Page 53 of Zone
“I wasn’t trying to shout at her! She scared me.”
Mom cups her hand gently on the back of the baby’s neck and does a little bouncy move, rolling her eyes while kissing the baby’s forehead and working her magic.
In no time, Christine is soothed again.
Christine. The paperwork said the baby’s name is Christine.
It’s not the name I would’ve chosen, but I’m still not convinced that’s any of my business.
“See how good you are at this?” I lower my voice, crossing my arms over my chest worriedly. “You have to stay here with me, Mom. You can’t leave me alone with her. I’ll totally fuck this up.”
“No more F-bombs.” Mom levels her eyes on me. “Starting now.”
“She doesn’t understand a word I say,” I argue as gently as possible. “And I am freaking the fuck out right now. Some lawyer shows up with a baby and says it’s mine? A woman I don’t even know said she had my kid, then she died, and now I have to figure it out?”
The baby sucks on her chubby fingers, blinking up at me, and a perfectly formed tear hangs on her thick lashes. She’s seriously a cute little kid, but still.
“Have you ever seen the movieThree Men and a Baby?” Mom has that tone in her voice like she’s addressing the students in her library.
“Nope.” I shake my head. “Never even heard of it.”
“Don’t tell your aunt Raven. She’ll have a fit and make you sit down and watch it immediately.” Mom shakes her head before continuing. “I’m going to tell you the same thing Ted Dansen’s mother told him when he discovered he had a baby girl he’d never seen before.”
My stomach cramps, and I have a feeling this isn’t going to be good for me. “You’re moving in?” I say hopefully.
“No.” Mom’s tone is flat. “You’ve always been the baby, Knox Bradford. Now you have to be the man. You have plenty of money to make this go away, but I hope you’ll use it to do the right thing. Your dad was able to do it. Your brother is doing it. It’s time to step up and be the father you are.”
“But Mom…” My voice starts to rise.
“No buts.” Mom hands the baby to me again, and this time she’s less squirmy.
She actually seems to have mellowed. She puts her chubby cheek on my shoulder, and I’m able to hold onto her better.
“Can’t you just stay with me for a month?” I plead.
Mom’s lips twist, and she shakes her head, sliding her fingers over the back of the baby’s head. “I have to get back to school, but I’ll ask Edward if he’ll come stay with you. The team is doing well, and I’m sure Austin can spare him for a few days. He’s actually very good with babies.”
I have no problem believing that. Edward is good at everything.
“Can he get here tonight?” I glance at the clock. “I’ve got to practice. We’re playing on Sunday.”
“Y’all don’t have a nursery at the Dome?” She picks up her purse, sliding the strap onto her shoulder. “Hendrix would take Haddy with him to the stadium when Raven had to work.”
My brow furrows, and I blink at her. “I have no idea.”
Mom tilts her head and smiles. “Looks like you have some homework to do.” Stepping forward, she reaches up, and I bend down for her to kiss my cheek. “You’ve got this, Knoxey. People have been doing it for centuries.”
“Usually with nine months to prepare.” I’m doing my best not to shout, because if Mom is leaving me, the last thing I want is for Christine to start screaming again. “I didn’t even get nine days.”
This baby and I barely made it through the morning after Maverick and Dove left. They extended their trip until Mom could get here, and Dove taught me how to make a bottle and how to make baby cereal.
We all went to the store, and she picked out bags of baby food and supplies for me to buy. Dove even showed me how to put a diaper on her, but holy shit, when this little girl craps her pants, it’s like regular ole adult poop—and it stinks like regular adult poop, too. I nearly barfed all over her.
I don’t know how we’re going to make it through the night.
“I happen to know there’s a website called CitySitter thatwill help you find a nanny, and your dad sent this for you.” She holds out what looks like Chapstick.
“Don’t know why I need that,” I mutter, taking it and shoving it into my pocket.
