Page 61 of Beautiful Small Things

“Don’t do what, Colby?” I ask, digging myself in deeper.

“You’re doing that thing you do when you don’t want to lie. You answer a question with a question,” she says with a piqued eyebrow, challenging me to argue with her.

Crap. She’s on to me.

“I saw you two, James. I saw you both walk out of the bathroom, and your dress was ripped. You looked… satisfied,” she says with a smile. “Marcus was beside himself.”

I plop down on the couch with a heavy sigh. “Does Callan know anything?”

“Not a thing. The man is adorably clueless,” she giggles, sitting beside me.

“Things had been heating up with him for a long time. That night, we finally did something about it.”

“I knew it!” she practically yells. I shush her and remind her about the sleeping baby, in fact, in the next room.

“I knew it,” she repeats in a whisper. “So then, what happened?”

“Nothing,” I shrug. “He tried to contact me, and I ignored him. The other night was the first time I had seen him since your wedding.”

“Wow,” she says, leaning back on the couch. “That is crazy. Someone ghosted Marcus Sinclair. That must’ve driven him crazy.”

“I don’t know,” I say. “That wasn’t my goal. I just wanted to protect myself.”

She bites her lip in thought. “That was probably a good idea. It’s not like he was good at commitment.”

I nod in agreement.

“And you’re sure it’s going to be OK working here?”

“I’m sure. We talked about it.”

“As long as you’re good with it, I’m good with it. But you should talk to Mom and Dad. They are afraid you’re abandoning your dreams.”

“I will,” I promise. We talk about nothing in particular for a few more minutes, and I walk her out. Once she leaves, I shut the door and lean back on it. I hope I was convincing because sometimes I wonder if I will ever get over Marcus completely.

I’m snapped out of my memories by the sound of a voice.

“Miss?” says Dan the plumber. “I have to go back to my shop and grab a few things. I’ll be back in thirty minutes.”

“Sounds good. Thanks!” I tell him as he leaves. Then I text Marcus.

James: FYI - Prepare for incoming questions about our relationship. Iris already asked me this morning. Remember those beginning months? Some of the best of my life.

Chapter twenty-four

The Accidental Date

Marcus

I read the text from James and prepare myself for questions about James as her nanny. That was a crazy time. We were getting to know each other and getting to know my daughter. It bonded us deeply.

I remember James had been working for me for about ten days straight before I finally got some time off and could give her a day off. She had argued, but I insisted that she needed to go out and live her life. I practically pushed her out the door and told her not to come back until later that evening.

Then I turned to Iris, wide-eyed and looking at me expectantly, and scooped her up in my arms. I missed her so much over the past few days. I barely got to see her between her crazy-baby schedule and my crazy doctor schedule.

Marcus - Age 30

“What should we do today, Miss Sinclair?” I ask my daughter as I change her diaper and pick out her outfit for the day. Well, her outfit for the next few hours. I’ve quickly learned that babies do little more than spit up on themselves and shit themselves all day long. So I grab one of the sixty-four outfits Colby has purchased recently and put it on her.