Amy's too-warm little face was buried in the curve of Tyler's throat, her sleep-limp body curled snugly into his arms. She'd dropped off almost as soon as he'd picked her up, having fought sleep as long as she could. He sat in his mother's dimly lit kitchen, a cup of herbal tea in front of him, while Debbie dipped her own tea on the other side of the table. The house was quiet, with everyone else having gone to bed before Amy's fretful outburst.

   "I'm sorry I had to cut you evening short," Debbie said. "I didn't know what else to do with her. She refused to let me comfort her. She wanted her daddy."

   "It's only because she doesn't feel well."

   "I didn't take it personally," Debbie assured him. "I just regretted having to spoil your evening with Jane."

   Tyler made a production of straightening Amy's nightgown. "No, problem. We were only having coffee and talking."

   "Mmm." Her tone made him feel like a teenager whose protestations of innocence weren't quite ringing true. "You like Jane, don't you?"

   Now she was talking to him as if he were the same teenager. He gave her a look over his daughter's head. "Yeah, Mom, I like her. I thought I would ask Dave to ask Sally to ask Jane if she likes me, too."

   She frowned at him. "There's no need for sarcasm."

   "Well, what do you expect? I'm thirty-one, and you're quizzing me as if I were sixteen."

   "I wasn't trying to pry. I just think it's nice that you're getting out. You've been so isolated and withdrawn since you moved back to Honoria. It's time for you to start living again."

   "I've hardly stopped living since I moved back. I've been kind of busy. Starting almost from scratch in private practice, learning Dad's business, taking care of the kids..."

   "But you haven't had much fun," Debbie broke in. "I think if anyone can bring plain old fun back into your life, it's Jane Doherty. I'll admit she's a little eccentric—one could hardly expect otherwise considering her raising—but I've always liked her. Even when she went through her rebellious stage—that would have been after you left for college, I suppose—I knew she was really a nice girl with a good head in her shoulders. I wasn't at all surprised when Helen told me Jane was coming back from New York to take the drama position. I knew she'd only moved there to get away from home. Playacting was always her way of escaping, and she was good at it."

   "I've never seen her act," Tyler admitted, "but I would imagine that she's very good at it." He suspected that Jane was good at anything she tried—and a few of those things he was becoming very impatient to find out for himself.

   "You are going to see her again, aren't you?"

   "Next weekend. But, Mom, Jane and I are just friends, okay? Don't start making more out of it than that."

   "But, Tyler..."

   "I mean it, Mom. Jane and I aren't a couple. I don't want you getting carried away."

   "But I'm sure Stephanie would have wanted you to—"

   "And don't bring Stephanie into this!" Roused by Tyler's sharp tone, Amy stirred and fretted. He already regretted his outburst—for the baby's sake, and for his mother's. Rocking Amy back to sleep, he spoke quietly. "I'm sorry, Mom."

   She didn't looked offended. In fact, he thought he saw sympathetic understanding in her eyes. "Someday," she said, "when you're ready, you'll talk to me about what happened between you and Stephanie. In the meantime, just know that I'm here, all right? I won't pry into your business, I won't interfere between you and Jane, and I'll gladly watch the children for you whenever you need me to. I only want you to be happy again, Tyler."

   Feeling somewhat akin to a slug now,Tyler managed a faint apologetic smile. "I know. It's all you've ever wanted for any of us."

   She nodded, then glanced at the clock in the stove. "It's getting very late."

   "You must be tired. Why don't you turn in? I'll take Amy home and put her to bed, then I'll come back tomorrow to get Tom."

   "There's no need for you to do that. Amy's crib is already set up in your old bedroom, and I just put fresh sheets on the bed this morning. Tom and Jay are sound asleep in Brent's room, and your father is snoring away in ours. You light as well sleep over and have breakfast with us in the morning."

   "I—"

   "It's settled, then." Debbie stood. "I have a couple of new toothbrushes around here somewhere. I'll put one in your bathroom. There's still a bathrobe hanging in your closet, and an extra..."

   "I know where everything is, Mom. But I—"

   "Don't argue. It isn't as if you have any reason to go home."

   He knew she hadn't meant it the way it had sounded, but her words left him feeling hollow, anyway. His mother was right, he thought as he changed Amy's diaper and tucked her into her crib a few minutes later. There really wasn't any reason for him to go home.