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He can like whatever he wants. But if he doesn’t watch out, he’s gonna get a chunk taken out of him.
“No. You didn’t. You just have this… Anyway. Never mind. It doesn’t matter.” I unfold my arms. Part one of this plan was just getting Violet stuff. Part two was surprising Reese with the final product. But since he volunteered to help me bring up the boxes, I can’t help but wonder if maybe I can get him to stay.
“You wanna help me unpack all this? Put it together?” I suggest lightly. “I know it looks like a lot, but it could be fun?—”
“Pass.”
I’m taken aback by how quickly he just says it. “W-Why?”
He shrugs. “Not interested.”
I bite my tongue. The last time we argued in front of Violet, it took me half the morning to get her to stop crying. I don’t want to make the habit of having shouting matches with Reese in front of her. Babies may not remember that kind of thing, but anger leaves a mark in other ways.
Reese at least looks at Violet before he leaves. I guess that’s progress.
Grumbling, I shake my head. I have boxes to unpack and a baby to take care of. I can’t waste energy on trying to wrangle this man into parenting his child.
He’ll just see that he should have when I’m done with her room.
21
OLIVIA
The week turns into weeks, the shipment turns into shipments, and little by little, Violet’s room comes together. I am the busiest of bees. More often than not, I have Violet in a sling on my chest, with a power tool in one hand and a baby snack in the other. When Gladys came by for her weekly cleaning, she said I was like those warrior women who’d go into battle with their kids strapped to them. Only, my battlefield is a child’s bedroom, my weapon is sheer willpower, and my enemy is the Swedes of IKEA.
I’ll take it as a compliment.
Though I don’t ask Reese to help again, I can’t help but hope he’ll just come in on his own. Each step closer to it being done makes me more and more excited that Violet will be in this space. It makes me want Reese to be just as excited for it, too.
Admittedly, being so excited has made me pause a few times in the last few weeks. I catch myself getting too into it. Like it’s my own daughter I’m doing this for.
It’s a weird and surreal thought. I’ve felt that weird sort of nannying pride before, but this is something different. It feels like it lives closer to the heart.
According to the season itinerary that Paula gave me, the first games of the regular season are approaching. That means even less Reese than there already is. He only just recently became a father, but he knows so little about his own daughter. What if he never comes around?
Knock-knock-knock.
My heart leaps into my chest. From my place on the floor, among chunky puzzles and soft foam building blocks, I look to the door. Is it Reese? Did he somehow feel the way I’ve been beaming to his subconscious to just come here and?—
It’s not Reese. It’s Paula.
My face falls before I can stop myself. She does one of those once-around looks to the room, a slight sneering curve to the upper corner of her lip.
Why does she always look like she’s a half a step away from insulting me?
“Gladys said that you’d been putting together the baby room,” she says after a moment. “I was simply seeing if that was true.”
My brow goes up, but I keep it cordial. “Yeah. I thought Violet could use something a little homier. Figured with the credit card Reese gave me, I’d be able to give the girl a nice upgrade.”
“Hmm.”
I feel like an insect beneath her gaze. “Is there anything else you needed, Paula?”
She shakes her head. “No. I was just curious. But while I’m here…”
Paula closes the door behind her and leans against it. It’s the first time that I’ve seen her relax. Though, relax is a bit of a stretch. She’s just gone from perfectly vertical to a slight slant against the doorframe.
She folds her arms and continues to look down her nose at me. “All this that you’re doing is very nice for the kid,” she starts out. She doesn’t actually sound like she thinks the idea is nice, though. “But you should know that even if it gets Reese’s attention, it’ll be gone just as quick as it came. You have to know that he runs through women like Kleenex. You’d be just like all the other ones. Quickly used, and just as quickly thrown away.”
