Page 45 of The Troublemaker
Easton slides by me and washes his hands at the kitchen sink without a word.
I think I’ll have to find myself a new husband to carry out this plan.
Then he goes over to Tanner, unbuckles him from his high chair, and pulls him out.Tanner’s head goes to his dad’s shoulder, and it’s the most endearing moment I’ve ever seen.
Easton’s hand runs down his son’s back, and he’s whispering something in his ear.Tanner’s body goes limp in his dad’s arms.
I feel completely inept.He should find someone trained for this kind of job.Someone with experience, not me.
Easton walks over to me.
I’ve abandoned cracking the eggs, in awe of the scene unfolding in front of me.
I never pictured Easton as a dad, but I’m not surprised he looks as though he was meant to be one.And an amazing one at that.
He rests his back along the counter, and his eyes meet mine.I armor myself with excuses for why he walked into his kid crying inconsolably.I’m ready to tell him everything I tried, but his lips curl into a smile.
“Bad day?”
“It was going well until about a half hour ago.”
“He’s always fussy around this time of day.Not sure why.I thought I was going to make it home before his meltdown.I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”
I crack an egg to keep myself busy.
“It’s okay, Hadley.”
“Jeez, you should not be consoling me right now.”I finish cracking the final egg, although I think four might be too much for a baby.I turn away from Easton and wash my hands.“You should find someone else.”
I hear him expel a breath.“No, I shouldn’t.It was day one.Day one is always the hardest.”
I grab a fork and scramble the eggs.I put a little butter in the pan, allowing it to melt.“Please do not give me a rah-rah speech.”
“Why shouldn’t I?This is the hardest job in the world.Did you expect to be an expert on day one?”
Our gazes collide as I turn to get the bowl of eggs.“I would’ve liked to have one thing just come easy for me.”
I turn away from him, hating that I said that.Admitting to being the failure I always feel like.
I’d have preferred he yell at me, tell me how he expected me to fail rather than tell me to pick up my bootstraps and do it again tomorrow.His kindness makes me uncomfortable.It’s unfamiliar territory.
I pour the eggs into the pan and use the spatula to keep them soft but fully cooked like Google told me.
Easton doesn’t say anything, but I hear him putting Tanner in the high chair, and this time Tanner doesn’t fuss.Easton goes to his toy bin and pulls out something that sticks to the tray and spins it around for Tanner.He’s instantly enthralled by the spinning toy.
“Listen.The first day I had him, I had to call Callie to come down here and help me.By day three, I was able to anticipate this time of the day and expect him to have a small fit.I’m not sure if he’s hungry or if he’s bored or if he’s just a six-month-old who doesn’t know how to communicate what he wants, but it’s not a you thing—it’s a him thing.”
A laugh bubbles out of me, but I swallow it down quickly.“Don’t make me laugh.”
He rubs my back and steps closer while I continue to stir the eggs.“Please try again?”
I glance at him.He’s staring at me with so much endearment in his gaze, I could never tell him no.“Okay.”
“Good.Then I have something to tell you.”
“What?”
“I met with my agent today, and he thinks we need a public proposal.”
