Chapter 27

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Andrea hummed under her breath as she rocked two-week-old Steven Jason Green — already known as SJ to the crew. The infant's tiny face crumbled for a second, but smoothed as soon as Andrea pressed the pacifier back into his mouth.

"I got your 911 text," Tex said, leaning nonchalantly against the doorjamb as though Frankie wasn't sitting on Tex's foot, death grip on his leg, giggling. Tex waggled his eyebrows. "And I see that our house has been taken over by the under-five set. You trying to tell me something, Red?"

"Yeah, you should start the water for mac and cheese because that is apparently all Mr. Cranky eats," Andrea replied.

"Your wish is my command, my lady." Tex bowed, pretending to doff his hat, before turning to make his way back down the corridor with Frankie still clinging to his leg.

Fifteen minutes later, Andrea set SJ down in his pack and play and headed to the kitchen just in time to see Tex scooping noodles, sans cheese, onto Frankie's plate. Looking closer, she noticed that in addition to the plain noodles, Frankie's plate contained applesauce and several pieces of beef stick — and Frankie's mouth was suspiciously orange. Deciding that she didn't care how he ate his macaroni and cheese so long as he ate something, Andrea took the plate that Tex was offering. She was also eating noodles, apparently, but hers were slathered in the pesto sauce that Tex made last weekend. Andrea felt her mouth water as she waited, impatiently, for Tex to join them with his own plate.

Andrea took three bites before deciding that she should probably give Tex some explanation. "Green had to make a surprise trip to West Virginia and Kara isn't supposed to be lifting anything heavier than SJ. I figured that if we were going to deal with the whirling dervish, I might as well get some baby cuddles as a reward. Sorry I didn't run it by you first."

The last was perfunctory, as though Andrea didn't frequently come home to find some or all of the TAC team — and Frankie — hanging out in her living room watching television.

Or find Ray sleeping on their couch.

Or find out that Tex offered to let Jesse stay until she found her own place.

Or...

Tex waved a hand. "The house has been pretty quiet without a gaggle of teenage girls invading us on a regular basis."

Andrea couldn't hold back her snort. "Quiet? Seriously? Between the team showing up at all hours, Colby crashing for two weeks, planning Mike's wedding, and both Maddie and Kara having the babies, you think it's been quiet?"

"The more the merrier." Tex winked at her, then stood to collect a bottle of white and the canning jars they had taken to using as glasses. He poured them both what Sasha referred to as a generous portion. He waved in Frankie's direction. "So this isn't some kind of test to make sure that I know how to change a diaper without getting shit all over the ceiling?"

"Unlike Burk, I assume that you possess a certain baseline competency," Andrea replied, chuckling at the memory of Kara telling that story one evening. She met Tex's eyes, thinking about the question they had been circling around for the last few months — and appreciating the fact that Tex never, ever pressed her for an answer. "I do miss having Kat around, but I'm good with the status quo."

Tex paused, fork halfway to his mouth, his voice dropping in a bad imitation of Regis Philbin. "Is that your final answer?"

Andrea opened her mouth to say yes, before pausing. After all, a year ago she would never have imagined sex with Tex — well, perhaps the thought had occurred but she never imagined acting on the idea and she certainly never imagined being married to the man. "How about this. If it changes, you'll be the first to know."

"All done!" Frankie abruptly screamed and only Tex's quick reflexes stopped the plate from flipping and spilling all over both the table and the floor. Ten minutes later, having wrangled the toddler to wash hands and face, as well as changed his diaper and gotten him settled before the television so they could finish eating, Andrea looked at Tex. "You know the best thing about staying Auntie Andrea and Uncle Tex?"

Tex didn't miss a beat. "Sending them home."