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I stopped on the sidewalk, the late summer heat already making sweat bead on my forehead. I couldn’t dare to hope. “What is it?”
I heard the wind blow past his speakers and Jackson babbling away in the background. It was like since that first word came, he wanted to make all the noise he could. And then Knox said, “I found a solution.”
“Knox...” I covered my mouth. “You didn’t.”
“Liv was a nanny before she married my brother. She said she would love to keep Jackson and Emily until Emily starts school in the fall. Then she’ll watch Jackson during the day and pick up Emily from school.” I could hear the confidence in his voice, the joy he had in helping me, in being strong for me.
Through the incredulity, I was about to thank him, tell him he was incredible when he added, “And on the days Liv can’t watch them or pick them up, my friends Henrietta and Tyler Griffen will watch the kids. They’re thinking of starting a family of their own soon, so it will be great for them to be around kids more often. And then for backup sitters, Rhett and Maggie Griffen offered to step up, but fair warning, Rhett has a potty mouth, so Em might come home with a colorful vocabulary.”
I let out a tearful chuckle.
“And in a pinch, our friends Camryn and Cooper will babysit. Since they already have a one-year-old, I think they’d be extra good with Jackson. My dad is great with kids too as a backup, even though he’s getting older—there may be some more TV time there. Between the lot of us, we have you and these precious babes covered.”
Tears fell down my cheeks now, and I pressed at the corners of my eyes, unable to believe what he’d accomplished in less than half a day when I thought my world was falling apart. Just when I felt like my back was against a wall, he showed me I could lean on him. But it couldn’t be that simple.
“I can’t pay Liv the going rate for a nanny,” I admitted. “I can’t even afford half of that.”
“We worked out a deal. You pay what you feel comfortable with, and I have the rest covered.”
My mouth gaped open. He wanted to pay for my children’s childcare? That couldn’t be right. “Knox, I couldn’t ask you to...”
“No money is changing hands,” he assured me. “You’ll see.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Wait. What? It’s nothing illegal, right?”
He laughed. “No, but it should be.”
I shook my head in pure disbelief and continued walking along the sidewalk. “How did you do this all in a morning?” I asked. “I tried and failed with three different daycares. This feels too good to be true.”
“It’s Cottonwood Falls,” he said. “We take care of our own. And, Larkin, you better believe you’re one of us.”
We ended our call, and I reached the restaurant, seeing a table full of my new friends through the window and was almost overcome with emotion again. These beautiful women had stepped up to be there for me, not much more than a stranger. And they loved Knox enough to care for me by default.
Part of me worried that they would cast me off if things didn’t end well with Knox, but deep down, I knew there was a magic about this place. Seth may have been a bad seed, but it seemed like he was an apple that fell far away from the Cottonwood tree.
I made my way inside the restaurant, relishing the cool blast of air and the sound of friendly conversation that hit my ears. And when I got back to the table, I gave them each a big hug.
As we sat down, Liv said, “Tell me all about your babies. I’m so excited to start babysitting them!”
Henrietta nodded with a friendly smile, and even Della, Maggie, and Camryn leaned in like they were truly interested in hearing about my kids.
I smiled, getting to talk about my favorite people with my new friends.
Liv and I made plans for me to drop the kids off at her place the next morning, and then I had to ask...
“What’s the deal Knox made with you?”
A wicked grin formed on her lips. “Come over for supper tonight and find out.”
* * *
After work,I met Knox at my house. He came to the bedroom with me while Emily watched an episode ofPAW Patroland Jackson played in his playpen. And when I told him that the kids and I were going to Liv and Fletcher’s place to see what kind of deal he worked out, his jaw dropped.
There was even some color in his cheeks as he said, “You don’t have to do that, do you?”
My hands stalled at the hem of my scrub shirt. “Knox Madigan, are youblushing?” An incredulous smile touched my lips.
“No.” He fought a smile that came back right away. “Not at all.”