Page 29 of Talk Wicked to Me

She felt like she was watching someone else’s life unfold. She could count on one hand the number of people who had gone to any lengths to help her in New York. Gwen’s parents had taken her in after her parents died, but even that had been nothing like this. They’d done right by her, but she’d still felt like an imposition, an outsider. She didn’t even know these men, but she sensed their offers, whether gruff or lighthearted, were as genuine as Baz’s.

“Thank you,” she managed through emotions too thick to sort out. “It’s nice to meet all of you, but I don’t know what to say. I didn’t ask Baz to do this, and it’s really too much.”

“You got a dog?” Tank asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you need a fence,” he said.

Was pushiness a family trait? “Maybe so, but it’s the weekend. Shouldn’t you be with your families?”

The men exchanged confused glances. “We are with our family,” Tank said, and the others murmured their agreement.

Ginger’s voice whispered through her mind. Baz knows you, and that makes you and your baby family, too. She didn’t know if Tank was including her and Brennan or not in his definition of family, but either way, Baz had a big, loving family, and he was sharing them with her, and they weren’t acting annoyed with him or like they didn’t want to be there. Were they just paying it forward for having been helped in the past? She couldn’t imagine any of them needing help with anything. Then she remembered they’d all lost Ashley, and she had the strange feeling that if she stepped off the porch, they’d all sprout wings and spread them, gathering her and Brennan in, in order to protect them, like Baz was.

“You’re not going to change our minds, Lockhart,” Baz said. “But we’d better get a move on while we’ve still got sunlight.” He descended the steps, and they all headed for the trucks.

She stood on the porch watching them unload tools and panels of picket fencing from their trucks, their deep voices ringing out. Picket fencing. As floored as she was that he’d remembered her offhanded comment, she had a feeling he’d listened to every word she’d said since they’d met. She rubbed Brennan’s back, gratitude billowing inside her as she said, “I can’t help but think your grandma and grandpa might’ve had a heavenly hand in all of this, Little B.”

Chapter Nine

AS THE SUN went down and the guys gathered their tools, Baz thanked them for their hard work. Blaine and Maverick had done an incredible job of replacing the slate walkway with stroller-friendly stone, while Baz and the others put up the fencing they’d brought, but without measurements, they’d come up short. Zeke and Zander would be back tomorrow to finish the job and install the gates. They were carrying their tools to their trucks when Emerson came out the front door, cradling Brennan and holding a shopping bag.

“Wait!” She hurried down the steps and across the lawn, her messy waves bouncing around her beautiful face.

Baz went to her, and as the others gathered around them, he noticed dark circles under her eyes and stains on her oversized shirt. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” She exhaled loudly and flashed that heart-stopping smile. “I just wanted to thank everyone, so I made them cookies.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“And you didn’t have to call in the hot-guy cavalry to put in my fence, but here we are.” She arched a brow.

Hot-guy cavalry? He bit back a streak of jealousy. “You needed a fence, but trust me, they have plenty of women who are willing to bake for them.”

She looked amused. “I’m thanking them, not propositioning them.”

“For the record, you can proposition me anytime,” Zander chimed in.

Baz glowered at him, softening as he turned back to Emerson. “That’s not what I meant. You’re supposed to be resting, not spending hours on your feet baking. Here, let me help.” He reached for the baby.

“Thanks.” As she handed Brennan over, she lowered her voice for Baz’s ears only. “I made you cookies before you showed up with everyone, but I didn’t want to give them yours. That’s why I made more.”

Fuck if that didn’t cut right to his heart. “That was really sweet of you, Em, but you should be taking it easy.”

“I will, as soon as I’m done giving them out.” She turned to the guys. “I can’t thank you enough for all of your hard work, and one day I’ll figure out how to show my appreciation with something better than cookies.” Her gaze trailed over their faces. “This beautiful walkway and the picket fence will make our lives a lot easier. There’s a special place in this world for people like you.”

“We don’t need a special place. Baz asked for help. That’s what family does,” Tank said earnestly.

“Not all families, but I hope to raise Brennan as well as you all have been raised.” She reached into the shopping bag and took out a smaller bag with Tank’s name scrawled on it, handing it to him. “Thank you for today, but I also want to say thank you for lending Baz children’s books for Brennan when we were in the hospital. I made princess crowns and frog cookies for your girls and Leo, and hearts for you and Leah.”

Tank gave a single nod as he took the bag. “They’re much appreciated. Thank you.”

She smiled and looked at Gunner. “You can’t imagine how much it means to me that you and Sid took care of Ollie before Baz really even knew us, and now this.” She handed him a bag. “I made you guys cookies shaped like dogs and cats, because I don’t really know anything else about you”—she looked at the others—“or any of you, yet, but I hope to one day.”

“I have a feeling you’ll be seeing a lot of us,” Gunner said.

“I have a feeling I’ll be buried in diapers for a while.” She turned to their cousins. “Blaine, I didn’t know what to make you. I tried to make you cookies that looked like stones, but I was limited with decorations because I needed to use icing that dries quickly. So I made you hearts, because you clearly have a big one.” She handed him a bag. “Actually, I could have made it easier on myself and given you all hearts because you’re all incredibly generous, but I like a challenge and I enjoy figuring out how to personalize cookies. And now I’m rambling.”