Free Twins Under His Tree by Karen Rose Smith Page B

maintained, There are no coincidences. She’d always laughed when he’d said it, but maybe he was right.
    She found Mitch in the laundry room, pulling baby clothes from the dryer. “You don’t have to do that,” she said.
    He just arched one heavy brow at her and removed the last of the Onesies, settling them in the wash basket.
    â€œI ordered takeout from the Yellow Rose.” He glanced at his watch. “It should be here in about fifteen minutes.”
    â€œTakeout? But they don’t deliver unless—”
    â€œI ordered two dinners for tonight, and three more. You should have enough for a few days so you don’t have to worry about cooking.”
    She knew better than to protest. She should have ordered food herself. She’d intended to cook, but with Angie on the late shift, it had seemed a bother when she had so many other things to do. Still, almost fainting had scared her. She had to eat, drink and get some rest.
    â€œThat was a long phone conversation,” Mitch commented, carrying the laundry basket into the kitchen and then the living room.
    â€œJust set it on the coffee table,” she said. “I have to divide the clothes. I keep some down here, and the rest upstairs.”
    After he set it down, he asked, “So is the cavalry coming?”
    She smiled. “Troy’s mother is going to stay for a week. She doesn’t want to leave his dad for longer than that. But Ellie will drive her here and stay as long as I need her. She said she could use a change of scene, and Texas seems like a good spot. She’s going to bring her sewing machine and make baby clothes and get her website up and running while she’s here. If the three of us get along well, she might stay indefinitely.”
    â€œI assume since she makes baby clothes, she likes babies.”
    â€œShe worked at a day-care center for a while, so she’s had more practical experience than I have.”
    â€œI’m glad that’s settled. When are they coming?”
    â€œNext week.”
    â€œAnd in the meantime?”
    â€œIn the meantime, I’ll get by. But I’ll take better care of myself.”
    â€œThat’s a promise?”
    â€œIt’s a promise.”
    There was about six inches of space between them that seemed to be filled with all kinds of electricity. Lily couldn’t understand why, when she was around Mitch now, every nerve in her body tingled a new message.
    â€œWhy don’t you take out the clothes you want to keep down here, and I’ll carry the rest upstairs.”
    She took a few outfits from the basket and laid them on the coffee table. As Mitch lifted it again, she found her hand going to his forearm.
    He pulled away and she realized she’d clasped his scarred and injured arm. “I’m sorry,” she said.
    He put down the laundry and took a step closer to her. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I’m just not used to having anyone touch me there.”
    â€œDoes it hurt?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œDo you ever let anyone see it?” She didn’t know why the personal question had rolled off her tongue so easily, but what had happened at the grocery store had solidified the bond between them.
    â€œDo you?” she prodded. “You wear long sleeves, winter and summer.”
    â€œWhy does it matter?”
    â€œBecause we’re friends and I’d like to know.”
    His expression remained steady, his voice steely. “Most people can’t handle seeing scars. They’re fascinated by them, but they’re afraid of them. They want to ask questions, but they turn away.”
    â€œDo you think I’d turn away?”
    The two of them were breathing the same air, standing in the same space, but a shield went up in Mitch’seyes that sent him somewhere apart from her. Suddenly she suspected why.
    â€œHave you been in a relationship since you returned from Iraq?”
    He