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"She, uh, she left," Mason mumbled, ducking his chin as he answered.
"What?" I plopped down into at chair at the table and gaped.
He blew out a breath. "Yeah. He came home from the picnic at our house to find her gone."
"Oh my God," Reese gasped. "And she left her baby there? Alone?"
I felt sick to my stomach. Pick had tried more than once to call home that day with no answer. Julian had probably been alone the entire time. "I wonder how long he was there by himself. Jesus, he's only four months old."
Mason shook his head. "I have no idea how long he was alone. And I'm pretty sure Pick doesn't even want to think about it. Gamble said he sounded pretty upset."
"I bet." I set my hand over my heart, and checked on my own kid, still wrapped up in her towel as she tried to kick it off.
I felt like crap. Pick had been here, talking to me, caring for me, while his stepson was being abandoned by his own mother. He probably never wanted to see me again.
Even as I had that thought, though, I blurted, "I'll babysit."
I'd make this up to him. Somehow.
PICK
I was still in a state of shock, anger, and heartbreak when someone knocked on my door early Monday morning. Even though Tris could definitely improve on her mothering skills, I hadn't thought she would actually do this. It still haunted me to remember how I'd found Fighter screaming in his swing, beating his fists in the air, his face red with anguish as I'd come through the doorway and found him home alone.
So many things could've happened to him. Just thinking about them made me physically sick to my stomach. My hands were shaking from fear. If I ever saw Tristy again, I was honestly afraid of what I might do to her. But how could she do this to him? Her own child.
With my fingers curled into fists as I strode to the door, I half-hoped it wasn't Tris because I was scared of what I'd say, and I half-hoped it was her so I could say exactly what I wanted to. I'd been loath to put Fighter down these past few days, so he was slung over my shoulder as he napped.
I opened the door and jerked back in surprise when Reese grinned up at me. She held out her hand. "Cell phone please."
"Wha . . . ?" Confused, I wrinkled my brow and dug my phone out of my back pocket, without thought. "What're you doing here?" I was so dumbstruck, I handed the phone over, not even asking her what she planned to do with it.
"Pass-code," she ordered.
With a sigh, I took it from her and got her into the phone before handing it back.
"Thank you." Focusing her attention on the screen, she punched some numbers into the phonebook. "Here's my cell. Call me when you're done with her, and I'll come pick her up immediately. Oh, and please take care of my girl. She's not only my favorite cousin, she's my best friend, too."
I took the phone when she handed it back to me. Shaking my head and not catching on at all, I said, "Huh?"
That's when a panting Eva came up behind her, lugging Skylar in a huge-ass car seat with a diaper bag thrown over her shoulder.
Reese was instantly forgotten. I blinked repeatedly to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing. "Tink?"
She smiled, and my entire chest lit up with warmth.
"Mason said you needed a babysitter." She gave a breathless explanation. "So . . . here I am."
"You . . . ?" I shook my head in confusion, even though she'd just made it perfectly clear why she was here. "What?"
This couldn't happen, because if she stepped into my home, I'd never want to leave. Eva used the car seat as a cattle prod, plowing forward and forcing me to shift aside. Yep, I was going to have to call in and quit my job. Both jobs. I could become a professional couch potato and just drool every time she walked past. This was my new life goal.
"Okay, bye, E. Love ya." From behind me, someone in the hallway made kissy sounds. I have no idea who it was. No one else in my universe currently existed, except maybe Julian and Skylar.
But Eva leaned past me to smile at that other, annoying person, and blow her a kiss. "Love you, too. Thanks for the ride."
Her ride must've departed soon thereafter because Eva arched me an amused glance. "Are you going to shut the door?"
"Huh?"
