2. Raina

For her whole life, Raina Wingate had been what was known as a multitasker. In her job as the owner of a real estate business, she frequently handled dozens of complicated contracts, juggled needy clients, mentored employees, and showed multiple listings, all in a day's work. And at the end of that day, she could take a run, make dinner while she did her email, and review the next day's schedule while she got ready for bed.

Those days were gone.

Now, if she emptied the dishwasher and got one load of baby clothes folded, she considered her day beyond productive. Because every other waking—and sleeping—moment was consumed with all that it took for the care, feeding, changing, bathing, feeding, rocking, loving, and so much feeding of two six-week-old baby girls.

There were moments, like the one she was in right now, when she couldn't bear to think about those old days. The idea of a client call made her stomach clench. The possibility of a new listing caused true turmoil in her heart. The last thing she ever wanted to do was…what used to be the only thing she wanted to do.

It had only been six weeks. Surely that would change. But, right this minute, she didn't want anything to change.

Sweet angel Lily slept in her arms right now, with the rocking chair still, the nursing complete. Her eyes, as they were twenty-two hours a day, were closed in repose, calm breaths making her little chest rise and fall.

High-energy Charlie never slept, but she lay in her crib a few feet away, gurgling and cooing, most likely planning world domination and her next assault on Raina's eardrums.

The business of being Lily and Charlie Wingate's mom was the only job Raina cared about. The infants were the reason she woke every two hours, had shadows under her eyes, pumped breast milk into countless bottles, and became an expert on a hunger wail versus a diaper whimper.

Yet she never complained.

How could she? A month and a half into motherhood and she had honestly never been happier. Exhausted? Yes. Overwhelmed? Occasionally. Sorry her life had become little more than nursing, burping, changing, and holding babies?

Not a bit.

She heard the sound of the kitchen door opening from the garage, not surprised that whoever had entered her house didn't make much noise. It was either one of her sisters, one of her parents, or Chase—and all of those people knew better than to announce their arrival so loudly it woke a baby.

She heard some drawers open and the distant rustle of grocery store bags. That told her the arrival was most likely Chase Madison, the man who had somehow moved into her home and her heart at the same time.

Chase had been renting the first-floor guest suite since Raina bought this beach house from him many months ago. For the moment, at least, his leaving wasn't on either of their minds.

Oh, Raina made plenty of excuses about how it was easy for him to stay here while he ran his boutique hotel at the south end of Amelia Island. She waved off anyone who questioned the nature of their relationship, which was friends with no benefits—but plenty of laughter, mutual respect, and support. She didn't feel the need to explain Chase or his place in her life.

He just was.

And, right now, he was putting away groceries that he would cook for dinner while she enjoyed a sparkling water in a wineglass after she bathed and fed the babies. So, yeah. He just was…perfect, wonderful, and so welcome in her life and home.

"Who's awake up here?" he whispered as he came to the top of the stairs and walked down the hall.

"Mom and Charlie. Lily is conked."

He poked his head into the nursery, a slow smile pulling as he spied her in the rocking chair. "Pretty sure this is where I left you a few hours ago."

"They both slept for a bit, then woke and…" She made a sweeping gesture over her chest. "We were off to the races again."

For some reason, there was no discomfort when they discussed things like this, even though Chase wasn't their father—that was Raina's ex-husband, who had not only signed away all rights to the babies, he hadn't even called to see if they'd been born.

On the other end of the man spectrum, Chase Madison had placed the babies and Raina at the top of his priority list. He'd proven to be patient, dependable, and impossible not to adore.

Not that Raina would admit those feelings, but she certainly wasn't trying to talk herself out of them anymore.

"What's it like out in the world?" she asked as he meandered to Charlie's crib and gazed down at her.

"It's perfect, like this little baby right here." He bopped her nose. "Hey, gorgeous. Have you cured cancer, stopped climate change, and solved world hunger yet?"

Raina laughed, loving that he already knew their little personalities. "She's an intense one," she said. "But she's a little mellower than usual today."

"Can I pick you up, Charlie? Or will you shriek?" He reached into the crib but didn't dare lift her.

"One never knows with her."

"She keeps 'em guessing, right?" He closed his hands around her, sliding one under her head. "Ready for a ride, little Charlie girl?"

She cooed and kicked.

"I'm taking that as a yes," he said, slowly lifting her. As he cradled her, he eased himself to the floor with remarkable grace for a fifty-year-old man, but he was athletic and strong and…oh. Enough, Raina.

She gazed down at sleeping Lily instead of drooling over handsome Chase.

