Page 129 of Zone
She puts both her little hands on my face and proceeds to gnaw on my nose. I can’t help a laugh. It took a minute to figure this baby thing out, but now that I have, I’m really feeling it.
“I am seriously going to have to update my birth control.” Melody’s voice greets us from the foyer as she breezes into my apartment. I smile, watching as she strips off her long coat and tosses her purse on the table. “I’m pretty sure watching you two made me ovulate.”
“I’m okay with that, if you are.” My lips curl into a smile, but she shakes her head.
“I’m not doing everything backwards. You have to put a ring on it before you get me barefoot and pregnant.”
“Don’t tempt me with a good time.” I walk over to where she’s walking around, fussing like a little wet hen. “I plan on giving you everything you want… including my babies.”
She stops, crossing her arms and squinting up at me. But it doesn’t work. Her face breaks into a laugh, and she presses her head against my chest with a comical groan.
“What am I going to do with you, Knox Bradford?”
“Sounds like you’re going to marry me and have all my babies.”
“I have an idea.” She reaches up and takes Cricket from my arms.
I reluctantly pass my daughter over to her and only because Cricket is reaching for her as well. “Let’s hear it.”
“What if you and I do a post-game show together. Sort of likeNFL Final, but hyper-focused on the Saints, on what y’all are doing, and on you in particular?”
She bounces in place as she makes her pitch, patting Cricket’s little back, and I confess, it’s an effective promo. In large part, because my daughter is adorable patting Melody’s head and squealing like she’s talking with her, and Melody is just sexy AF in herFU, Chet-n-Suetee.
It was one of my many Christmas gifts to her.
“I like it,” I say, grinning down at both of them. “When do we start?”
“That’s the best part!” Melody walks around the living room, bending her knees and doing a bouncy walk while Cricket pats her head. “We’re freelance, so we can start it as soon as we’re ready.”
“After the Pats game? We’ll be right here in the Dome.”
“Let’s wait to see who wins this weekend. I’ll post a ‘Game Talk, feat. K-Brad coming soon’ card on social media, and I bet we’ll break the internet!”
Walking over to her, I pull her into my arms, gazing down at her pretty face. “You’re really good at this, you know?”
She shrugs. “I learned from the best.”
“Right. Your dad…” I think about Uncle Craig’s comment from the bar. “Speaking of, has he always been straight? I mean, no judgment. I just don’t want to say something stupid if he’s bisexual or something. Not that I care. I don’t…”
“Why would you ask that?”
Her tone changes so fast, myoh shittrigger is activated. I try to back-pedal, but the problem is I’ve never been very good at un-chewing my foot.
All I can manage is, “I… uh… I…”
“You saw it?” She blinks rapidly, and I don’t know what’s happening right now.
“No?” I hold out a hand, wanting to catch her in case she tries to bolt, which it seriously feels like she’s about to do.
“Then why would you ask me that?”
“My uncle Craig said your dad was… oh, shit. He said…” I peck my fingers on my forehead trying to remember his exact words. “Actually, he didn’t say anything, but there was definitely a vibe.”
“I can’t…” Melody shakes her head. “I can’t speak to this, but just know it’s not what it appears to be.”
My brow furrows, and I tilt my head. “Okay?”
She leans closer, rising on her tiptoes as she clutches my baby girl. “Trust me. Let it go.”
