Page 78 of All I Want For Christmas Is You

Beau nodded, pleased she understood the significance. “I did. There wasn’t much to keep, of course, but we fortified it, and it became the original bathroom.”

“All right, I’m out of here.” Walker unplugged his phone from the charger. “You sure you’re good with childcare?” he asked his dad.

“Absolutely.”

“I could be gone as long as two weeks, and with everything that’s going on at the mine, I know the timing isn’t good.”

No, it wasn’t. They’d probably be shutting down the new crosscut. The loss would suck, but the real issue was so much bigger. It was a wait-and-see situation. “If I need help, I’ll find a babysitter.”

Walker winced. “And this is why I need the childcare center at the office.”

“I know you don’t want me using a service, but Lorelei’s here now, and my assistant’s mom babysits. If I need help, I know who to call.”

“Dad, Lorelei doesn’t know how to change a toilet paper roll.”

True. Not to mention, she seemed wired. She said she was writing new material, and they hadn’t seen her since she’d gone to bed last night.

“Besides, it’s the week between Christmas and New Year’s.” Walker paced back over to his son. “Which is why the nanny bailed on me.”

Beau didn’t want to get up—he wanted to stay in this cocoon with Margot—but his son needed reassurance. So, he headed over and clapped him on the shoulder. “If you’re uncomfortable about leaving him, you can talk to the developer and see if he can train you another time.”

“I can’t do that.” Walker shook his head. “He’s doing me a huge favor, and it’s only because I pestered him for so long. No, I have to go.” He glanced at his son.

Margot slid out of the booth, too. “I know you don’t trust me yet, but I’m here, and I raised two children, so together, I think we’ve got this.”

A weight dropped from his son’s shoulders. “I know you’ve got your own work, so I don’t want to impose on you.”

Beau nudged him. “When someone offers to help, you say thank you.”

Walker grinned. “Yeah, okay.” He turned to Margot. “Thank you. I appreciate it.” He gave Beau a hug, then reached a hand out to Margot. Quickly, he lowered it and leaned in for a hug instead. But before he could make contact, he jerked back. Bright pink spots bloomed on his cheeks.

Margot didn’t laugh or make a joke, she just moved forward and hugged him, her hand patting his back. “We got this.”

When they pulled apart, Walker went to the highchair and kissed his son’s forehead. “I think you got more banana on your face than in your belly, but you sure are cute.” Walker crouched. “I love you, little guy. See you soon.” He headed out.

Beau and Margot slid back into the booth. He was so damn happy to be with her that he reached for her hand and kissed her palm. Feeling eyes on him, he glanced over to find his son in the doorway, watching with a smile. Caught, Beau could only shrug. His kids had never seen him in a good relationship. They’d never seen him show a woman affection.

“Where’s Walker going?” Margot asked.

“Sweden. He’s getting trained on a piece of hard-rock mining equipment we just bought. I know he didn’t want to be separated from his son over the holidays, so I was going to do it, but if he’s going to take over, then it’s something he needs to do.” But there was something he needed to clear up. “Thank you for offering, but you don’t have to babysit.”

“Well, honestly, I’m not sure what my role is here. You know? No matter what we talked about last night, I still feel like a guest. And I think the only way to find my place is to jump right in. If I live here, then I have to pitch in. If you draw lines and separate me out, then I am a guest.”

That made sense, but it might be too much too soon. “Okay, but it’s your first week, and I don’t want you to fall behind with your work.”

“I appreciate that.” She stared at her toast. “I didn’t think anything through. I didn’t think what it would feel like to live in your house with your family. I don’t own a car or a bed or anything. I mean, I can’t live off you.” She let out a breath. “I just need to figure things out.”

Shit. She was already regretting it. “I wish we could fast forward to the place where you feel comfortable here and integrated into our lives.”

“I guess it doesn’t work like that.”

“I do have an extra car if you’d like to use it. Since Jess is mostly on campus and can walk into town, she didn’t take hers to school. It’s just sitting in the garage.”

She hesitated, and he could tell she struggled with accepting handouts. But in the end, she came around. “I don’t know how else I’ll get to the mall without asking for rides all the time, so yes. That’d be great. I’d appreciate it.”

Even though that was one problem solved, he could see she remained uncomfortable. “You don’t have to live here. I promised you a room at the lodge, and it’s yours if you want it. Or, if you’d rather rent an apartment in Calamity, we can call a rental agent right now.”

“No, that’ll only create distance. I’m more the type to dive right in.” Finally, she smiled. “It’ll be okay. It’s just a matter of time.”

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