Page 12 of The Blessing

“Do you like it, Grey?” I ask, feeling nervous even though I know he can’t answer me. I want him to like it here.

He makes a garbled noise I can’t understand before giving me a bright smile. I take that as a “yes.” Satisfied with his response, I choose a book off the shelf and sit down to read to him. Where the Wild Things Are is one of my old favorites,and, by the looks of it, Grey loves it just as much as I once did. He’s so animated as I read to him. He looks so surprised every time I turn the page, eager to see the illustrations as if to figure out what happens next. When I finish the book, he begins to cry, so I start at the beginning once more, reading until he falls asleep in my arms.

A half hour later, I’m lying in bed, but sleep doesn’t come. It’s hard to sleep knowing my nephew is down the hall and anything could happen to him. Now that I’m alone with him, I’m even more paranoid. I toss and turn for a few more minutes before giving up and sliding out of bed. I bound down the hall to his nursery, and carefully roll his crib into my room. Until I get a baby monitor, I want him to sleep close to me. Hell, I’m sure even after I have a baby monitor I’ll insist on this. He whimpers in his sleep and opens his eyes for a moment and smiles at me. His tired grin touches my heart and I smile back before he closes his eyes. I love that little guy. Feeling relieved now that I can hear him breathing, I slide back into bed and fall quickly to sleep.

The next few days fly by in a flash. As stressful as I thought having an apartment might be, it’s actually incredibly nice. The stress of being alone with a baby is worth the distance I get from my mother. I see her every day when I pick Grey up from their house, but I never stick around. On my days off, it’s nice to have a place all to myself and get some one-on-one time with him. He’s been thrilled with the arrangement. Or at least he seems thrilled, since he obviously can’t speak, I’m not entirely sure. I know he’s happy about getting my undivided attention. We’ve had our rough patches and I’ve already had a few scares with him, but I think I’m adapting quite well.

After I get through today, I’ll have another day off, which I’m more than thankful for. My body is beginning to ache and my muscles are screaming at me. I just need some time to sit down and relax. I roll out of bed and take a quick shower, taking some extra time to enjoy the way the hot water feels against my throbbing muscles. I towel dry, then dress into my work clothes and grab my wallet and phone before going to wake-up Grey. He hates when I leave him, too young to understand it’s a necessary evil. This morning he’s more fussy than usual and won’t stop crying even after I feed him his formula.

“What’s the matter, buddy?” I ask, wishing he could answer me. I hope he’s not getting sick! Fuck, I wish I knew what to do in these types of situations. I pull my phone out of my back pocket and quickly type his symptoms into Google. Since his only symptom is the fact he won’t stop crying, Google is no use. I keep looking him over, trying to assess the issue but come up with nothing. I take him to the couch in the living room and play with him, trying anything I believe will cheer him up. My efforts are useless and he doesn’t calm down.

I pull my phone out and quickly call my boss, hoping he doesn’t get angry over me having to miss a day of work. “Jaxson!” I exclaim as soon as he picks up the phone. I can’t help but sound fucking terrified as I go on to say, “I think Grey’s sick, man. I can’t come in today.”

“Grey?” Jaxson questions, making me feel like a complete idiot.

Out of all the time I spent with Jaxson at work, I never once mentioned being someone’s legal guardian. I didn’t want to have to explain about my brother’s death, so I never brought it up. Truthfully, I don’t divulge much information about my personal life to anyone—ever. I let the guys talk and I just listen, giving my opinion every now and then. Usually, I just keep my head down and do my job.

“He’s my nephew. I’m his guardian and he’s sick or something. I think I’m going to have to take him to the hospital, man.” I know I sound lost and confused. Luckily, Jaxson seems to take pity on me.

“Okay, dude. That’s fine. Just take care of your nephew and keep me updated in case you have to miss work tomorrow, too.”

I quickly thank him and hang up, before taking Grey back to the kitchen to find another bottle for him. I place the rubber nipple in his mouth and he takes a few sips before he starts wailing.