Comfortable on the floor, he leaned against the wall, nestling the baby on his lap so he could look at her and smile like a goofball at how cute she was.

"Charlie is definitely more mellow today," he mused, looking up at Raina. "You didn't sneak a shot of limoncello, did you?"

She laughed. "Not guilty, but did you really make it from scratch yesterday?"

"I had to, for Nonna's birthday. I promised her I'd make a bottle every year for her. It's in the freezer, where it will stay for however long you need to be a teetotaler."

She smiled at that, not sure what about the man was more attractive—the way he tenderly held a baby or the fact that he still honored his late grandmother. Maybe it was the way the midday sun shone on his face, highlighting a few crow's feet and silver threads in his hair.

How did that sun look on her, she wondered.

She hadn't taken much care with her looks during these hectic days and sleepless nights. Had she even put makeup on her face in the last six weeks? And she couldn't remember the last time she really ran or exercised. Her body was slowly returning to normal, but she still didn't fit in her pre-pregnancy clothes.

Mostly she wore very loose T-shirts, yoga pants, and hoped her hair was combed. Chase didn't seem to mind, but—

Charlie let out a soft shriek and wiggled in his arms. He deftly reached for a yellow blanket that hung over the side of the crib.

"Let's do playtime, Charlie." Still holding her secure, he smoothed out the blanket on the carpet, then gently rested her on it.

She cooed, kicked, and—

"Look! She's smiling!"

Raina leaned forward with a soft gasp of delight at what was surely her daughter's first real smile, aimed squarely at the man who'd partially inspired her name.

They both hooted softly, but not softly enough. The noise made the smile disappear and her whole face changed with an impending cry.

Chase was having none of that. "Want to play with Mr. Ball that's really a hexahedron?" He snagged a fluffy toy that had four different faces sewn into each side. "Mr. Happy?" He let her stare up at the happy face, then turned it. "Mr. Sad?"

Her expression seemed to soften, and he looked up at Raina. "Could she possibly know the difference?"

"You're the one teaching her words like ‘hexahedron' when ‘ball' is probably sufficient."

He chuckled and turned the toy to show the baby the face with crossed eyes and a tongue sticking out. "Mr. Goofy?"

Charlie reached up and accidentally swatted the ball.

"Okay, no Goofy." He turned it again. "Mr. Love?" This side had soft eyes and lips pursed for a kiss. "He loves you!" He let the ball gently touch her forehead, then moved it to show his own very happy, loving, and maybe a little goofy face. "So does Uncle Chase!"

Raina laughed softly, her heart melting at the sweet scene while Charlie cooed and kicked her legs.

"She's in a good mood today," he said, looking up at Raina.

"So am I." She sighed and stroked Lily's head but looked at him. "I had no idea there could be such contentment at home in the middle of a work day."

"This is your work," he said. "And it's consuming."

"I was just thinking that," she said. "It's been six weeks since I stepped through the door of Wingate Properties and…"

"And you're wondering how the place is running without you and with your father only working part-time?"

She searched his face, considering how much to share. With this man? The answer was usually everything.

"I'm wondering why I don't think about it at all."

He gave her a look of disbelief. "Um, I think you're holding one reason, and the other is…" Glancing down, he automatically reached for a tissue to dab Charlie's cheek. "Drooling. She can't be teething yet. The books say that's not for months."

She laughed softly. "You're too much."

"Am I?" he asked, all humor evaporating. "I don't mean to take over, Raina. I just want to help. And it's rare that a Wingate woman isn't here in that role."

She understood that, a tsunami of emotions that were starting to feel way too familiar rolling over her. She adored him. She adored her babies. She adored her life and didn't miss work and never wanted to be anywhere but right here.

"Don't change anything you're doing," she whispered, hating that inexplicable tears threatened. "And I won't either."

"So, no post-partum blues, Rain?"

"No, but I'm a little on the edge of emotional. One wrong thing can always topple me." The statement was punctuated by the sound of the doorbell, which surprised Charlie, who started fussing. "I'm not expecting anyone, but…"

"But the sisters show up." He got to his knees and leaned over to pick up Charlie. Instantly, her low whimper got more serious, and she opened her mouth to take a breath and wail. "No, no crying, Charlotte Wingate," he cooed. "Just lay right down here…"

As he put her in the crib, she kicked it up a notch, and that was enough to wake Lily, who squeaked like a little kitten. She tried to open her eyes, but it was all too much, so she just started crying, too.

"So much for contentment and perfect moments," Raina said on a laugh as the doorbell rang again, this time twice, with noticeable impatience. "Which member of my family doesn't know the code?"

