The Baby Assignment. Christy Barritt

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       One

      Macy Mills froze as a shadow filled her office doorway. She dropped the colorful foam blocks she used as part of play therapy as her instincts alerted her that trouble had arrived.

      She glanced up. When Macy’s gaze met the eyes of the man there, she sucked in a breath.

      It wasn’t her next client standing at the door; nor was it a coworker. No, all her colleagues here at the psychotherapy center were at a birthday lunch.

      Instead, the man who’d crushed Macy’s heart five years ago lingered in the doorway, his frame filling the space entirely.

      As he stood there in his cowboy glory, she remembered all his charm and his Southern drawl. A package that had been alluring at one time.

      “Tanner Wilson,” she muttered.

      “Macy.” He nodded, offering a terse, professional greeting. His voice sounded cool and distant, the opposite of how he’d sounded when they’d been together. Back then, there’d been a tenderness and warmth that was reserved just for her.

      The absence of those traits reminded Macy of how much had changed between the two of them, even though it seemed like just yesterday they were incredibly happy together. All those memories rushed back to her like a flood that left her nearly drowning.

      Macy took a good look at him. Tanner had always been tall, but now he was broader. More muscular maybe? Beneath his cowboy hat, brown wavy hair with golden highlights peeked out. He wore his typical jeans with a black T-shirt and cowboy boots.

      Valor and arrogance blended into one appealing, gorgeous bundle.

      Except something was different.

      He was holding a...baby.

      Macy stood and blinked, certain her eyes were deceiving her.

      A baby? But...

      Her heart lurched at the picture they painted together. Had Tanner come here to gloat? To remind Macy about the kind of life they could have had together if everything hadn’t fallen apart?

      She rubbed her throat, trying to control her words and not give away the fact that she still harbored hurt deep inside. She had to draw on every ounce of professional strength inside her as old dreams of a forever family surged to the surface.

      “What a surprise to see you here,” she finally croaked out.

      “It was a surprise for me also to learn you were back in the area.” Tanner’s words sounded dull, and Macy knew that he wasn’t here for social reasons or to rehash the past. He needed her for something and obligation had led him to her door.

      “Here I am.” Macy’s voice cracked as she said the words. So much for acting like the cultured, educated woman she was. She felt like an insecure high schooler who’d just bumped into her crush.

      Macy had envisioned many times what it would be like if she and Tanner ever ran into each other again. This was not what she’d pictured: her on the floor sanitizing blocks, smelling like Clorox, and showing the effects of a poor night’s sleep due to drinking caffeine too late while meeting a friend for coffee. And there was Tanner, looking like the picture of strength and masculinity as he tenderly held a baby.

      Years of tumultuous history stretched taut between them.

      Macy drew in a deep breath, stepped closer and rubbed the back of the baby girl’s hand with her finger. She offered a smile reserved just for the child, who stared back at Macy with wide brown eyes. The baby’s skin felt so soft beneath hers, and Macy’s pulse pounded in her ears as unfulfilled longings rose in her.

      Especially when she looked at Tanner holding the child.

      The girl was probably six months old and adorable with dark brown hair holding a touch of curl. She shoved her hand in her mouth, drooling slightly, and totally oblivious to the tension around her.

      “Who’s this?” Macy asked.

      “She’s why I’m here,” Tanner said.

      Macy could feel the tension radiating from him. Something was wrong. Something more than seeing Macy again.

      “She’s the only reason I’m here,” Tanner clarified.

      There’d always been something about a big strong man holding a delicate baby that did something to Macy’s insides, sending them tumbling into a pit of warm and gooey sap. That made her want to abandon all her professional aspirations and simply be a mom. It was all she’d ever wanted to be.

      She cleared her throat, shoving those thoughts aside. With every day she inched closer to thirty, those yearnings became more like a distant dream that would never be realized. She’d accepted that and settled for being married to her job instead.

      He glanced down the hallway behind him before lowering his voice. “I know it’s been a while, but can we talk, Macy?”

      Dread pooled in her stomach. Was this baby his? Was she going to have to face the reality that Tanner had gone on without her? That another woman had taken his heart captive when Macy had been unable to claim the honor?

      Macy wasn’t sure if she could handle that.

      She’d thought she was stronger than this, but she wasn’t. Her degrees or accomplishments didn’t matter. Sometimes heartache still superseded good sense, however hard she fought it.

      “I suppose.” She stepped aside and allowed him fully into her office. Once inside, she shut the door to give them some privacy, even though everyone else was gone.

      She pointed to the couch against the wall. A cheerful red carpet, shaggy and casual, stretched in front of it, along with colorful pillows on the floor and some plants to soften the whole room and make it more welcoming.

      “Have a seat.” Macy pointed to the couch and lowered herself there.

      Tanner sat beside her and turned the baby so that the infant faced Macy.