Page 34 of Pink

The social worker blinked, her helpless, silent stare passing between him, the baby in his arms, and the officers standing in a very quiet police station.

“She’s mine,” he said again, the words thicker in his throat because they had to understand. They just had to. “She belongs with me—whatever I need to do, I’ll do it. But can’t she stay with me now?”

He dared them to tell him no. Most of all, he wanted any of them to look at the baby in his arms now happily chewing on the string of the hoodie he had pulled on before leaving the apartment to be decent, and tell him she shouldn’t be with him.

Her father.

“Please,” he said quietly, “let her come home with me.”

He didn’t have the things she needed. He knew that. Couldn’t he figure it out? So, she needed a place to sleep. Okay, done. Somehow.

What did it matter?

She could sleep in his fucking arms, and he wouldn’t close his eyes if that’s what it took.

And then, the officer who had been the one to break the news, spoke up quickly to say, “We’ll figure it out. I’m sure … we can figure something out, can’t we?”

That made his whole day better.

The baby girl in his arms, though?

She suddenly became his entire life in seconds and although he had only been holding her for minutes, and knew of her existence for an hour, he didn’t want to remember what it was like before he knew she was there.

“Brrrr,” the baby babbled, drool wetting her pink lips as she smiled wide when his attention came back to her. “Bababababa.”

She had two teeth on the bottom that she showed off with her unrestrained laughter when he blew kisses. Not once did he consider that he was twenty-four and struggling to survive when all he had to take care of was himself. Not once did he think you didn’t even want kids, Lev. She was there now. In his arms. His.

Everything changed for Lev just like that. Nothing would be the same now.

He was fine with that.