“Come on, buddy. I know it’s not a real nipple but this is the best I can do,” I say, trying not to cry, as well.

I’m frustrated, scared, and fucking lost. I try Googling his symptoms again and a plethora of illnesses appear, which only makes me more agitated. I put down my phone and the bottle and try to calm him, praying I won’t have to take him to the doctor. Fuck, I don’t even know a doctor! I can’t even remember the last time I had a check-up. The moment my parents stopped making appointments for me, I stopped going. I think the last time I went to one was to get tested for STDs after I got my GED. That was years ago and before I religiously used condoms. I went to a clinic to get tested again around the time I returned to Colorado. I couldn’t take Grey there… I’m sure there’s some urgent care places close by, but I hope it doesn’t come to that.

“Come on, buddy. Please stop crying. I wish I knew where you were hurting so I can fix it,” I say as I wipe away some of his tears.

Minutes tick by like hours, and his cries never cease. Just as I reach for my phone to call my parents, there’s a soft knock at my front door. Shit! All of his crying has probably upset my neighbors. Just what I fucking need right now. I’ve only been in this apartment for a matter of days and I’ve already pissed someone off. They better not give me any grief. I have a sick baby for fuck’s sake. Who could be so cold-hearted?

I open the door with Grey tucked safely in the nook of my right arm and brace myself for the wrath of one of my neighbors. My jaw drops as I open the door to find the gorgeous brunette who’s been a major role in my fantasies for the past several weeks. I almost blush as I think of all the times I thought of her as I was getting myself off. She looks even more gorgeous now than she did as the leading role in my fantasies. She’s in a fluffy pink bathrobe and her waist length, curly, brown hair is wild around her face. Her face is makeup free and she looks as though she just woke-up. Natural and without an ounce of effort—she has an appearance that I’m sure many women would kill for. Finally, when I come back down to reality, I realize I’ve been staring at her for an awkward amount of time. She gives me a shy smile before looking down at Grey, who’s still crying in my arms.

“I’m so sorry if we woke you. I’m pretty sure he’s getting sick or something,” I comment, unable to take my eyes off this girl.

Her lips form into a cute, little pout. What I wouldn’t give to see those lips wrapped around my cock. I can’t help myself, I harden at the thought.

“Poor baby,” she comments, giving him a small smile.

Her voice is just as sweet as I’ve imagined it being.

“He’s been crying like this all morning. I’ve no idea what’s the matter with him,” I say, hating how nervous I sound in her presence.

She stares at him for a moment—calculating—before smiling at me. “Can I come in?”

I step aside and watch her hips sway as she walks past us. God, I love the way some women move. I shut the door behind her and kiss Grey on the forehead, taking another moment to beg him to stop crying. He’s really starting to scare me and if this brunette beauty doesn’t have a quick solution, I’m rushing him to the hospital.

She takes a seat on the couch in my living room and I sit down next to her, placing Grey safely in my lap. “Do you think he could be teething?” she questions as she examines my little guy. He gives her a curious look but continues to cry.

Teething? I don’t have the faintest clue what that is. Before I can come up with a response, she looks up at me and breaks out into an adorable smile, as soon as it’s obvious to her that I’m fucking clueless. Adorable? I’m shocked because I don’t usually use that term with women. I usually think something more along the lines of “hot,” “sexy,” or even “mind-blowing.”Never “adorable.”However, this girl is fucking adorable—along with all those other terms, too. She’s the whole package with a beautiful bow on top.

“Have his sleeping patterns been different at all? Has he not been eating like he’s supposed to?”

I shrug. Honestly, I have no idea. I guess his eating patterns have been a little off. She gives me a sympathetic smile and I can’t keep myself from staring at her.

“I have some Baby Orajel if you want to give that a try?”

I don’t know what that shit is, but it’s apparent this girl knows far more than I do about this sort of thing. “That’d be great! Thanks for this. I’d be so lost if you didn’t have the heart to drop by.”