Page 9 of Wife Wanted

"Oh, I will." Rachel hitches higher on her hip. "I don't know any other way to be than myself."

She finishes cooking and serves a plate toward me. "Thank you again."

"No problem. I like knowing you're going off into the day with a full stomach and enough energy."

Digging in, I watch as she sits across from me with a plate of her own. Rachel goes into her high chair, feet kicking. "She gets so excited being in that thing."

"I think it's because she can see better." Courtney puts a hand in front of her mouth as she speaks. "It's like she's looking out over everything that's her kingdom."

A chuckle works its way past my throat. "If that ain't the truth. She rules this house.That's the way it should be." I reach over and wipe at her mouth where drool is leaking out. "Are you going to drool the entire time you're teething?" Her feet kick as my voice tilts up with a teasing tone.

"That's what I've heard they do. We need a book or something." Courtney scoffs. "We're like the blind leading the blind."

"Isn't that what most parent's do? There really isn't a guidebook other than learning by making mistakes or asking other people."

"I guess you're right." She pushes her plate away and sits back. "I typically don't eat that much for breakfast. I'm stuffed."

Glancing at my cell phone, I notice the time, and take one more bite. "Yeah, I gotta get going. See you tonight?"

"Yup, can't wait for wings." She wrinkles her nose in the cutest way.

The way she cuts her eyes over toward me in excitement causes my heart to kick up a notch. I haven't really given much thought to how the two of us are going to get to know each other, and learn how to interact on a day to day basis. It's been awkward, probably because we haven't had much time together, but between last night and this morning, there's a difference."Me neither." Walking over to where Rachel is sitting, I lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Princess. See you later."

"Be safe, Shane." Courtney says as she stands up.

Without thinking, I lean over to where she is, and drop a kiss on her cheek. "Y'all be safe, too." I pull back, swallowing hard because my throat has tightened. "Sorry, it was a habit. It didn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to."

Her tongue sneaks out from between her lips, dark eyes travel down to mouth. "It's okay, we're married, right?"

That we are, but we haven't shared a kiss since our wedding. "We are." I agree, dropping another kiss on her cheek, because the first one felt good. "See y'all tonight."

"See you, Deputy."

As I leave, it hurts a little more than normal. Today I'm thinking more about Courtney than I have since she came to live with us. Oh, not that I haven't thought about her. She's another human in my home, she's wearing the ring I bought, changed her last name to mine. Today I'll run by the bank, I'll add her to my bank account, and I'll show her how serious I am about sharing my life with her.

It's true I never thought I'd be the person with a wife, with a kid, with expectations other than what the next day would bring. All of that changed when Rachel showed up at my doorstep, and I emailed Miss May. For better or worse, this is my life, although it's much different than I imagined it would be, I have to admit I'm also happier than I've been in a very long time.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Courtney

"Are we too late for the story hour?" I question the lady manning the circulation desk.

She gives me a grin as I hitch Rachel up further on my hip. "Not at all. They're running a little behind today, you should be right on time."

Relief flows through my body. I need this time to get some work done, and it's also just a break from taking care of a child. I haven't brought up the idea of daycare with Shane yet, but I think it would be helpful for Rachel. "How exciting?" I bounce her on my hip and pitch my voice higher. "You're gonna get to listen to a great story and have fun with your friends."I walk us up the small flight of stairs and head into area set up for story time. There's already a group of kids sitting on the carpet. Putting Rachel down, I step back, and give her a moment to get situated. As she always does, she looks back at me. "I'll be right over there," I point to the table I prefer to work at. "And when the story is over, I'll come get you, you don't have to worry." I give her a kiss on the cheek.

She looks at me with eyes so much like her dad's. They're inquisitive and full of excitement, shining bright as she looks at the people and books around her. Putting her fist in her mouth, she chews on it, and makes an excited noise.

"Yeah." I smile, wiping some of the drool from her chin. "You'll be just fine."

I put her down again and walk over to my preferred table. It takes me a few minutes, but I get situated, and get my laptop out. One of the mom's comes over and has a seat at the same table. "Do you mind if I share with you? This is the best place to watch, I have work to do too."

In actuality, I'd rather be by myself, but I also realize I have to start making a life in this town. "Sure. I'll probably have an earbud in, so if you try to talk to me and I don't respond, I'm not ignoring you."

"No, don't worry about it, girl. This is the only free time I get all week. My husband is a first responder, and works long hours. I'm a freelancer, and this is my sanity."

Should I tell her about me? Part of me wants to have a friend, even if it's only one in this town. "My husband is also a first responder, and I freelance. We're newly married, so it's been difficult trying to figure out how our schedules will mesh. It was a pretty quick marriage." I admit, twirling a piece of my hair around my finger, as I think about if I want to be completely honest. I'm aware that we'll be judged, but it's our truth, and maybe there's no sense in lying about it.

---