“Your mom is wonderful.” Kay crossed her arms, pulling the sleeves of her sweater down.

“Are you cold? I can get you another blanket.” Eli moved to the closet and pulled down one of the spare comforters his mom kept on the top shelf.

“No, that’s not it. I just need to feed the baby.” Their eyes met and she dropped her gaze to her lap. Kay looked faintly uncomfortable. Probably because they were in his small room alone together.

Eli took a step back to give her some space.

“Mom can do that. I’m pretty sure she’s got plenty of baby food here for Jada.” His mother was probably planning on feeding the baby and putting her to bed. It was a good thing his younger brothers were happily married and willing to provide their mother with grandchildren. Eli was willing to do just about anything for his mother, but grandchildren was one thing he couldn’t give her.

He dropped the extra comforters on the end of the bed.

“You don’t want to deprive her of baby time, do you? She has to share baby Jada with the other women. Ridley and Raina have been hogging her apparently. They need another baby out there before they start fighting.”

“It’s not that. It’s just—” Her cinnamon-brown skin turned slightly red at the top of her cheekbones. “I need to feed her. You know…” She pantomimed holding the baby to her breast.

“Oh! Right.” Eli backed up so fast he almost tripped. “Uh… I’ll go get her.”

He couldn’t meet her eyes as he left to find his mom. The thought of Kay holding the baby to her breast did something funny to his insides. His protective instincts were always in overdrive around her anyway, but the image of her feeding her baby made him feel like he needed to stand guard and protect her while she was so vulnerable.

Since he was clearly going insane already, it was best if he left to see about getting a tow truck out to pull her car from the ditch. Emotions weren’t his area of expertise, but practical matters—those he could handle.

*   *   *   *   *

KAY SMOOTHED HER daughter’s wild curls back from her forehead. A few minutes after Eli left, Julia appeared carrying Hope. She’d nursed the baby for half an hour and then changed her diaper. The house had been quiet when she’d arrived, but she’d heard an explosion of activity in the last ten minutes.

There was music and the sound of pots and pans clattering. They’d come so late and probably interrupted the family dinner. At the very least, she could offer to help Mrs. Alexander clean up.

When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Eli leaning against the wall outside.

“Eli? I didn’t know you were out here waiting.”

“I just got here a few minutes ago.”

He didn’t say anything else, just turned to walk down the hall. Kay followed, cuddling Hope higher on her hip. They walked through the kitchen and into the dining room. The table was set with delicate wineglasses and beautiful white plates trimmed in gold. Julia stood at the head of the table, carving a turkey that looked big enough to feed a village.

“Are you hungry, honey? I saved you a place right next to Eli.” Julia looked up from her carving and smiled brightly at them.

Kay’s mouth fell open. “I thought you would have already eaten dinner. It’s so late.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I held dinner when Eli went out to look for you.”

Now she just felt completely self-conscious as everyone turned to look at them. “Oh no, I ruined your Christmas dinner. I’m so sorry—”

“Nonsense!” Julia interrupted. “You didn’t ruin anything. We’re all here now and ready to enjoy a nice dinner with family and friends. None of us could have thought about eating if we didn’t know you were safe.” She walked around the table and handed the carving tools to her husband. “Now, you two sit down. I’ll just take this little angel so you can eat.”

Kay watched, befuddled, as Julia plucked the baby from her arms and sat down with Hope in her lap. Eli nudged her gently toward the left side of the table. There were only two seats left. She sank down gratefully, Eli next to her.

Dinner was a raucous affair with eleven adults and four children all taking up space in the dining room. Mark and Julia sat at opposite ends of the main table. Jackson, Ridley, and Bennett sat on one side while Eli, Kay, Matt, and Penny sat on the other. She was sitting so close to Eli that their thighs brushed every time she moved.

Jackson and Ridley’s two kids were seated at a smaller table. Nick and Raina sat with them, cutting up their meat and trying to keep them from knocking over their cups.

The babies were passed around until they ended up on someone’s lap. Everyone talked at the same time, and Kay could barely keep up with who was saying what. Dishes were passed across the table and there were second and even third helpings dished out. When Eli saw her eyeing the mashed-potato bowl, he picked it up and put a huge serving on her plate.

“I’m sure I don’t need that much,” Kay lamented. At home, she’d get an earful from her mother if she ate this much, but she couldn’t help it. Everything was so delicious and she needed comfort food after the day she’d had.

Eli gave her an appraising look. “Eat. You’ve got to be starving. Isn’t nursing a baby hard work? Raina’s always telling us how she’s still got to eat for two since she’s nursing Jada.”

“Well, I don’t look like Raina,” she mumbled. Eli’s sister-in-law was a bona fide supermodel and stick thin. She could probably eat everything on this table and still fit her whole body in one of Kay’s pant legs.