Well, it wasn’t that. He just didn’t know much about kids. He was the middle child, and Caleb had only just started his family.
Mack ran a hand through his hair then laced his hands behind his head as he glanced up at the hospital ceiling in the waiting room.
She had a kid.
He might have admitted to making a mistake if he wasn’t so enamored with her. Mack knew he liked her from the first time Sammie had introduced them. He racked his brain for any memory of them speaking about a kid. He couldn’t recall a single thing.
Was he so airheaded that he had missed it?
Mack dropped his hands, shaking his head. No. He refused to accept that. From the outside, Lacey appeared to be outgoing and open. But the truth was she couldn’t be further from it.
The woman was as private as they came.
Which begged the question: how much of what he’d heard was true? Most of the rumors surrounding Lacey regarded how flirtatious she was. Nothing about a kid. Granted, he never put much stock in those rumors. They might have talked about her having a kid, and he’d just blocked it out.
A kid.
He dragged a hand down his face and let out a dry chuckle for no one but himself. Just because he’d made a fool of himself and asked her out didn’t mean he’d asked her to marry him. He wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment. And she only wanted one date.
Mack had let himself get into his own head over this whole thing.
“Mr. Reese?”
His head snapped up as a nurse strode toward him. “Sorry about the wait. They moved your brother and his wife to a recovery room. We weren’t sure which one, and I had to track them down.”
He offered her a smile. “I appreciate it.”
She turned, her long blonde braid whipping around as she pointed down the hallway. “There’s an elevator down that way. Take it up to the third floor. Check with the nurses station, and they’ll help you get to their room. They’re in three-ten.”
“Thanks,” he murmured, flashing her a smile. Mack didn’t miss the way her cheeks colored slightly. He’d gotten really good at reading people—women specifically—when it came to first impressions.
That skill had come in handy when he’d encountered Lacey. Her words had said one thing, but he’d known better. He would have given up right off the bat if he hadn’t seen the interest in her eyes. She’d wanted to be chased. Women like her wanted to know they were worth it.
He pressed the button for the elevator, his thoughts turning once again to the bombshell that had been thrown in his direction. He was twenty-four—definitely not ready for something serious. And yet he couldn’t stop thinking about what it might be like to step into the role of being a father figure.
It was ridiculous.
Definitely not what he wanted.
Mack fidgeted in the elevator, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he watched the numbers climb. He blew out a breath when the doors slid open, and he stepped out onto the third floor.
Just like the nurse had mentioned, there was someone to help him at the reception desk for the floor.
“Just down that hallway and to the left,” the older woman told him.
He nodded, his steps growing leaden as he moved toward the door. He might not be ready to be a father figure, but he could be an uncle. That would be easy enough.
Right?
The sound of his knuckle rapping on the door seemed to echo down the quiet hallway. His parents were still cleaning up after the housewarming party. He could only imagine how his brother and sister-in-law felt over leaving their own party to go have a baby. Thankfully, Mack’s parents were more than happy to clean up and prepare the house for when the new parents would be returning home.
“Come in,” Caleb’s voice called from behind the door.
Mack edged it open and stepped inside. “It’s Uncle Mack,” he announced. “I hope everyone is decent.”
Caleb snorted, and Mack chuckled. He rounded the area where a sink was situated just inside the door and froze.
Sammie rested in a bed, covered by white blankets, whisps of hair framing her face.
