“You don’t have to be sorry, Gilbert.” I smoothed a palm over his hair and down his back. “I’m here for you.”
Neither of us said another word for several long minutes. His head nestled against my shoulder. His fingers rubbed gently over the folds of fabric on my sleeve. Far sooner than I wanted him to, he heaved upright, rubbed his face, and met my eyes once again.
“Thank your friend for the recommendation. I’m going to call him and hopefully… Thank you, Sam.” With a final nod, he stood up and hurried into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.
***
For three days after I held Gil on the couch, he made himself scarce. With his clients’ wedding looming closer, it made sense that his schedule got busier, but I couldn’t help but think he was trying to avoid me too. I knew I’d crossed a line. Hired childcare helpers did not cuddle the people paying them for their services, no matter how much they needed it.
The job ended in just a few days, though, and I didn’t want the whole thing to be over. My feelings for this little family had gone beyond professional already.
Evie held onto the coffee table and bounced to her favorite monkey song on the TV. She kicked her foot and sent her striped sock flying. With a wide smile in my direction, she wobbled on her feet for a moment, hands free, but decided to crawl over instead of taking her first steps.
“Da!” she yelled as she stood up with tiny fingers fisted on the seam of my chinos.
“Your Da is working hard, sweet pea.” The first time I’d used Gil’s nickname for her in his presence, he shot me a warm smile, so I guessed he didn’t mind. I usually stayed with first names, but it had slipped out. “He’s helping the groomzillas have a wonderful wedding.”
She babbled happily and patted my leg as if she knew all about it.
The thought of someone taking her away from her father made my stomach clench. He loved her so much, and he was all she’d ever known. Everyone had their struggles, I knew, and parenthood wasn’t for everyone, but I couldn’t help the anger directed at her nameless, faceless mother who’d abandoned her at birth. And cheated on a man as wonderful as Gilbert, too?
I took a deep breath and smiled down at Evie. “Why don’t we get some fresh air. It’s sunny today, and maybe we can see something interesting.” Maybe we’d see Gil.
Bundled up against the freezing breezes off that always blew off the lake, Evie and I headed down the path toward the inn. Besides Gil’s clients, several other guests stayed in the upstairs rooms, and more filled other cabins on the grounds. We’d stay out of the way.
I pushed her stroller down the walkway toward the lake and settled on a bench overlooking the deep blue water. A large flock of Canada geese floated offshore, and a few mallard ducks paddled around the end of the dock. I pointed out the different birds and gave her a baby’s version of a nature documentary until loud voices drew my attention back toward the inn. The back door swung open, and two men emerged.
“Christopher, you need to calm down!” A slim man in a neat navy peacoat hurried after a larger man. “We’re getting married in less than two days, and you’re being impossible.”
The man, Christopher presumably, whirled around. “Impossible! Because I want our wedding to be perfect?”
I tried to ignore the dramatic exchange. Should I get up and leave? Sit still and hope they didn’t notice me? Evie took that moment to squeal loudly and smack her hands on the stroller bar, which agitated the ducks enough to send them quacking and flapping to quieter waters.
The two men turned and looked at us, and I expected them to retreat to a more private location. Instead, the loud one charged in our direction. “I’m going to get an impartial opinion.”
“Darling, leave the poor man alone.” He trailed after him anyway, tugging on his partner’s sleeve, and shot me an apologetic glance.
Christopher stopped in front of us, red-cheeked and frowning. “I’d like your opinion. Is itimpossible, as my dear fiancé seems to think, to expect absolute perfection on our wedding day?”
The shorter man stepped forward. “You don’t have to answer that. Christopher--”
“He doesn’t mind.” He waved his hand toward me.
I figured these must be Gil’s clients, and the last thing I wanted to do was upset them and make Gil’s job harder. He had enough stress. I took a deep breath. “I don’t think perfection should be the goal. Even the greatest love story has its less-than-perfect moments, right? Every relationship has its ups and downs. I think a wedding should focus on celebrating everything that goes into it, not just the ideal bits.”
The back door to the inn swung open again and Gil stepped out, looking back and forth as if searching for his clients. His eyes widened as he saw them talking to me.
“That’s my opinion, but you have to do what’s right for you, of course.” I finished as Gil stepped up next to the two men.
He frowned. “Christopher, Bradley, I’m afraid the florist you chose can’t get fuchsia zinnias in the next twenty-four hours. I really think—”
Christopher smiled at me and waved a hand before turning back to Gil. “Oh, that’s quite alright. We’ll go with the daisies and ranunculus like planned.” He pulled his fiancé into his arms. “It’ll be perfect, right Bradley dear?” He shot me a smile. “Thank you so much.”
The couple strolled back to the inn, and Gil crouched to stroke a hand over Evie’s hat.
“Da!” She smacked a baby kiss on her palm and waved it in his direction. When I laughed at her cuteness, she turned to me and blew me a kiss as well.
Gil’s eyes turned toward me, and I forgot the chilly wind off the lake. Something warm and delicious wound through me. “I’m sorry they ambushed you like that. Christopher is… Well, he’s very…” He shrugged and cracked a smile, but it wasn’t asopen as it had been before. He settled on the bench next to me with a sigh.
