quickly found what he was looking for, because it was highlighted on the homepage as being new.Yoga 101 with Sonia—Become Who You Were Born To Be. Nate figured he might as well participate since he pretty much sucked at yoga. He changed and moved the coffee table so he’d have extra space.
Sheba watched with her tennis ball from her perch on the couch.
