25. Chapter 25

Chapter twenty-five

"He looked a little bit like a chimpanzee."

C orbyn went into the café and sat at the counter. Cassie would be closing soon, and he hoped he wasn't too late to order something. When she came out of the kitchen, she gave him a smile and walked over to him.

"Hey."

"Hi. I know you're about to close. I was hoping to bring something home to feed Rose for dinner tonight."

"Don't feel like cooking?"

"I never feel like cooking. Why do you think I come here so often?"

"Hmm. I thought you came here to see me."

He smiled. "Well, that too."

"Where is Rose? With your parents?"

"She's with Pax and Elaina. We went over to see the baby, and I got called off. Chase was off with Booker on a call, so I had to man the ambulance. Elaina said Rose could stay. Which was a good thing. I don't think I would've been able to drag her away from the baby."

"I've seen pictures. He's so cute. Are you just picking her up and heading home?"

"That's the plan. Not sure how it'll work out."

"Well, I'll gladly make you whatever you want. Or I could come make you guys dinner at home."

"That's taking customer service to a whole new level."

"You've been super busy these days. And I haven't seen much of Rose. I miss you guys. So it's as much for me as it is for you. We could eat and play a game or something." She looked at him. "Unless you're too tired and you just want to veg out tonight."

"Dinner sounds good. If it's not too much trouble."

"It's never too much trouble."

"Okay. I'll go pick up Rose and let you know when we're back home."

"Sounds good. Any requests?"

Corbyn thought for a moment. "I could really go for some chili." He looked at the pie case. "And that lemon meringue pie."

Cassie laughed. "So, I don't need to cook at all. I just need to deliver you food from the café."

"I'll let you heat it up if it'll make you feel better."

"Go get your daughter. I need to close up shop. I'll see you soon."

Corbyn stood. "I'll call you when we're home."

Corbyn knew Cassie had a crush on him. She played it off as friendship. But he knew how she felt. Under different circumstances, he wouldn't mind exploring what that might mean. But he still couldn't get past the fact he was nine years older than her. It wasn't a lot. But it was enough to make him feel like it wasn't quite right. Maybe the fact he'd known her since she was an infant played into it. She, Cabe, Paxton, Becca, and Lainey all played together. And often Corbyn was in charge of keeping an eye on them. He's not sure when the crush started. But over the last couple of years, it'd been pretty apparent. Especially since Julianna left.

He shook his head. "You shouldn't be letting her come over." But he couldn't help it. He liked spending time with her. And Rose loved being with her. Since her mother left, she craved attention from women. Fortunately, the Calaway and Ambrose families had plenty of them who were willing to give it to her.

When he got to Paxton's house, he knocked, then opened the door. "It's just me."

Rose was sitting next to Elaina, who was holding Raphael. "Dad, look. He's awake."

"I see that. I think it's time to go and get out of Aunt Elaina's hair."

Elaina smiled. "Actually, she's been a blessing. She's been keeping Joaquin happy. He's feeling a bit left out."

Corbyn went to Joaquin, who was playing with some cars on the floor. "What do you think of your little brother?"

Joaquin shrugged. "He's okay."

"Just okay?"

Joaquin nodded.

Corbyn sat on the floor next to him. "I'm a big brother, you know. Only I have five little brothers and a baby sister."

The boy laughed. "Aunt Clem isn't a baby."

"Not now, no. But I remember when they brought her home from the clinic."

"Do you remember when they brought your brothers home, too?"

"Um…the first one I can remember was Gage. I sort of remember Cooper. I was about your age when he came home. But I definitely remember Gage. He was a little funny looking."

Joaquin laughed. "He was?"

"Yeah. He had a ton of hair and it stuck up." He leaned in close to Joaquin. "Don't tell him I said this. But he looked a little bit like a chimpanzee."

"You're just making that up."

"No. I'm dead serious. But your little brother is pretty darn cute."

"Yeah. He doesn't look like a monkey."

"Thank goodness. You have a very important job now. You're a big brother, too. And that means you need to watch out for Raphael. Not just when he's little. But for the rest of his life. It's a big responsibility."

Joaquin gave him a serious nod. "Like you take care of my dad?"

"Yep. And all the rest of them. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yeah." He looked at Paxton. "Did my dad look like a monkey when Grandma brought him home?"

