But he did now. He did and it felt fucking fantastic. He took his keys from his pocket and twirled them while heading for the door to the garage. Time to go and spend time with his wife and baby. Time to enjoy every moment with his family.
17
December 27th
Kat woke up in her own bed that morning with her baby in the bassinet on one side and her husband lying beside her on the other. It had been almost seven in the evening last night, but Dr. Butler had let her come home. She lay with her eyes open, staring up at the ceiling and smiling so big it hurt. What a great life she had. Elena had wakened during the night, but not too frequently. Kat had pumped milk at Johnny’s urging so he could feed her without disturbing Kat’s sleep. She’d wakened every time Elena fussed, but at least twice she’d pretended to be asleep so Johnny could do the honors.
She loved watching him pick up the baby in his big hands, cooing and talking nonsense to her as he guided the bottle to her lips. It was such a beautiful, heart-warming sight. He’d said he was going to be an involved father, and he was trying so hard to do just that. Last night, he’d fixed dinner after they’d gotten home. It was soup from cans and grilled cheese sandwiches, but she loved it as much as if he’d prepared it all from scratch. Then he’d told her that Evie Girard was willing to come and cook their Christmas dinner for them. Kat, being no dummy, leapt on that idea.
Today, there would be turkey and trimmings and she couldn’t wait. She’d talked to Evie on the phone last night and she was so grateful for all the help Evie offered to provide. Kat planned to do some of the cooking herself. Not too much, but a little, and Evie would do the big stuff. Kat insisted they had plenty and asked if Evie and Matt and the kids would join them. After some hesitation, Evie had accepted.
So now it was dinner for a small gathering and Kat couldn’t be happier. Yes, she was still sore and, yes, she was tired, but she loved having people over for meals and the idea had her charged up. Since Evie and Matt had kids, they understood what it was like with a new baby. Kat didn’t feel like she had to impress them. Which was good because she didn’t think she could impress anyone right now.
By the time Evie was due to arrive, Kat was feeling more like herself. She’d been able to shower on her own, she’d fed and changed Elena, and she’d made coffee. Then she’d sat down while Johnny fixed breakfast. They’d had a good morning together and now it was time to start preparing the food.
“Don’t overdo it, Kat,” Johnny said, frowning as she moved around the kitchen. He had Elena in a sling across his chest and Kat’s heart melted at the sight. He’d been a nervous wreck yesterday when they’d gotten home, but he was quickly adapting to taking care of a newborn.
“I won’t. I’m going to sit at the island and peel potatoes. Mostly, I’m going to talk to Evie while she does everything.”
The doorbell rang at precisely the moment Evie had said she would arrive. Johnny went to the door and let her in. Kat could hear her exclaiming over Elena. They came into the kitchen and she hurried over to give Kat a gentle hug. “You look fabulous,” she exclaimed. “How are you?”
She was a pretty young woman with long black hair and violet eyes that sparkled. Her cheeks were red from the cold and she carried a basket with supplies that she’d set on the island.
“Sore,” Kat said.
“Girl, I so understand. The twins didn’t come anywhere near as fast as this little one, but I will never forget popping out two kids in a row.”
Kat laughed. “I’m thankful twins weren’t the case for me. Thank you so much for helping me cook today. Or cooking for me I should say since I won’t be much help.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Evie said with a sunny smile. “I got this. Cooking is my jam.”
Evie got busy taking an inventory of everything, preheating the oven, and taking the turkey out so it could come up to room temperature before roasting. She made lists of supplies she wanted Matt to pick up before he came over and kept up a running chatter about everything she was doing. Kat was utterly entertained. Johnny came and sat with them, and when Elena was hungry he passed her over to Kat. Kat didn’t even think twice about breastfeeding in front of Evie. She was comfortable with the other woman, though everything about this baby was new to her and it’d been years since she’d done any of this.
It’d been roughly two hours of talking and cooking with Evie when Johnny’s cell phone rang. He excused himself to take the call. Kat knew that meant it was probably work. She hoped he wouldn’t have to miss dinner, but it was always possible. When he returned a few minutes later, she knew. He’d put on his poker face, so to speak. His expression was carefully neutral as he walked toward her.
“Do you have to go in?”
He nodded once. “Afraid so, baby. I shouldn’t be long. It’s a situation, but it’ll resolve soon.”
Kat frowned. “You can’t know that, Johnny.”
“I do this time. Promise.” He looked over at Evie. “Thanks for coming today,” he said to her. “I’ll be back in time for dinner. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from an Evie Girard feast.”
She laughed. “You’ve got time, General. At least four hours before it’s ready.”
He kissed Kat on the head and skimmed his fingers over
