Page 49 of Fighting for Family

“I didn’t plan on spending my first night home unloading gifts,” Patch said sarcastically. “I hoped to spend the evening with you.”

“Then leave them in the truck and come join me,” she said, patting the cushion beside her. “It’s not like we have a high crime rate.”

“I only have two more loads, and I’ll be done. Then, we can sleep in tomorrow,” he said, stacking the boxes.

“You might, but I won’t. I have to pee every hour,” Claire explained.

“Then I’ll get up with you and make breakfast,” he said, amending his plans.

“I’m amenable to your proposal,” she said, yawning.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were tired?” Patch asked, watching her.

“Because I’m always exhausted by this time of the day. After I get a little dinner in me, I’ll feel refreshed,” she assured him.

“I’ll be back. Don’t go anywhere,” he said gruffly.

Claire rolled her eyes at her overprotective, overbearing fiancé.

He returned a few minutes later, carrying another stack. “What happened to the porch light?” he asked as he stacked the gifts.

Claire glanced at her lap and smiled sweetly. “The other one got rusty, and I decided to change it.”

Patch stopped in his tracks. “Did you hire an electrician?”

“It seemed easy. I followed the colored diagram, and it still won’t turn on,” she explained slowly.

Patch pinched his nose and took a few deep breaths. “Doc, you realize you’re carrying our child. As much as I love you, you must admit your repairing skills suck. Why didn’t you call a professional? You might’ve burned the house down. Electricity can be dangerous.”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “I got this sudden urge to clean the house from top to bottom and then fix a few things.”

Patch rubbed his forehead and winced. “What else did you feel needed fixing?”

“Ummm, why don’t we worry about it later?” she asked, batting her eyes. “I didn’t expect you home this soon.”

“Claire,” he growled. “Please tell me you didn’t put yourself in any danger. Doc, Michael, Bear, and Archer offered to help you with anything.”

“Have you seen them? Michael took over carpooling duty for Catherine. Doc runs a hospital, which has a million problems of its own. Bear stays glued to his computer in case the team needs him. Archer has volunteered to take on more responsibility at the facility. Whiskey hired a new team. We haven’t met them yet. I’ve only seen Rocker taking them around town, showing them where everything’s located.”

“I imagine Whiskey will call us in for a debrief,” Patch said. “What else did you break?”

“Hey,” she said, punching him in the arm. “I might have fixed the plumbing in our bathroom shower. It needed a new head. Then, the little alarm thingy’s in the baby’s room goes off every time I open the window. Speaking of noises, I might’ve beaten the fire alarm to death at the top of the stairs because it wouldn’t stop beeping.”

“Anything else?” he asked sarcastically, stepping away from her to examine the room for any potential dangers.

“The French doors won’t stay closed. I tied them together,” she confessed. “And I might’ve lost your screwdriver in the ceiling when I tried to hang something.”

“How did you possibly lose a screwdriver?” he asked, astonished.

Claire bit her lip. “When the hole kept getting bigger,” she said slowly.

Patch lunged at her, making her squeal. “What will I do with you?” he growled. “You’re giving me gray hair. Promise me, you’ll let me do the fixing around here.”

“We’ll have a baby in the house soon,” she said. “I’ll be preoccupied for a while. I promise, no more repairing things.”

“Thank you,” he said, pulling her onto his lap. “I missed you like crazy.”

She ran her hand against his scruff and stared at him. “I know you brought Hollywood home, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I’m relieved you’re here. Watching Catherine struggle with her grief is heartbreaking. I didn’t think you’d make it in time for the delivery. Doc assured me he didn’t mind relieving you, but I didn’t know if you’d return home. I know how you feel about the team.”