Page 39 of Carpenter's Christmas Bride

“Okay,” Aidan decided. “But we’re only going to be here for a minute or two.”

“Okay,” Walt said agreeably.

Aidan lifted the boy out of his car seat a little awkwardly. Walt didn’t want to put down his stack of books and Aidan wasn’t about to argue with him. He only wished he’d had Walt’s appetite for books when he was little.

“Ready?” he asked.

But Walt was already scrambling up the steps to the front porch, clutching the library books to his chest.

Aidan had meant to go around to the back, but Walt was already knocking industriously on the front door. He was obviously very excited to see Kenzie.

Aidan got a little flutter in his own belly and frowned at himself as he jogged up the steps to join his son.

“Hi there,” Kenzie said, smiling at Walt. “Wow, that’s a lot of books.”

“They’re about ballerinas, Kenzie,” Walt told her.

“Really?” she asked, her smile becoming so radiant Aidan had to look away from her before he spoke.

“Unfortunately, my sitter isn’t feeling well,” he said gruffly. “She called when I was on my way into town. So I can’t put up the barres today, but hopefully tomorrow.”

“Is it a long job?” Kenzie asked, looking up from the books.

“Not really,” he told her.

“No pressure,” she said. “But Walt and I can definitely hang out if you want to just get it done while you’re here.”

“Yes,” Walt yelled, nearly dropping some of his books.

“Careful there, cowboy,” Kenzie laughed, helping him catch them.

Being called a cowboy predictably cracked Walt up and he practically folded in half laughing.

“We can read books and play,” Kenzie told Aidan quietly. “I used to love babysitting back in high school. But if you’re not comfortable with it, I totally understand.”

She really did seem to want to do this. And her worrying that he might not trust her broke his resolve.

“That would be great,” he told her. “If you really don’t mind.”

He made the mistake of moving his gaze from the doorframe to Kenzie for a moment.

Her eyes were sparkling with excitement as she smiled up at him, and her cheeks were slightly flushed. In Kenzie’s face, he saw all the innocence and joy that used to be his, and he felt like a cavern was opening up in his chest at the loss of who he had been.

You’re the one who chose to be a miserable grump, a little voice in the back of his head told him.

But that wasn’t true. Life had put him here, and Sharon’s selfish choices, too. He couldn’t risk walking around with a trusting outlook anymore. He was Walt’s only responsible parent.

“Of course I don’t mind,” she said happily.

“Fine,” he bit out, looking away from her again to break her spell. “I’ll help you get settled and then grab my tools.”

“Oh, we can get settled on our own,” Kenzie said quickly. “Right, Walt?”

She was wearing that hurt expression again, like he’d disappointed her somehow.

It was probably because I couldn’t spare her a kind word even though she’s being so nice.

“Yes,” Walt squeaked, so excited he was practically vibrating.

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