Six Naughty Nights: Love in Reverse, Book 2 by Serenity Woods

magazine—this was Faith, author of the Seven Sexy Sins articles.
    So the guy standing with her must be Rusty. Around six foot tall, he was a good-looking man, slim but muscular, with reddish-brown hair that curled around his ears. When Faith finally released Toby, Rusty shook his hand, and then Toby pulled him closer for a manly hug.
    “Good to see you,” Rusty said. “It feels like you’ve been gone ages.”  
    “I know. It’s good to be back.” Toby hesitated. “Um, guys, I’ve brought someone with me. A friend.” He turned toward Esther and smiled.  
    Heart in her mouth, she walked forward to stand next to him, conscious of their curious looks. Balancing Charlie on her left hip, she held out her hand to shake Faith’s and then Rusty’s as Toby introduced them.
    “This is Esther,” Toby told them.
    Recognition dawned on their faces. “Oh…” Faith said. “So this is Esther.”
    Esther glanced at Toby. What did that mean? He’d said he’d only told his parents about her and Charlie coming up north with him.
    They looked at the boy in her arms, and Toby cleared his throat. “And this is Charlie.”
    They stared at him. There was a moment of silence.
    “No…” Rusty said.
    Faith’s eyes widened, and she turned her stunned gaze onto Toby. He nodded in answer and said sheepishly, “He’s my son.”
    Esther’s cheeks burned as she waited for their reaction. She’d expected a thousand questions, denials, shock, even accusations.
    She didn’t expect the look of pure delight that spread across Faith’s face as she said, “Oh my God, Toby, you’re a daddy?”
    He grinned then. “Yeah.”
    Faith squealed and threw her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek, then broke away and came over to Esther. “I can’t believe it!” Her eyes danced. “He told us all about you ages ago—I’m so glad you’re here.” She held her hand out to Charlie. “And you! You are so like your daddy. Look at your gorgeous curly hair! Hello, young man. I’m very pleased to meet you. I’m Faith.”
    Charlie curled up to Esther shyly, but held out a hand and let Faith clasp it.
    Rusty shook Toby’s hand again, smiling. “Congratulations, mate, that’s wonderful news.”
    Esther nearly cried at the relief that swept over her. Faith obviously spotted her reaction and rubbed her arm. “Are you okay? Has it been a long flight?”
    She shook her head. “No. I just…I’m a bit overwhelmed, that’s all.”
    “Of course you are. How nerve-racking for you. Come on, let’s grab your bags and we’ll take you home for a cup of coffee, and you can tell us as much or as little as you want.”
    “Thanks.” Esther concentrated on straightening Charlie’s T-shirt as she tried to hide her emotion. Although she got on well with her colleagues at the university, and the other mothers at Charlie’s daycare centre were always friendly, she hadn’t had any close friends since school. True, she’d purposely kept herself to herself and she’d coped remarkably well on her own, but, still, she envied Toby his close circle of friends and family. How different it would have been to know she had other people to rely on during the difficult times. She couldn’t imagine it.
    They collected their bags and walked to the car. It was only then that Faith said, “Oh, I just realised, we don’t have a car seat for Charlie.”
    “We’ve got that old one at home Cole gave us.” Rusty smiled. “I’ll nip home and get it.”
    “No, no.” Esther flushed with embarrassment at their friendliness. “He can sit on my lap and I’ll clip us both in, providing it isn’t far.”
    “No, it’s only five minutes. If you’re sure?”
    “Of course. It’s no problem.”
    They piled into the car and Rusty drove them into Kerikeri to his and Faith’s house. Once inside, Faith made them all a coffee and they took the cups outside to sit on the decking under the shade of a large umbrella, while Charlie scribbled on a plastic doodle pad