Page 79 of Callahan

“I already checked it! And I usedlukewarmwater, like Lainey said!”

“Just making sure.”

She grinned at her husband before offering the nipple to Conor. My hungry boy immediately started sucking, to his grandmother’s delight.

Without taking her eyes off the baby, she let out a sigh. “When do you think we can watch him?”

I couldn’t help but smile at her obvious joy at the idea of babysitting her grandchild. I knew I was really lucky to have such caring people in Conor’s life.

“You tell me what works best for your schedule. You already know mine.”

“Would it be okay if I came and got him Wednesday morning? I can bring him home when you’re done working.”

“Sure.”

Perhaps because I was being so agreeable, she then suggested, “And maybe after he’s gotten used to being with us, we can keep him overnight on occasion.”

I patted her arm.

“Teresa, I’m never going to keep your grandson from you. If that works for both our schedules, of course he can stay overnight with you. I would prefer he not be out in public a lot until his immune system is fully formed and he’s had all his shots.” I cast a glance in Granny O’Brien’s direction but didn’t say anything more.

Still, Teresa said, “He would be with us the whole time. I promise. And we’ll keep visitors to a minimum.”

Adam chuckled, “And you’re not going to run off and baptize him without her knowing?”

“Of course not! We would never do that!”

The gleam in Granny’s eyes, however, wasn’t so reassuring.

Chapter Thirty-One

Adam

She put Conor, who was fast asleep, in his car seat, and I loaded the diaper bag and a Tupperware container of lasagna into the trunk of Lainey’s Honda Civic, while Hugh and Teresa watched from the porch with their arms around each other.

I thought my eye was going to start twitching when Lainey got in the driver’s seat, leaving me to get in the passenger side.

I didn’t consider myself sexist, but riding shotgun while a girl drove had every XY chromosome in my body on edge.

Still, I got in without complaint, same as I had when we’d driven the short distance there.

Maybe I gave off discontented vibes, because Lainey commented as she backed out of the driveway, “I would have let you drive, but I think that might have given off the wrong impression.”

Ah, that makes sense.

“I think you’re right. Granny was probably watching from the window, and we don’t need to provide more fuel to the rumor mill.”

“Definitely not. That furnace is stoked and firing.”

“No kidding.”

She glanced over at me as she turned onto Main Street. “That’s life in a small town.”

“Does it bother you? I mean, I’ll do everything I can to quash the rumors, and I’ll enlist Brian’s help…”

Lainey shook her head. “Being gossip fodder is nothing new. First, I showed up pregnant to the military funeral of my boyfriend who hadn’t known he had a baby on the way. A man whose Irish family is devoutly Catholic and had high hopes fortheir golden boy marrying a nice Irish-Catholic girl; of which I am neither.”

“And yet, you treat his family with such kindness and grace.”

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