Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 77106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77106 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 257(@300wpm)
I slept in that damn chair more than in my bed.
But the edge of the mattress was nice and bouncy to jiggle Lainey as her mother settled in and ate another slice of pizza.
I paused halfway through, turning Lainey on my lap and holding her face in the crook of my thumb and forefinger, chubby cheeks smushing up, as I patted her back.
“You’re really good with her,” Zoe said between ravenous bites.
“She’s pretty easy,” I said, my mind flashing back to other babies in another life.
“She is. I mean, I have no frame of reference or anything. But she definitely goes with the flow. Never really complains no matter how many times I take her in and out of her car seat or the carrier. And she loves the long walks with the cute dogs.”
Food delivery and dog walking.
She really was doing everything she could to cobble together an income while juggling a baby. Judging by the dark circles under her eyes and the tension in her shoulders, she was still barely scraping by.
“Here,” I said, passing Zoe the remote. “Put something on to try to drown out all that hollering downstairs.”
Zoe scrolled through the options, a strange look I didn’t know her well enough to decipher on her face.
I started to feed Lainey the second half of her bottle as her mother chose some movie about dancers and settled back with an oddly serene look on her face.
“Reach down on your right; there’s a lever to put the feet—there you go.”
It didn’t take long until she had the chair leaned back and was stifling a yawn. Then another.
By the time her daughter finished her bottle, Zoe was drifting off to some clearly much-needed sleep.
“Hope you sleep through the night,” I said to Lainey. “Because your mama clearly needs it.”
Reaching for my phone, I shot off a text to Che, knowing he and his woman had a spare playard or two stashed somewhere.
He shot me back several question marks. Then simply On my way.
I met him in the doorway, pressing a finger to my lips as I gestured back toward the sleeping Zoe.
Che moved inside, opening up the playard with the expertise of a seasoned dad.
“Need anything else for… her?” he asked while peeping her pink outfit.
“Seems like her diaper bag is stocked. Should be fine.”
Che nodded, glancing back over at Zoe again.
“Get her a blanket.”
“Will do,” I agreed as I hugged Lainey to my chest as I lowered her downward so she didn’t have what I used to call ‘touchdown’ with other babies—the second they felt themselves being put down, they jolted awake and were impossible to get back down again.
Lainey just smacked her lips and continued on sleeping.
I crept into the hallway, grabbing a blanket for Zoe, then carefully draping it over her after removing the plate from her lap.
She’d eaten everything but the crusts.
“Best part,” I murmured as I bit off some of one.
With the baby and mom both asleep, I kicked off my shoes and climbed onto the bed, watching the cheesy-ass acting from the ballet movie Zoe had put on. It seriously brought into question her taste in movies. Though I did end up watching the whole damn thing, so what did I know.
There was something… familiar about this night.
A baby asleep a few feet away.
Me, not sleeping, listening for any whimpers or cries.
Only this time, I wasn’t racked with feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
If anything, I was weirdly relaxed.
The fuck was that about?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Zoe
Sleep clung to me.
That kind of deep, demanding sleep that kept pulling you back under each time something threatened to jolt you awake.
It was the kind of sleep I hadn’t gotten since Lainey.
Lainey!
I shot awake, bleary eyes disoriented as I looked around the unfamiliar room.
Sun streamed in through the windows, making my heart trip into overdrive as my head whipped over to find a… playard.
How had a playard appeared?
I shot upward, kicking the recliner closed and rushing toward the crib. Only to find it empty.
“Lainey,” I whimpered, turning toward the door only to have it push inward.
And there was a pretty woman in a flowing floral skirt with an abundance of beads at her wrists and what looked like a smudge of paint across her white tank top.
Lainey was nestled in her arm.
“Oh, hey, Mama,” she whispered, giving me a huge smile. “Sorry, I meant to have her back before you woke up.”
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice tight.
“That’s Jade,” Coast said, coming up behind her with a platter in his hands. “Levee’s woman. She likes babies. Stole Lainey from me as soon as we made our way downstairs for a bottle.”
“What… what time is it?” I asked, my mind still sleep-foggy.
“Little after seven,” Jade said.
“Seven? In the morning?”
What time had I passed out? Ten? Maybe even earlier.
I’d slept for over eight straight hours?