This is Love (LarssonSiblingsSeries#2)

CHAPTER EIGHT

NOAH

The doorbell goes off and I leave mum to her fussing around in the kitchen to go and greet Bailey who is holding a chubby, bald-headed baby on her hip when I reach the entrance. The baby stares at me with massive brown eyes and I can't help but reach out to stroke his face.

Bailey leans down to speak to him and then he gives me a big smile, two tiny teeth poking out of his bottom gums. I take the bags from Bailey's arm and hold what looks like a yoga mat between my arm, leading her through to the living room where the rest of my family catch-up.

"Bailey, who's this cutie?" Laine says trying to get up from the armchair with much struggle. "For goodness sake. I can't move, I'm so big."

Bailey laughs. "Stay there! I'll come to you."

Laine throws herself back into the seat and lifts her hands up for Bailey to put Arthur in her arms. "Aren't you gorgeous?"

Arthur stands with Laine's help and bounces on her thighs, the onesie he's dressed in going baggy around his bottom. "Ah! Ah!"

Levi starts laughing, and Arthur moves his body around to see who made the noise, his tiny hand moving up to cover his mouth to pull his arm back and forth.

"Ah man that's adorable," Levi says, copying Arthur's movement as the baby sounds like something from Tarzan.

Dexter passes by me to lean over the back of the sofa so he's in his direct line of vision to start waving. "Hey, there."

Bailey kneels on the floor and starts to open the bag, pulling out a play mat and several toys. "Say hello, Arthur."

I feel a hand flatten against my lower back and turn to see mum gazing down at the baby with flushed cheeks. I lean in. "Go and squeeze him. I know you want to."

She laughs, almost grinding her teeth. "I can't resist those chubby legs."

Bailey spots us when she stands up from the floor. "It's lovely to see you again, Selma," she says, going over to Laine who's cooing over Arthur with pure love in her eyes. Bailey says something to Laine which causes her to nod her head in agreement, reaching out to to take her nephew back. "Come here, little one. Are you going to show everyone how we mess up your toys?"

"Noah, she's beautiful," mum whispers, meaning the girl who is currently squeezing onto my heart. It's impossible not to smile."So kind too."

"I know," I whisper back.

"Can I help?" Delilah says, not able to stay away either when she climbs onto the floor, picking up the baby for a snuggle before letting him crawl all over the mat. "What's your favourite toy, Arthur?"

I glance around the room and see Edward speaking to Betty who is nursing a mug of tea, looking far better than she did the other night. I feel some relief knowing that, but I can't fight the feeling that she's hiding her stress from us all. Anxiety is a silent monster and I'd hate for her to be suffering alone.

There are sounds of music and I see Arthur pressing the keys on a toy piano his bum rolling back and forth on the mat. Mum stamps her legs, and says, "I'm going in."

I knew it wouldn't be long for her to resist the baby charms.

"Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah! Gah!" the baby says, letting my mum hold his arms up in the air while he toddles around the mat on unsteady legs.

"I can't believe we'll have our little person in a few weeks," Trevor says from Laine's side, smiling like a damn idiot in Arthur's direction.

"Yeah," Laine says low enough to miss with a forced smile. I don't miss it, though, watching her push his hand away from her stomach as her wild eyes trail on Betty.