Corbyn glanced at Paxton. "Nah. He was pretty cute. But he didn't have any hair at all. I think that's why he makes up for it now."

Joaquin studied Paxton for a moment. "Is that true?"

Paxton ran a hand through his long hair. "Must be. My big brother wouldn't say anything that isn't true."

Joaquin got up and went to Elaina. He looked at the baby for a moment, then touched his hand. "I'll take care of you, Raphael."

Elaina looked at Corbyn and mouthed, "Thank you."

He nodded and got up off the floor. "Okay, Rosy, time to go."

She kissed the baby on the forehead, then hugged Elaina's arm, before getting up and giving Paxton a hug. Next, she went to Joaquin and hugged him.

She looked at Elaina. "I'm twelve now, and some of my friends are already babysitting."

"I'll keep that in mind, sweetheart."

They left the house and got into Corbyn's Blazer. It was close in age to Booker's, but was black and in better shape. It didn't have nearly the miles Booker put on his vehicle.

Rose buckled her seatbelt, then looked at Corbyn. "What's for dinner?"

"Cassie is bringing over Chili. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah. Is she staying to eat with us?"

"Yes. And for a game or two."

"Yay! Can I stay up late?"

"No school tomorrow. I don't see why not."

"Yay, again." She was quiet for a few miles, then she turned toward him. "Will I ever have a baby sister or brother?"

The question caught Corbyn off guard. Rose used to ask for a sibling when he and Julianna were still married. But she hadn't asked in a while.

"Um…I don't know. I'd have to find myself a wife first."

"Dad. I know how these things work. You don't have to be married. You just need a girlfriend."

"That's true. But I'd prefer to be married. And I'm not sure that's going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Who would I marry?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. But there must be someone in town who would like to marry you."

"I need to find someone in town who wants to date me first."

"You're a doctor. Doesn't that make you a catch?"

He smiled. "A catch, huh?"

"Yeah. And you're handsome. Nice. Kind of busy. But I'm sure you could fit dating into your schedule. Especially after you hire your new doctor."

"Well, once I hire a P.A. I'll look into that."

"Good. Because you're not getting any younger."

After dinner and two games of Life, Rose went to bed and Corbyn and Cassie were having a glass of wine in the living room. Corbyn set his glass on the table next to his chair.

"Rose thinks I need to find myself a wife before I get much older."

Cassie laughed. "Oh my. I'm sure she didn't mean it the way it sounds."

"Ah…her exact words were ‘I'm not getting any younger.'"

"How did this conversation even start?"

"She wants a sibling."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I thought she'd given up on the idea. But seeing Raphael brought it back."

"Can I ask why you and Julianna didn't have another child or two?"

"I was still in medical school when Jules got pregnant. We didn't really plan on it. And it turns out it was the beginning of the end. It made me more determined than ever to come back here and take over the clinic. She wanted to stay in Portland. By the time we moved here, our marriage was pretty much over."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't meant to be. I don't think she was ever fully onboard with being a parent. She hung in there as long as she could. And she never conveyed how she felt to Rose. She was a good mother. She just became a really bad wife."

"It always seemed like you guys got along so well."

"We did after we were divorced. But this town is not where she wanted to be. When she got an opportunity to leave, she jumped at it."

"And left Rose. I can never condone that."

"Me either. It's inconceivable to me."

"Rose is lucky to have you and your family. I think she's doing just fine."

"I hope so. I hate that I'm so busy all the time. Hopefully, that will change soon. With Chase helping out with the emergencies, and once I get my P.A., I should have some breathing room and be able to spend more time with Rose."

"It'll happen soon. Who can resist moving to this town?"

"Um…I've interviewed about twelve candidates so far."

"Oh, no."

"Yeah."

"The right one is out there."

He nodded. "You've really stepped up since Julianna left. I want you to know how much I appreciate it."

"I consider you all family. I practically grew up at your house."

Corbyn shrugged. "What's one more kid?"

"Some summers, I think I ate at your house more than I ate at my own."

"Well, we had horses."

"That was quite a draw."

He looked at her for a moment. "Just so you know, we all think of you as family, too."

"Thank you. So, I'm like a little sister to you?"

Corbyn picked up his glass and took a sip of wine. "Not completely."

She cocked her head. "What does that mean?"

"It means I'm trying to get past it."

She smiled. "Okay. Good to know."