Page 61 of Alec’s Dream

“Better. Alec gave me more ginger ale and crackers.”

I couldn’t even think about Alec taking care of my sick daughter and how much it meant to me that he was being so nice to her.

“Good. Make sure Joss doesn’t put anything in her mouth, please.”

“Mamamama! Yes,” Joss screeched.

“Yes? Yes, what, baby girl?” I returned.

The baby bounced on her booty a few times before she pushed herself to her hands and knees. Crawling was still the fastest mode of transportation, therefore Jocelyn’s preferred method. Once she made her way to me, her little arms went up and she was once again bouncing.

“Up!” she mumbled.

“You don’t want up, silly. You’re playing with Rory,” I said, trying to get Joss's attention back on my girl, who looked like her favorite toy had been taken away.

This was not good. Rory got attached and fast. And by all appearances, my daughter looked like she wanted to keep Jocelyn.

“Mama! Up!”

“All right, Jossy.”

I bent down to pick up Jocelyn. Unable to stop myself, I smothered her face and neck with kisses until her sweet giggle filled the room.

“She calls you mama,” Rory helpfully announced and all hopes I had that the adults in the room hadn’t heard were dashed.

“She’s saying Macy,” I corrected.

“No, she’s not. She said mama.” Then Rory turned to Jocelyn and asked, “Jocelyn, can you say Rory?”

“Roar!” Joss shouted.

Oh boy, this was not good.

“Rory baby, let me see if Joss has eaten.” I tried to stop my daughter from continuing.

“Can you say Macy?”

“May!”

Rory smiled up at me and Jocelyn clapped her hands.

“See? She calls you mama.”

I couldn’t do this, not right then with Becky and Rob sitting at my table with two of Alec’s friends. I’d never met them but they knew my friends through McKenna and Nixon Swagger. I also didn’t want to see Alec’s reaction to the confirmation his daughter was indeed calling me mama. Especially after I’d told him I hadn’t encouraged the name and had tried to correct it. Now he was going to think I was a liar. Which I wasn’t. I had tried to stop Joss, even if deep down I secretively loved it.

I knew I shouldn’t, she wasn’t mine, but there was something special about Jocelyn that made me fall in love with her.

“Why don’t you start cleaning up, little love? It looks like half your bedroom is on the floor.”

“I’m still playing.”

My daughter’s big blue eyes looked up at me, pleading to give her more time and really, what did I care if my living room was a disaster? And after the trauma from the day, I couldn’t say no.

“Okay, but when you’re done everything needs to be put away.”

With a nod, Rory went back to her toys, and with Joss in my arms, I turned to face the music.

And just as I’d expected, Becky’s eyes were on me, the look so comical any other time I would’ve laughed. But I was more concerned with Caleb and the two strangers.