Landon’s restaurant was opening in about eight weeks, and he wouldn’t get a chance to take long vacations until the place was established, so this was their last chance to get away for a while. Aubrey’s bakery, Comfort Zone, was a well-oiled machine with her sous-chef, apprentice, and other employees holding down the fort. As for Landon’s restaurant, there was still cosmetic construction to finish and other minor utility work to be done, so Seth had agreed to oversee the final touches. He also solved the problem of their empty house by staying there while he was around.

And as a wedding present, he’d offered to create the restaurant’s website. Landon could’ve hired anyone to build the website, but Seth wanted it to be centered on photographs of the restaurant—around Landon’s dream. His brother should share what the restaurant means to him with his future patrons.

He was looking forward to all of it, especially now that it included spending time with Tara. Seth felt as giddy and excited as a schoolkid the night before a field trip. He whistled while he shampooed his hair, and stepped out of the shower feeling refreshed and motivated. With a promise to visit again soon, Seth checked out of Lola’s and headed to Landon’s before his long drive home.

Springtime in Southern California was ridiculous. With temperatures in the high sixties and low seventies, it was as though they were living in an ecosphere set to perfect weather. Seth pulled into Landon’s driveway and parked in front of the house. He jogged up the steps and rang the bell, humming under his breath.

“Good morning, love,” his mom said in a singsongy voice, opening the front door with Morgan carefully cradled against her chest. Holding up one of her little hands, she waved it at him. “Good morning, Uncle Seth.”

“Morning, Mom.” He bent to peck his mom’s cheek, and planted a kiss on Morgan’s forehead with a loud smack. “Morning, gorgeous.”

“Come in and close the door. The wind isn’t good for the baby.”

“It’s close to seventy degrees out there,” he said mildly as his mom fussed over the cheerful baby girl, who did not seem the least bit bothered by the wind. But he obediently shut the door behind him before he removed his shoes in the foyer.

“The wind might get into her lungs.” His mom shot him a warning look.

“Come on, Mom. You’re the coolest, most forward-thinking person I know until it comes to Morgan. Then you start spewing superstitions about wind getting into her lungs. We want air in her lungs.”

She relented with a smile and slapped him on the arm. “We have to heed our ancestors’ wisdom sometimes. When she turns one, I’ll relax on the mumbo jumbo, but until then you have to humor me.”

“Of course,” he said, giving her a one-armed hug. “Actually, I’m surprised you’re okay with Landon and Aubrey taking her to Asia for a month. They’ll be out and about with people and everything.”