Twins Under His Tree Part 7

"Isn't she in Oklahoma?"

"Yes, but Troy's mom and Ellie have wanted to visit. Maybe they could come and help out and maybe..." A smile bloomed on Lily's lips. "Maybe Ellie could stay! She could set up her web business from here. I'm going to call Angie first. If she's agreeable, then I'll phone Ellie."

Lily picked up the handset from the end table.

As she dialed a number, Mitch realized he should be happy she was going to get the help she needed. Yet part of him knew that if Troy's sister came to a.s.sist her, Lily could stay entrenched in the past instead of moving on.

That shouldn't matter to him. But it did.

Chapter Five.

Lily hung up the receiver and glanced at the gla.s.s of juice Mitch had brought her, now empty. She knew better than to let herself become dehydrated. She knew better about a lot of things. She should be grateful Mitch had called right when he had. Troy had always 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.

"I ordered takeout from the Yellow Rose." He glanced at his watch. "It should be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Takeout? But they don't deliver unless-"

"I 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 s.h.i.+ft, 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.

"That was a long phone conversation," Mitch commented, carrying the laundry basket into the kitchen and then the living room.

"Just 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."

"I a.s.sume since she makes baby clothes, she likes babies."

"She worked at a day-care center for a while, so she's had more practical experience than I have."

"I'm glad that's settled. When are they coming?"

"Next week."

"And in the meantime?"

"In the meantime, I'll get by. But I'll take better care of myself."

"That's a promise?"

"It's a promise."

There was about six inches of s.p.a.ce 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.

"Why 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."

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Do 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.

"Do you?" she prodded. "You wear long sleeves, winter and summer."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because 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."

"Do you think I'd turn away?"

The two of them were breathing the same air, standing in the same s.p.a.ce, but a s.h.i.+eld went up in Mitch's eyes that sent him somewhere apart from her. Suddenly she suspected why.

"Have you been in a relations.h.i.+p since you returned from Iraq?"

He started to swivel away from her to go into the kitchen. She wouldn't let him evade her that easily. She didn't touch him this time, but just slipped in front of him so he couldn't take another step without running into her.

"Lily," he said with exasperation. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Have you ever talked about it...talked about her?"

"No."

"Just as you haven't talked about Iraq."

"That's right."

Men! Lily thought. Troy had been the same way. He hadn't spoken to her about his earlier deployments, and she hadn't pushed. She had imagined that he'd eventually confide in her. But they hadn't had time. And maybe if he had confided in her, she would have been more prepared- "So don't talk about Iraq," she conceded.

"But tell you about my love life?" Mitch asked, almost amused.

She realized how ridiculous she was being, when Mitch was a private man who didn't reveal much at all! "I guess I just need something to think about besides my own life right now."

That s.h.i.+eld was still in his eyes but his face took on a gentler look.

"Okay. I'll do this once." He jammed his hands into his trouser pockets. "I was back over a year. I'd gotten a fellows.h.i.+p in endocrinology in Dallas and met Charlene, who was a reporter for the local news. She wanted to do a story about my new specialty and why I was changing, but I told her no. After a few tries and a few conversations, we started going out. I wore long sleeves most of the time then, too. One night I took her out to dinner. Afterward, things progressed naturally but when we got to the bedroom and I took off my s.h.i.+rt- She couldn't bear to see my scars, let alone touch them. That's when I realized reality was just a little too difficult for most people to handle."

"Most women," Lily murmured, realizing how little emotion Mitch had put into that recital. "That's what you meant to say."

"Maybe I did."

"Not every woman is the same." She could see right away that he didn't believe that. "The scars are more extensive than on your arm and hand," she guessed.

"Yes. They're on my shoulder, back and side, too."

Lily thought about what he'd said but kept her gaze from falling to his shoulder, or to his flat stomach. She was feeling almost dizzy again. Could that be from imagining Mitch without his s.h.i.+rt? Was she different from that reporter? Would extensive scars make her want to turn away?

The doorbell rang.

Mitch took a step back, looking...relieved? Was she relieved that the personal conversation was over? Or did she want to delve deeper? Somehow she knew Mitch wouldn't let her do that. At least, not tonight.

"So what's for dinner?" she asked brightly, knowing the Yellow Rose delivery had arrived at the door.

Getting to know Mitch any better would mean ties she might not want...problems she didn't need. Getting to know Mitch better could lead to another kiss.