Raina tried to stand but it wasn't that easy getting up from a rocker with a baby in her arms.

"Stay there, Raina. I'll get the door."

"Thanks. I can hold Charlie."

"Why you have two arms," he joked as he nestled the baby against her in a move they'd already done a surprising number of times. For a moment, he looked down at Raina, his face so close she could see her reflection in his dark eyes.

"Just be content, Rain," he said softly. "Don't worry about what you're not doing. The only thing that matters right now are these two babies. I'll handle whoever is at the door."

She smiled up at him, the ache to lean in and kiss him so frequent now it was like breathing. But that imaginary kiss hadn't happened, not once, not yet.

He was right—nothing mattered but these baby days. There'd be plenty of time to explore where they were going in this relationship. Heck, she'd only been officially divorced for less than three months.

After a moment, Lily stopped crying long enough for Raina to listen to the distant conversation from downstairs. Chase was talking with a woman, but she couldn't make out the words or recognize the voice.

She waited for the sound of the door, maybe a car pulling out of the driveway, but all she heard was the same voices, getting closer, maybe coming upstairs.

"You can't just go up there," Chase said, a sternness in his voice that made Raina sit up straighter.

Who was—

"I don't know who you are, buddy, but you cannot tell me what to do! I have legal rights!"

"No!" Raina whimpered the word in shock and disbelief. No. It couldn't be. She wouldn't just blow into town and demand—

"Raina!" The voice scared both infants. Well, it scared everyone. Raina braced her body and the babies for the onslaught of a person she'd hoped she'd never see again—but certainly couldn't keep away from these children.

"Raina, I'm coming up!"

She squeezed the babies a little tighter, both of them crying now, and took a deep, steadying breath. She could do this. She could handle this. She could face down this often-difficult woman with grace, warmth, and a firm hand.

But was her former mother-in-law the thing that would topple her wobbly emotions and send Raina right over the edge? Because if anyone could, it was Valerie Wallace.

"There you are!" The woman Raina's ex-husband lovingly referred to as a linebacker with curls bulldozed into the room. Val was still graceless, still overpowering, still looking like she'd kill anyone or anything that got in her way. "And there are my grandchildren!"

Chase came right in behind her, a look of incredulity, horror, and apology on his face.

"Hello, Val," Raina said softly, but gripped the babies for dear life in case she tried to wrench one free. "Chase, this is my former mother-in-law, Valerie Wallace."

She barely threw him a look. "Your manny can leave now," she announced. "Grandma Val is here to take over."

Raina just stared at her and felt the whole universe shift a little…and fell right along with it.

It wasa while before Raina and Val could have a substantive conversation, because the cycle of feeding, burping, changing, and balancing two infants took a long time.

Chase finally said goodbye and headed to work, but only after he determined that Valerie was safe—not exactly "friend" but no "foe," either.

By mid-afternoon, both babies were asleep, and Raina knew she had to find out why Val was here, how long she was staying, and what about life would change with this new arrival.

Steeling herself for an uncomfortable discussion—they were common with Val—she turned on the baby monitor, closed their door, and headed downstairs. She found the other woman snooping around the kitchen like she might want to clean something, but the "manny" was too organized and neat to allow that.

"You must be hungry," Raina said, heading straight to the fridge that Chase always kept well-stocked. "I can make you a sandwich or warm up some bolognaise from last night. It was amazing."

"From a local restaurant? No, thank you, I—"

"Actually, Chase made it. The pasta is homemade, too." She pulled out the storage container, already hungry for the leftovers she always enjoyed from whatever he'd cooked the night before. "You'll love it. I know I do."

"What about him?" Valerie demanded, sliding onto a stool at the counter. "Do you love him?"

Raina turned from the refrigerator to look hard at her, ready to nip this in the bud with one of a dozen different responses bouncing in her brain.

She could simply say the truth and say, "Oh, he's a friend renting out the guest room and happens to be an amazing cook."

But was that the whole truth?

That would sound more like, "We've gotten very close and acknowledged a bone-deep attraction but haven't acted on it yet because the ink is barely dry on my divorce papers, and I just had two babies."

Or she could go with the absolute truth. She was falling in love with him, and if Val did anything to get in the way of that, she'd be sorry."

When none of those answers came out of her mouth, Val leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. "Simple question, Raina. Do you love him? Yes or no will do."

Raina let out a sigh and danced away from the topic.

"I'm glad you're here, Val," she said. "I'm happy you have a chance to meet the babies. I hold absolutely no ill-will toward you, even though I don't speak to Jack anymore and he's terminated all parental rights."

