Page 30 of Our Chaotic Love Affair

I adjusted my grip on Tiana, trying to find a position that didn’t feel like I was about to drop her or snap her in half. I was holding her like one might hold a bomb, with her body nowhere near mine.

“Dude, relax,” Austin said. “Drop your shoulders from your ears and sit like a normal person. She’s a baby, not a venomous snake.”

“She’s very small.”

“Well, yeah. If she was a full-sized adult, it would be awkward.”

“What if I break her?” I asked.

“Just support her head and hold her against your chest,” Austin said. “Like a football but more gentle.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “That sounds like terrible advice.”

He shrugged. “It’s the only advice I’ve got. I’ll be learning all of this soon enough.”

I finally managed to settle Tiana against my chest in what I hoped was a secure position. She made a small sound.

“Oh shit,” I murmured. “Did I do it wrong?”

One of her tiny hands grabbed onto my shirt.

“See?” Finn said. “You’re a natural.”

“I’m absolutely not.”

“She likes you. Look, she’s falling asleep.”

He was right. Tiana’s eyes were drifting closed. Her little body had gone soft and heavy against me. Her body squished down, ass out and head back. There was something about the weight of her, the complete trust she had that I wouldn’t drop her. I’d never held an infant. I had carried a few of my brothers’ toddlers but never a kid this tiny.

“This is weird,” I muttered.

“I can’t wait to hold my baby,” Austin said. “You two are going to love being fathers.”

“You’re not a father yet,” Finn pointed out.

“But I already feel it,” he said. “Do you know how weird it is to love a clump of cells with your entire soul? I haven’t stopped dreaming about what he or she will look like.”

I was about to respond when I heard voices from the house. Female voices. The women were back from the spa.

Kent strolled down the path looking entirely too pleased with himself. “Thanks for watching her. I knew I could count on you.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“Watch your mouth,” he scolded.

“If you didn’t want her to hear bad words, maybe don’t dump her on the first guy you see.”

He took Tiana back, and I felt an unexpected sense of loss. Which was ridiculous. I had been holding her for maybe five minutes.

The women joined us on the beach. They all looked relaxed. Their skin was glowing and they looked like they’d had every knot and kink worked from their bodies.

Cleo looked beautiful. Her hair was down now, the purple streak catching the afternoon light. She was wearing black joggers with massive pink skulls on them. Her top featured a sparkly pink skull. I wasn’t sure how one could be goth and bubblegum sweet at the same time. But she pulled it off.

“How was golf?” Melody asked, settling onto Austin’s lap like she belonged there. His arm automatically wrapped around her with his face burrowing into the crook of her neck.

“You smell good,” he said.

“Thank you.”