Page 14 of Legends Luke

“Yeah. I do.” Easton was quick to volunteer.

Baby Jax slept through the transfer from Jackson’s to Easton’s arms. Jackson murmured instructions to his brother about the proper way to hold the baby, but Easton looked like a natural as he hugged Jax close to him.

Easton’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Reagan, you did good.”

“Hey, Jax is part mine, you know,” Jackson protested.

Easton rolled his eyes. “Puh-leeze. You had the fun part. Ray did all the work.”

Easton’s teasing had them all chuckling until Jax grunted and stirred, and then they fell quiet until he settled back in the cradle of his uncle’s arms.

“You should hold him,” Reagan said to Luke.

He unconsciously took a step back as he shook his head slightly. “Nah. I’m good.”

“Come on. Don’t be a wuss. He’s a baby, not a grenade.”

Luke scowled at Easton’s taunt. “If we keep passing him around, he’s going to wake up and cry and shit. Let him sleep while he’s comfortable.”

Easton let the matter drop as he gazed down into his nephew’s face. “I won’t ever say this again, but you were right, Jackson.He’s perfect. He’s going to have all the girl babies in the nursery falling at his feet.”

“Yeah, that’s not possible,” Reagan teased. “But I know what you mean. He’s going to grow up to break some hearts, like his daddy and his uncles. But he’s going to be a gentleman and treat all the ladies with respect, or he’ll have to answer to me.”

Jackson settled gently on the hospital bed and wrapped an arm around Reagan’s shoulders. “Don’t worry, babe. He’ll be one of the good ones.”

Jax released a loud wail, his face scrunching up in displeasure and his skin flushing a deep red.

“It’s feeding time already?” Reagan posed the rhetorical questions as her newborn son continued to fuss.

“We’ll get out of the way then.” Luke walked over to place a kiss on top of Reagan’s head. “I’m glad you’re both okay. Easton’s right. You did good with that one.”

“Thanks, Luke. You sure you don’t want to hold him? Just for a second before you go?”

Luke shook his head. “He’s ready for his mom. I don’t want to make him more up—”

Before he could finish his thought, Easton pushed the squalling baby into his arms, forcing him to cradle his nephew or risk Jax falling to the ground. Jax fussed a moment longer before pushing his tiny thumb in his mouth and settling back into a deep slumber. Luke stood transfixed, taking in the slight movement behind the pink eyelids, the plump lips which lightly sucked at the thumb, the easy riseand fall of his chest beneath the blanket swaddling him. Luke was unaware of how the other adults watched him in amusement. He only had eyes for the baby, his heart melting.

“Sleep easy, little man,” he whispered. “As long as I’m around, you will always be safe and cared for.”

Chapter Seven

Melody stepped out of the glass doors under the awning with a grimace. After becoming accustomed to the fluorescent lights in the courthouse, she was briefly blinded by the brilliant sunlight. Blinking rapidly, she waited for her eyes to adjust before descending the front steps. Once her heels tapped against the sidewalk, she turned to head in the direction of the law office while pulling her cell phone out of her slacks’ pocket. With a couple of touches to the screen, she sent a call through to her boss’ cell and wasn’t surprised when Sandra answered on the second ring.

“Everything good?”

Melody smiled as her car came into view. “All’s good. I have the documents in my case, and the motion has been filed. The clerk’s office didn’t even realize the online portal was down until I came in.”

Melody rarely had a reason to leave the office for work-related tasks, but when the court’s online filing system refused to cooperate, she volunteered to walk the short distance to the courthouse to take care of the matter.

“I’m not surprised. Thank you for handling it. Hopefully, they’llhave the portal up and running before we have to file something else.”

Melody’s gaze landed on a deli across the street, and her stomach rumbled a reminder. “Happy to help. I’m going to the deli to grab some lunch before I head back to the office. Can I bring you anything?”

Melody had already redirected her steps and waited for traffic to clear long enough for her to cross the street. She was safely on the other sidewalk when she heard Sandra’s sigh.

“Thank you, but no. I have a meeting at Erin’s school.”

“Uh oh,” Melody muttered before she could stop herself.

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