Valerie shuddered, giving a shake to her broad shoulders and frosted blond hair. "He said that and, honestly, I didn't believe him."

"I didn't either when he first told me," Raina confessed. "I was…pretty upset." That was an understatement. The day she found out he didn't want anything to do with their babies, Raina had bawled her eyes out at what felt like the worst kind of betrayal.

"I'd think you'd be relieved," Val said.

"I'm worried about what I'll tell them when they grow up and ask why their father doesn't want anything to do with them."

"Oh, that'll change," Valerie replied. "As soon as he's finished with that trollop, Lisa, he'll come to his senses. He's not going to go his whole life and not be a father to those baby girls."

Oh, yes, he is. Raina gave a dry laugh, mostly because she had no idea how else to respond to that. Conversations with this woman were always filled with such landmines.

"Jack made a legal and binding decision, Val," she said.

"Well, he's…" Val blew out a breath. "A lot like his father."

Raina knew that was no compliment.

"But what matters to me is that little Lillian and Charlotte have me," Val said. "Forgive me for not using their nicknames, but Charlie for a girl? Please. And I have that right, and many others, as their paternal grandmother."

Raina stared at her, not sure where to begin. "I'm…not sure about that."

"You will deny me the chance to know my own grandchildren?" Even though her voice rose with disbelief, there was something in the challenge that sounded rehearsed. Like she'd practiced this conversation.

Raina refused to be baited by a woman who was so good at finding hot buttons and punching them with a simple look.

"Of course I would never deny you the chance to know your granddaughters. You are welcome to visit anytime it's convenient for both of us, and I'll send you pictures and videos."

Valerie snorted. Then she actually laughed. "Pictures and…" The laugh got louder. "Oh, that's rich, Raina. Absolutely rich. Visit when it's convenient? I'm here for…a while."

Raina's heart dropped. "A while?" Oh, dear, that didn't bode well. "How long would that be? Can I help you find a hotel?"

"It's not in my hands or yours to determine what ‘a while' is," she said briskly. "And I don't do hotels, especially not in Florida. There are bugs in those places."

"Val, I…" What was she saying? How long would she be here?

"I'm happy to move into this house," Val said, answering the question but not in a way that made any real sense. Move in? Seriously? "But I noticed your guest suite is occupied. I can be comfortable in that smaller room upstairs, assuming that sofa is a pull-out. I'm very easy to please."

Easy to please? Then the sky was green. And falling.

"You can't live here." Raina tried to temper the words with kindness, but there was too much heat in her chest to respond nicely.

"Oh." Her shoulders fell. "Well, that's a problem, since I sold my place in New Jersey and all my belongings, so I have to—"

"You what?"

"I don't need that big house. And all that stuff I've been accumulating. It's all gone now."

"But Eileen's there," she said, referring to Jack's older sister. "And she has three kids who—"

"Who have grown into brats, and you know why? Because my daughter refused to stay home and be a full-time mother and do the work of raising her own children. Oh, I assume you, a workaholic from the word go, will be making the same decision. Well, I'm here to make sure those two don't grow up into brats, too."

Raina dug deep for composure, finding barely a thread of it. "You're moving here? To Florida?"

She shifted uncomfortably at the direct question. "I haven't made long-term plans. I've heard God has a way of changing them, but, yes, for the moment. Where else should I spend my time than with my grandchildren." She lifted a brow. "They are my grandchildren, right? These are Jack's babies?"

Raina suppressed a groan and felt her shoulders fall, remembering how challenging Val could be and, at times, unapologetically harsh.

"They are biologically Jack's babies, Val, but he's given up all rights to them. And me, I might add. We're no longer married, so you should plan to live somewhere else."

There. She'd said it and she'd stick by it, because this woman wasn't blowing in here and stealing Raina's joy. Nope. Not happening.

"Oh, well," Val said, her voice catching. "I won't be around that long. All I wanted was a little time with my granddaughters."

"I don't want to keep you from them, Val. I just…" What could she say? She didn't want the woman breathing down her neck morning, noon, and night. "You're certainly welcome to stay a few days and get to know them."

"Raina." Val gave her a meaningful look, then pointed at the monitor on the counter. "One of your babies is crying. Would you like me to get her?"

"No," she said, fighting a lump in her throat. "I'll get her."

With her heart heavy and tears close, she trudged up the steps, her "fix the problem" brain going into overdrive while exhaustion, worry, and emotions stalled everything else in her body.

There was only one way to get rid of this woman. She had to call Jack, who could talk sense into her.

Now that was a complication she didn't relish…but so was Valerie Wallace moving in here to be Grandma Val.