Helen Lacey - His-and-Hers Family

The big bed was strewn with more pillows than he’d ever seen. He couldn’t sleep in here, surrounded by flowers and purple cushions. And what the hell was the scent hitting his nose like a boxing glove every time he moved … potpourri?

“So, I’ll let you settle in,” Evie Dunn said cheerfully.

Wyatt didn’t have a chance to object. The woman walked out of the room, and seconds later Cecily bounded through the door.

She wrinkled her nose. “Uncle Wyatt, it smells like a perfume shop in here.”

That did it. “Let’s switch rooms.”

“My allergies,” she protested. “And I’ve already unpacked.”

Yeah, her three cases. One for every week they were staying in Crystal Point.

“Right, allergies.” He forgot about the sickly sweet room for a moment. “Are you ready to go?”

Cecily nodded. “Yep. I don’t know why we couldn’t meet here?”

“The hotel is better,” he said quietly. Neutral . It was what Fiona wanted.

“But Evie said we could use the front living room, and I—”

“You know the deal. Let’s go,” he said, gently cutting her off. Sometimes Cecily’s exuberance was exhausting.

“Do you think she’ll like me? Do you think she’ll be disappointed?” Cecily popped out questions at a million miles per hour. “What if she—”

“Cecily—relax. She’ll like you,” he assured his niece. “I promise. And where’s all this sudden anxiety coming from anyway? You’ve been talking on the phone and by email for two weeks now.”

“But this is face-to-face,” she said in a rush of breath. “And that’s way different.”

Yeah … way different . The tension knocking inside his chest was inexplicable. He didn’t ever get like this. But thinking about Fiona Walsh stirred his blood. And considering the circumstances, Wyatt knew it was out of the question to be attracted to her. He couldn’t afford to be sidetracked by Fiona’s pretty face and lovely curves. He’d been swept away by physical attraction before. He wasn’t about to make that same mistake again.

He only had to look at Cecily to know he had to keep his head on straight.

“You’re going to be a hit. Trust me.”

“I do, Uncle Wyatt,” she said and hugged him. “I want it all to work out so much. I want Fiona to like me, and I want to like her back, too.”

“I’m sure you will,” he assured her. “She’s nice.”

Cecily shrugged. “Well, she seems nice. But you never really know what someone is like at first.”

Wyatt heard the waver in his niece’s voice. “Cecily, are you having doubts about this?”

She quickly shook her head. “No … just nerves, I guess.”

He didn’t doubt Fiona would be feeling the same apprehension. “We can go home anytime you want. Just say the word.”

“I don’t want to go home,” she replied. “Not yet. I want to try and see if we can be … I dunno … friends maybe.”

Wyatt admired Cecily’s maturity. But he’d make sure he was on hand if the pressure became too much for her young shoulders. “Okay. Then let’s go.”

He herded her out of the bedroom and down the hall. The drive into town took fifteen minutes, and by the time he parked the rental car and took the lift from the basement car park, they were only a few minutes away from their meeting time.

He settled Cecily in the foyer, on the same leather sofa where he’d met with Fiona a couple of weeks earlier. The place was quiet, and he was glad they’d have privacy and not be crowded out by the familiar faces of Fiona’s friends, like at the B and B.

“Uncle Wyatt?”

He shifted his attention back to the moment. “Yeah, kid?”

Cecily’s voice dripped with anticipation. “Is that her?”

He turned, and sure enough, Fiona was walking through the hotel doors. He hadn’t forgotten how pretty she was, and seeing her again only confirmed that the sensation rumbling through his chest was attraction. She wore a green dress and her strawberry blond hair flowed loose around her shoulders. Lovely .

When she came toward them, his blood seemed to stop pumping in his veins. She stood before them, all eyes and expectation as she looked at Cecily, then him, then Cecily again.

“Hi,” she said softly.

Wyatt answered quietly. “Hello, Fiona.”

This is one of those moments , he thought, when worlds collide . Fiona’s world, his world, now forever joined by the young girl who stood by his side, stepping back and forth nervously on her heels.

“Hello, Cecily.”

His niece took a moment, as though unsure about speaking to the woman who had given her life. Wyatt knew she wasn’t really scared. Cecily wanted this. And Fiona … he made out caution and uncertainty and plain old happiness in her blue-gray eyes. It was uncanny how alike they were. Same hair, same complexion, same spirited temper.

“Um … hi,” Cecily said quietly. “Thanks for coming.”

Fiona stepped a little closer, and Wyatt wished he could harness all his strength for a second and give it to her, so this moment could pass easily between them.

“I’m really glad you wanted to meet me … and … found me,” Fiona said a little uncomfortably.

“Well, it was Uncle Wyatt who actually found you,” Cecily replied with a small smile.

Fiona looked at him, and the tightness in his chest expanded.

“I know he did,” she said, then faltered a little before she spoke again. “So, how was your trip?”

“Good,” Cecily replied. “Uncle Wyatt let me have the window seat.”

Fiona laughed softly, and the sound vibrated through him. She looked nervous, and he discreetly touched Cecily’s arm, urging her forward. It was awkward for a moment, until Fiona smiled again and opened her arms slightly. Cecily stepped forward, and within seconds mother and daughter were together, hugging close, clearly emotional. Wyatt watched their exchange and swallowed the lump tightening his throat.

Fiona looked at him over Cecily’s shoulder and smiled. Tears hung on her lashes and her eyes grew huge. Seeing her so vulnerable, so raw with joy and glowing with a kind of radiant happiness, made his insides hurt. Cecily was crying, too. There was no sadness, no regret. Just new feelings, new dreams, new hope.

And he knew instinctively he’d made the right decision in coming to Crystal Point. It was right for Cecily to meet her birth mother. All he had to do was get a handle on the growing attraction he had for Fiona.

Easy … yeah … right .

Fiona experienced such acute and all-consuming love as she held her daughter in her arms for only the second time in her life. Images of the baby cruelly snatched away within minutes of her birth, which up until this moment were the only memories she had, suddenly faded.

She looks like me … .

Wyatt was right.

Wyatt …

Her heart rolled over as she looked at him. So tall and strong and handsome. It seemed right having him near. It gave her strength knowing he was only steps away. His closeness gave her courage to hold on to Cecily and let all her pent-up feelings rise to the surface.

“Let’s sit down,” she suggested and linked her arm through her daughter’s.

“Why don’t I leave you two alone for a while?” Wyatt said once they reached the sofa.

Fiona watched as Cecily stepped toward him. “No … don’t go.”

He sent his niece a peculiar look and then glanced toward Fiona. Something shimmered between them, and Fiona suddenly longed for his reassurance. And Cecily clearly wanted him on hand. “Cecily’s right,” she said and tried not to be wounded by the fact her daughter was unsure about being alone with her. “I’d like you to stay for a while, too.” She looked at Cecily. “Okay?”