A Forever Kind of Family. Brenda Harlen

      She shrugged off his touch. “Don’t. Please.”

      “Don’t what?” he asked helplessly.

      “Don’t be nice to me.” It was as much a plea as a statement. “I’m barely holding on by a thread here, and if you show any understanding or compassion, you’re going to have your arms full of blubbering female.”

      Then she thrust Oliver at him so his arms were full of squirming baby instead and fled from the room.

      He stood there for a minute, not quite sure of his next move.

      “Baff,” Oliver said.

      “You’re right.” He shifted the little guy onto his hip and headed toward the stairs, grateful for an assignment that he could handle. “Let’s go get you into the bath.”

      * * *

      A few days after she’d almost melted down in front of Ryan, Harper was feeling more in control of her emotions and a little more comfortable with Oliver. She was cutting Oliver’s grilled cheese sandwich into strips so they were easier for him to pick up when her cell phone rang.

      A quick glance at the display revealed that it was Adam McCready, the executive producer of Coffee Time. She ignored it. Whatever her boss’s reason for calling, it probably wasn’t as urgent as he thought.

      As she reached into the cupboard for a sippy cup, she felt Oliver tug on her skirt. He pointed to the jar on the counter. “Kee! Kee!”

      “You can have a cookie after you have your sandwich,” she promised, removing the lid to pour milk into his cup.