What Makes A Father. Teresa Southwick

And a soft, mushy heart. The occasional loss of her temper was almost always on someone else’s behalf and made her completely human. As flaws went, it was adorable.

      “I forgot how much I love this office,” her friend said, looking around. “If I didn’t already have a job, I would want to work here.”

      C&J Graphic Design occupied the top floor of an office building on the corner of C Street and Jones Boulevard in the center of Huntington Hills. The light wood floor stretched from the boss’s office at one end of the long, narrow room to the employees’ lounge at the other. Overhead track lighting illuminated cubicles separated by glass partitions. The environment had a collaborative vibe and Annie loved seeing her coworkers’ creative ideas and them having easy access to hers.

      “Hi, yourself.” Her stomach growled. Loud.

      “Apparently my arrival with provisions isn’t a moment too soon.” Carla grinned. “I guess I don’t have to ask if you’re ready to eat.”

      “Follow me. There are drinks in the break room fridge. Or we could sit outside.” It was October but Southern California was still warm. There was a patio with wrought iron tables and chairs shaded by trees and surrounded with grass, shrubs and flowers.

      “That. Door number two,” her friend said. “I need fresh air.”

      They grabbed drinks, walked to the elevator and Annie hit the down button.

      “Maybe we should go wild today and take the stairs,” Carla suggested. “I could use the exercise.”

      “Since when? Don’t get me wrong,” Annie added. “I’m a supportive friend who will follow you bravely down eight flights of stairs. But this switch from ‘I can’t stand sweat’ to ‘We should take the stairs’ is different.”

      “Not really. I always think about it.”

      Annie opened the stairway door and they started down. “But I can’t read your mind. You never said anything before. What’s changed? Got a crush on the boss?”

      “Hardly. I work for Lillian Gordon.”

      “I know. But didn’t her nephew come in to help the company over a rough financial patch?”

      “Yes. Gabriel Blackburne. But he’s kind of a hermit. Keeps to his office, hunched over a computer, presumably strategizing how to turn the company around.”

      They’d reached the ground floor and both of them were breathing a little harder as they headed for the rear door that led to the patio.

      Carla gave her a look. “You have the strangest expression on your face. Why?”

      “Because Mason’s last name is Blackburne.”

      “Who’s Mason?”

      “The babies’ father,” Annie clarified.

      “Small world,” her friend said. “We needed this lunch even more than I thought so you can fill me in.”

      “I wonder if Mason is related to your Gabriel Blackburne. It’s not that common a name,” Annie said.

      “I guess it’s possible.” Her friend moved decisively to the table with the most shade, put the bag down on it and sat in one of the sturdy metal chairs. “From what Lillian tells me, Gabriel is not a fan of her business plan but he does approve of the branding campaign C&J did for Make Me a Match.”

      “Well, he sounds a little intimidating, but definitely has good taste in graphic design companies.” Annie sat at a right angle to her friend. “You’d expect Mason to be that way, but he’s not.”

      Carla pulled two paper-wrapped sandwiches and napkins from the bag. She handed one over. “I need details. A text saying ‘twins’ father showed up and DNA confirms’ isn’t much information.”

      “I haven’t had much time in the last few months.”

      “Two babies. I get it. And you’re a saint, by the way. So tell me everything.”

      Annie explained about contacting the men Jessica thought could be the father and Mason showing up last. “He’s an army doctor just back from Afghanistan. So, military and medical.”

      Carla took a bite of her turkey sub and chewed thoughtfully before swallowing. “He sounds honorable to me. I haven’t known you long but I’m learning that you’re good at finding flaws.”

      Not so far, Annie thought. “You know me pretty well. I’m not holding my breath he’ll stay honorable. For now he’s good with Charlie and Sarah. Not too proud to ask for help. The first time I left him alone with them, he called his mom for backup.” Annie wasn’t sure why, but she’d believed him when he’d said he wouldn’t have let her think he handled the twins without a problem. “Florence, his mom, is fantastic. Loves kids and thrilled to be a grandmother. She has them now.”

      “Lillian’s sister is Florence. Has to be the same family,” her friend concluded. “Like I said, small world.”

      “No kidding. If Gabriel looks anything like Mason, I can see why you think you could use the exercise.”

      “He’s pretty, but a little too dark and brooding for me. Besides, he keeps reminding everyone that he’s only there temporarily.” Carla shrugged. “So the twins’ father is a hottie? It could be a reality show—Real Hotties of Huntington Hills.”

      Annie laughed then thoughtfully chewed a bite of her sandwich. “‘Hottie’ would be an accurate description.”

      “You like him.” Carla’s voice had a “gotcha” tone.

      “Why in the world would you come to that conclusion from what I just said?”

      “Good question,” Carla mused. “Maybe the way you were so deliberately aloof.”

      It was a little scary how well this woman knew her, Annie thought. They’d hit it off when working together on the branding campaign for Make Me a Match. Annie had spent some time in their office to get a feel for the dating service but the nephew had never poked his head out of his inner sanctum. Her friendship with Carla was relatively new but her assessment of Annie’s feelings about Mason wasn’t too far off the mark. Still, an attraction was no reason to be giddy. Just the opposite, in fact.

      “It doesn’t matter whether or not I like him. Men are notoriously unreliable.”

      “You know I agree with you about that.” Carla ate the last of her sandwich then wiped her hands on a napkin. “I know we’re fairly new friends and this is probably invading your privacy. Feel free to say it’s none of my business, but what’s your story? Why are you commitment averse?”

      “Let’s call it daddy issues. And before you ask, it’s both biological and step. My mother has terrible taste in men. And you already know about Dwayne.” Her ex-boyfriend. The jerk had sworn to always have her back but couldn’t get away fast enough when she’d become the twins’ legal guardian and brought them home. “I’m not going to be complacent and starry-eyed then get blindsided when Mason decides he can’t handle being a father to twins. I can only deal with one day at a time and for now he’s doing all the right things.”

      “Like what?” Carla asked.

      “Well…” Annie thought for a moment and fought a smile she knew would look tender and goofy. “Hardly a day has gone by that he hasn’t come to see them. He said he’s already lost too much time being their father and doesn’t want to miss another single moment with his kids that he doesn’t absolutely have to.”

      “How sweet is that? Certainly not the behavior of a man who’s going to abandon them,” Carla pointed out.

      “Maybe.” It was hard to argue with that assertion so Annie didn’t. “He works in the emergency room at Huntington Hills hospital and he looks so tired sometimes it’s a wonder he can stand up, let alone hold one of the babies.”

      “Wow.”