Page 41 of Callahan

“Oh, let me do it!”

“I should put a diaper on him first. You probably don’t want to go to your next call smelling like baby pee.”

He grinned as he handed my son back to me.

“Meh, there’s worse things I’ve smelled like.”

While Brian washed his hands, I laid Conor on the couch and had his diaper on by the time Brian sat down in the living room chair.

“You’ve got this mom thing down,” he commented with a low whistle.

“I’m doing my best,” I remarked as I handed the baby back to him, along with the lotion bottle.

Brian’s features were animated while he talked to Conor and applied the lotion.

My little man cooed in response, making the burly sergeant light up like a Christmas tree.

“I can’t believe how big he’s already gotten. Before we know it, he’ll be walking.”

“Hold on there, mister. It’s like the saying—he needs to crawl before he can walk. And actually, he needs to roll over before he crawls, so don’t go planning his first day of kindergarten yet. First things first.”

“I’m really glad you decided to stay in Haven Springs. I wouldn’t want to miss out on him growing up.”

“Where else would I have gone?”

“I don’t know. You could have gone back to Charlotte, finished school, and stayed there. Or you could have even moved to Savanah to be close to your mom and dad.”

“For the record, I am finishing school—I promised my parents. I’m just doing it online.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re getting your degree, and I’m glad you’re staying here.”

“My sister’s here and so are all my friends, not to mention the O’Brien’s. I know it’s important to be close to family.” I smiled at him. “New and old, chosen and blood.”

Brian tickled Conor’s chin as he nonchalantly replied, “Speaking of new, chosen family… what do you think of Adam?”

Oh dear. This felt like a trap. I knew I needed to tread carefully with my response.

“He was very kind last night,” I quickly added, “And respectful. I never felt uncomfortable or anything. Shawn always had nice things to say about him in his letters. I think trusting him to make sure I got the engagement ring says a lot about what Shawn thought of him. And Conor seems to love him. He slept past his feeding time this morning when Adam was holding him.”

“I liked that he was able to help you. And, I agree, Shawn obviously thought a lot about him; he wouldn’t have given his safe combination to just anyone.”

I tilted my head. “Why do I feel like there’s a ‘but’ in there?”

“No buts. I actually hope he stays in Haven Springs. I’m just trying to figure out how he’ll fit into our lives if he does.”

This seemed like a fishing expedition on Brian’s part, so I shrugged and said, “Same as all our friends, I suppose.”

Brian didn’t look away from Conor’s face when he replied, “Yeah, I suppose.”

Chuckling, he commented, “The little man can’t keep his eyes open,” and stood to hand the baby back to me. “Thanks for keeping him awake so I could see him.”

I stood as well. Sure enough, Conor was asleep.

“Of course. Anytime you want to stop by, give me a heads up, and I’ll try to keep him awake after he nurses.”

“Awesome, I will.” He pointed toward the window. “I’m going to check the locks on all those, then I’ll add another deadbolt to the door leading to the outside stairs and the one to the bakery.”

“Do you really think that’s necessary?”

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