Page 90 of More Than a Helping Hand

He sits on the couch and pulls us both into his lap. “Smile. Brooke wants to take a picture.”

My future sister-in-law, who must’ve slipped in quietly, holds up her phone and takes a series of photos. Then she runs to the couch and snuggles in beside us.

Now Paisley is taking pictures.

I have a feeling we’ll be taking lots of pictures today.

* * *

Christmas afternoon,Anderson drives us to the barn. He told Bailey that he has something to take care of, but I can guess the real reason.

I’m eager to see her reaction, but I don’t think it will top the look on her face this morning. And surprisingly, she hasn’t asked about the other gift.

When we’re outside the barn, Anderson whistles.

Bailey cocks her head. “Why’d you do that?”

“You’ll see. Count to ten for me. But do it loud.”

And she shouts, “One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten!”

Anderson slides open the door and points into the barn. “Merry Christmas, Bailey.”

Parker is holding the reins of a dappled gray pony.

My little girl stares in disbelief, then turns to Anderson. “For real?”

“Yes, ma’am. I asked your mom, and she said I could get this for you. He’s the perfect size for you to ride.”

She jumps up and down a second before walking toward the horse. “Hello.” She pats his head. “What’s his name?”

“You get to pick the name.” Anderson kisses the top of her head. “And you’re good at picking names.”

She sucks in a deep breath, then blows it out slowly. “I know what to call him.”

Parker smiles. “What’s that?”

“Fred.”

Parker loses it, and Anderson doubles over in laughter.

I rub his back, thinking back to when I was grazing my glove over other parts. “I love the name. It’s perfect.”

CHAPTER32

ANDERSON

I’m more nervous about this New Years Eve party than I was about proposing. Thanks to Bailey’s tip, I had no doubt about Primrose’s answer. But I’m not exactly sure how she’ll react to tonight’s surprise.

Bailey is staying with her grandparents tonight, and after the big party, Primrose and I are sneaking off to a cabin near here. It’s right next to the cabins I’ve rented for her friends, so tonight will be awkward if this doesn’t go well.

I clasp her hand as we walk toward the venue.

Garrett waves and jogs to meet up. He glances at me for permission to drop news on Primrose.

I give a quick nod.

“Anderson asked me if there was any way to let Kyle’s fiancée know what she was getting into without revealing Bailey’s existence. And as it turns out, Kyle made a habit of walking away, and there was a woman looking for him, wanting to file for child support for her daughter. I arranged for someone to point her in the right direction.” He rubs his chin. “The guy who helped me out said that when she confronted Kyle in a coffee shop, he tried to shut her down by saying that he couldn’t have fathered the child because he’d had surgery to prevent that. I guess Kyle forgot that his fiancée was there with him. I’m not sure how things ended up with them, but the fiancée is no longer uninformed about who Kyle is.”

---