“Sure.”
“He’s also a personal friend. You’ll take point on his protection detail. I’ll email you the information.”
Herc stood a little taller, his pride of purpose evident.
“Copy that.”
Nathan watched Herc jog back to his task while he called Emily.
In lieu of a greeting, she said, “Can you come home?” A faint, repetitive beeping in the background concerned him.
Without hesitating, Nathan jogged to his old jeep. “What’s wrong?”
“Jack ate a pint of strawberries, and now he’s all flushed—his belly, his face; he’s all red. While I was getting Benadryl, Charlie climbed onto a chair, grabbed a bag of flour off the counter, and proceeded to spread it all over the kitchen floor. I forgot about the cookies in the oven, and the smoke detector won’t stop beeping, and future baby number three is giving me vertigo again. Also, I read this thing online that said the brand of car seat we use may not be safe because there’s a design flaw in the buckle that secures them to the seat.”
Her level of hysteria increased with each detail.
“I’m three blocks away, texting Doc Hardy now about the strawberries. Open a window to let the smoke out. That should stop the beeping. I’ll clean up the mess while you lie down, and maybe we’ll take another stab at the cookies after dinner. If the boys need new car seats, we get new car seats. Sound good?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Her voice had calmed, but now she was crying.
“Emily.”
“I just hate dragging you away from work for this stupid stuff. Moms all over the world do this no problem. I can’t seem to get my act together.”
Nathan parked in the driveway and loped up the front steps.
“Your act is totally together. You’re like the perfect…”
Nathan stopped talking when he entered the house. The front hall was a minefield of tiny sneakers and rain boots, jackets, diaper bags, and animal crackers. Reggie, their mastiff, was just finishing up the last of the little cookies. The entire back of the renovated Victorian was an open kitchen/family room. Emily sat on the carpeted floor with Jack in her lap, very red and naked but for a diaper. Charlie had set down the bag of flour and was making footprints and shapes in the dusting on the kitchen floor. Emily cast him a pleading glance, and he dropped on the floor next to her.
“You’re the perfect mother, Emily, because your love has no limits and no conditions. I never would have thought I would come home to this destruction and feel like the luckiest guy on earth.”
She kissed him, tears flowing anew.
“Doctor Hardy said Benadryl was the right thing to do and to call him in an hour if he’s still flushed. You go lie down. The boys and I will handle this.”
The moment Emily disappeared down the hall, he pulled out his phone and called for reinforcements: his Uncle Charlie’s indomitable wife, and Herc’s grandmother, Maggie Malloy Bishop. Nathan swore if Mary Poppins and General Patton had a daughter, it would be Maggie.
She answered on the first ring. “What’s up, sweetie?”
“I need you.”
The dramatic desperation in his voice drew a laugh. “Be right over.”
When he ended the call he looked around at the destruction and sighed. “I’ve seen SEAL platoons leave insurgent camps in better shape.” He looked down at his phone again and realized he had forgotten to tell Emily about Clemente Acosta’s visit.
Two hours later, Emily, foggy from sleep, came down the stairs and took in the scene. She rubbed her eyes. Who’s house is this? Nathan was on the floor stacking blocks with Charlie while Jack played with the tablet. The kitchen was spotless. A salad was in the center of the set table, and she could smell Maggie’s famous lasagna bubbling in the oven. Leslie Odom, Jr. was crooning in the background.
Emily had been adamant about not having a nanny. A nanny had facilitated her abduction as a child, and as irrational as she knew it was, she couldn’t bring herself to alter her stance. The price she paid was occasionally being overwhelmed. Her reward was peace of mind. No contest. Especially with Maggie on hand.
Nathan looked up, his face a picture of contentment. “Ready for some dinner?”
“In a minute.”
Emily crossed the room and sat on the floor next to her husband. Jack crawled into her lap and continued what he was doing on Nathan’s tablet. Charlie punch-kicked the tower of blocks and squealed with glee as they toppled. Jack set the tablet down with care and moved to help his brother rebuild the tower.
Nathan took her hand in his. “These moments…”
“I know.” She nestled closer to her husband and watched her sons stack blocks.