"I'd flip you off, Lake, but there are innocent eyes present," Clover says cheerfully.
"He's asleep," Lake points out.
"Yeah, well, I'm too sleep-deprived to argue." Clover sets the carrier down on a clean section of countertop. "Less than two hours of sleep at a time for the last week has left me barely functional."
I wipe my hands on a towel and cross to her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head. "You look like hell."
"Thanks, big brother. And you look like you slept in those clothes." She pinches my t-shirt and wrinkles her nose. "How's the new seasonal coming?"
"If your brother can stay focused long enough to finish it, we might actually get it into fermenters today," Lake says.
I ignore him, looking into the carrier at my nephew. Noble's tiny features are relaxed in sleep, one small fist curled near his cheek. Something in my chest constricts at the sight.
"The baby's still breathing, right?" I ask, only half-joking. He’s so still.
Clover rolls her eyes. "Yes, Kasen. He's fine. Just tired from screaming his head off all morning." She rubs her eyes. "Banks is on a twenty-four-hour shift at the station, and I needed to get out of the house before I lost my mind."
"You want coffee?" I gesture toward the coffee machine behind the bar.
"God, yes. And an hour of adult conversation that doesn't revolve around breast pumps or baby poop."
"I don’t know about the second part," Lake calls over his shoulder, "but the coffee's fresh. Made it an hour ago."
I reach for the baby carrier before Clover can pick it up. "I got it," I say, grabbing the diaper bag too. But that’s my sister for you. Trying to carry everything herself even when she's dead on her feet.
Clover follows me to the office, settling into the worn leather couch that's seen us through countless late nights and early mornings. I set down my nephew and the carrier before pouring Clover her coffee, strong with just the right amount of cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon, the way she's always taken it.
"So," she says, wrapping her hands around the warm mug. "What's got you so distracted that even Lake's noticed?"
I busy myself with adding cream to my own coffee. "Nothing. Just work stuff. You know how it is this time of year."
"Uh-huh." Clover takes a sip, eyeing me over the rim of her mug. "It wouldn't have anything to do with a certain pink-haired menace, would it?"
I nearly choke on my coffee. "What? No. Why would you?—"
"Because Navy saw you two having some kind of intense conversation at that brewery convention in Vegas last month." She smiles her evilest little sister smile at me. "She said she could actually see the sparks flying between you."
Fuck. Actual sparks would have been less dangerous than what really happened.
"Why was Navy there?” I shake my head. “No, you know what? Navy needs to mind her own business," I grumble, taking a seat behind my desk. "And so do you."
"Oh,please. Like trying to dodge the question doesn't just prove my point." She leans forward. "What happened in Vegas? And don't say 'nothing' because you've been acting weird ever since you got back."
I'm saved from the interrogation by a small whimper from the baby carrier. Noble's face scrunches, his tiny body stretching as he starts to wake up. Clover sighs.
"And we were just getting to the good part." She reaches for him, but I'm already on my feet.
"I've got him." I carefully lift my nephew from the carrier, supporting his head the way Clover taught me. He feels impossibly small in my hands, fragile but solid at the same time. "Hey, little man."
Noble blinks up at me, his big blue eyes focusing briefly before his face crumples again.
"Shh, it's okay." I tuck him against my chest, one hand cradling the back of his head, the other supporting his body. Holding him like this makes me happy in a way I can't explain. And he smells weirdly good. "I’ve got you."
To my surprise, Noble quiets, his tiny hand grabbing onto my flannel shirt. I glance up to find Clover watching us.
"What?" I ask, suddenly self-conscious.
"Nothing." She shakes her head, smiling. "Just... you're good with him."