Neither of them wanted that-right?

Lily's cavalry arrived and Mitch stayed away. He knew it was best for both of them.

Almost a month after the grocery store incident, he received a call as he sat at the desk in his spare bedroom, ready to check email and eat dinner-a slice of pizza and a beer. When he recognized the number on his cell phone, he quickly swallowed his mouthful of pizza and shut down his email program.

"Hey, Lily. How's it going?"

When he'd called to check on her a couple of weeks before, Troy's mother had just left Lily's home and Ellie was settling in. Mitch had known Lily didn't need him there, or even want him there. He knew what had probably gone on while Troy's family was with her-lots of remembering.

It was best that he stay on his side of town and not interfere.

"Darlene and Ellie have been wonderful. They gave me a chance to pull myself back together, get my diet straightened out and find a sleep schedule. And Ellie's definitely going to stay. Angie really likes her, and we all get along great."

After a long pause, she asked, "Why haven't you been over lately?"

"I really didn't think you needed another visitor. Besides, the practice is picking up. I've been working late many nights."

"The beginning of May is a time for growth and thinking about the future. I can see why the practice picks up this time of year. I miss it."

"I thought you might."

"Don't get me wrong, I love taking care of Grace and Sophie. Doing that, even with Ellie here, is enough to keep me busy all day. But working with you and Hillary and Jon and the staff is part of my life, too."

"So you're coming back?"

"I have to, Mitch. I'm going to see how the summer goes with Ellie, then I'll give you all a definite date."

Lily sounded less frazzled, more peaceful, maybe even a bit happy. He guessed the babies were bringing her joy, not just work, and that was lifting her up, fulfilling her in a new way.

She went on, "They're both cooing. And they're fascinated by their mobiles. You've got to come see them, Mitch, and meet Ellie."

Ellie was Lily's family now, along with her friends. He would bet a week's pay that their first meeting was going to be...uncomfortable. He thought about what type of visit this should be, how much time he should spend with Ellie and Lily, how much time with the twins.

"Have you been out of the house much?"

"Nope. The twins keep me a prisoner," she said with a laugh. "Seriously. I went to the grocery store again last week. This time I made it without knocking anything over. But that's been about it."

"Would tomorrow night be convenient?" he asked. "I could meet Ellie, see how the babies have grown, then take you for a drive. In fact, we could drive to the lake to hear the outdoor concert. How does that sound?"

"That sounds wonderful! But you realize, don't you, I'm going to have to call back here every fifteen minutes to see what the twins are doing."

"That's a mother's prerogative. Why don't you check with your housemates to see if they mind your leaving, then give me a call back. I think the concert will be a nice break for both of us."

"Your idea sounds perfect. I'll get back to you shortly."

"I'll talk to you soon," Mitch said and hung up.

He didn't know whether to hope for this idea to go through or not. It could become more than a casual outing. Then he grabbed hold of reality again. Not if they wanted only casual. After all, it would be easy to stay casual. Lily could tell him all about the memories she and Troy's mother and sister had stirred up during their visit.

Casual would be the theme of the evening.

"How long have you been working with Lily?" Ellie asked on Sat.u.r.day evening.

He'd arrived a short time before and looked in on the twins, who'd been finis.h.i.+ng their supper. They were asleep in their ba.s.sinets now and Lily had gone upstairs to change.

Studying Ellie, he noticed she wore her light brown hair in a short, glossy bob that swung against her cheek. The style accentuated her heart-shaped face. At twenty-six, she was ten years younger than the brother she obviously missed.

Mitch tried to answer her question without becoming defensive. After all, who could blame her for watching out for her sister-in-law. "We've worked together for two and a half years."

"Troy mentioned you," she admitted. "Something about playing pool at the Silver Spur Grill."

"We did."

"He said you were in Iraq and had to leave the Guard for medical reasons." She looked him over as if expecting to find his injury and her gaze settled on his hand. She quickly looked away.

"I did," he answered crisply, not intending to go into that, even for Troy's sister. The screws the doctor had put in his shoulder and leg, his missing spleen, never mind the damage to his arm and hand, had shut down his ability to serve. Most of the time, no one could tell he'd been injured.

It was time to go on the offensive with Ellie. "Lily tells me you worked in a day-care setting."

"For a while," she responded.

If he got her talking, she might relax. "But you like to sew?"