Everyone who knew Henry was already comfortable around here—they didn’t need directions to the bathroom anymore.
Before lunch, Cooper took his nephew to wash up, but the little guy marched over all by himself, those tiny legs working overtime.
“How did Annie’s checkup go?” someone asked.
Conner looked frustrated. “They won’t tell me if it’s a boy or a girl. How come some people get to find out and others don’t?”
Annie let out a sigh. “It’s hospital policy. And you—shouting about it like that—you nearly scared them to death.”
“How did you find out with your son, Andre?” Conner turned to his brother-in-law.
Mia chimed in with a grin, “Andre may be down-to-earth, but with his connections, everyone at the hospital knows him. If he wanted to find out, it wasn’t exactly hard.”
“So basically, I’m a nobody here.” Conner snorted, then flashed a smirk at his wife. “Annie, let’s just move back to Newtown. Back home, I’m the big boss, and you—you’d be the boss of the boss.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “Just eat your food and hush.”
Still, Conner couldn’t stop guessing about the baby’s gender. It was a matter of pride—would he finally get bragging rights over his brothers?
Cooper walked his squeaky-clean nephew back to the table. For the first time, Annie and Conner realized how great Cooper was with kids. “Damn, all the good ones ended up with Andre,” Conner grumbled.
His nephew, his niece-in-law, even his brother-in-law—seemed like everyone cool was on Andre’s team. Well, except his own sister.
Andre added, “Cooper’s good with all the kids, but he spoils Henry the most.”
“I’m Uncle Cooper’s favorite!” Henry announced, mouth full, making sure everyone heard.
That went straight to Cooper’s heart. He couldn’t help showering his sweet nephew with kisses, making Henry giggle and squirm.
“Don’t think you’re off the hook just because your uncle’s here. And why did you toss your food on the floor?” Andre scolded, scooping Henry out of Cooper’s arms and into his own for a stern talking-to.
After lunch, everyone started getting ready to head out. Annie tugged Conner’s hand, wanting to squeeze in some rest before their afternoon flight.
“Annie, maybe you should transfer back too. It’d make life easier for both of you,” Mia suggested.
Annie wished it were that simple—it all depended on luck and timing.
As they were leaving, Conner clapped his hands. “Hey, buddy, want to come upstairs and hang out with your godfather?”
Henry stared at his godfather’s hand for a second, then turned and wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck. “I want Daddy~”
Andre felt his heart turn to mush as his son’s chubby fists bumped against his chest. Hugging Henry close, he said, “You guys head out. I’ll get Henry home for a nap before he gets overtired. Otherwise we’ll be up at midnight with a cranky kid.”

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