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She wouldn’t make it easy for him. She wasn’t going to volunteer to stay in this mobile home on the farm. If he wanted that, he needed to be the one to ask. She’d be perfectly fine staying at Lottie’s at night and coming over to the farm during the day to watch the baby while she scoured the internet for a new job, emailed her resume and did virtual interviews. And once she found the right job, she could search for a new place to live.
As long as it was anywhere other than Manning Grove.
She didn’t wait for his invitation and climbed the portable, three-step wood staircase into the trailer. First thing she noticed when she stepped inside was that it looked and smelled new. She was sure it wouldn’t stay like that for long.
She also noticed the furnishings were new. There wasn’t a lot since the home was only a single-wide but he had the basics. A couch, a recliner, a TV and a couple side tables in the living room. To the right at the end of the trailer was a small bedroom with also the basics and what looked like a double bed.
She wandered through the kitchen, opening up a couple of cabinets to find some mismatched pots and pans along with some old mugs and dishes. None of the kitchen items were new. They’d either been bought at a yard sale, a second-hand store or donated. Not that it mattered, they would work.
She peeked into the bathroom and the empty room across from it, which seemed to be set up for a washer and dryer. Something needed when raising a baby, but was missing. She frowned.
She heard his footsteps behind her. “You need a washer and dryer.”
“In the bunkhouse.”
She shook her head. “Fuck that. You need a set in here. Even if it’s one of those small stackable sets. Get them.”
She didn’t bother to look at him when she heard him blow out a loud breath. Instead, she opened the door to the last room on the far side of the trailer. The master bedroom. The sheets were a mess and clothes were scattered on the floor already. She spotted the bassinet that had been at Dutch’s house tucked in the corner by the head of the bed.
“That bassinet will work for now, but you’ll need a crib. Get a convertible one so she doesn’t outgrow it so quickly. You also need a changing table with drawers to keep all her baby biker onesies. If you get a small stackable washer/dryer, then you’ll still have space in that laundry room for it. Plus, that room has shelves to keep diapers and supplies organized.” Dyna made a little noise in her arms and Jemma ran her fingers over her head. “Hey, monkey, Daddy’s going to get you alllll set up,” she said in a sing-song voice.
During their baby-duty handoffs at Dutch’s, she had heard Cage calling Dyna “monkey” a couple times. Jemma smiled whenever he said it, usually before he pressed a soft goodbye kiss to her forehead. It was heart-warming and cute even though she knew it was a shortened version of the nickname the guys called kids, which was not so cute. But Dyna seemed like such a grown-up name for such a tiny human.
Jemma had fallen into the habit of calling the baby Cage’s pet name for her. She could see herself calling her own baby that. She had even purchased an adorable, plush monkey for Dyna at Target. She had spotted it right away on the couch when she had entered the trailer.
She turned to Cage, who stood behind her. “Let me check your ribs before I leave. I want to make sure you’re healing okay.”
“Don’t gotta do that.”
“We’ve had this discussion before. I know I don’t, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
His sunglasses were now folded and tucked into the neckline of his shirt, so she could see his light blue eyes get intense with a touch of confusion. Like he couldn’t understand why someone would want to do something for him simply for no reason. Without expecting anything in return.
Though, wasn’t that what he was expecting when it came to her helping him out with Dyna? He expected her to do something for him without anything in return.
So, she didn’t quite understand his reaction.
Well, he was a man and sometimes they were hard to figure out. Most of the time, she didn’t even bother to try.
She swallowed a sigh and pushed past him, carrying Dyna back out to the kitchen where the bouncer sat on the counter that separated it from the living area. She jerked her head toward it. “Never put it on a table or counter. She might not be able to move it now, but babies can get some hardcore bouncing action going and it could fall.” She placed Dyna into it. “It’s okay for now because she can’t bounce it off the counter yet and we’re going to be standing right next to it, but don’t get in that bad habit.”
