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“Stay away from her if you don’t mind. She’s trouble.”
“She is? Why?”
“Just trust me, okay? I don’t want Amber to ruin my baby buzz. And don’t mention Amber to Maggie. She can’t stand her.”
“Ew, sounds like trouble.”
“It has the potential, trust me.”
When they got to the house, Annie noticed that it was already looking lived in, with a shade askew in the living room and a bag of trash on the porch. She had to bite her tongue.
“I’d better get that bag into the can around the side of the house before a raccoon tears it open.”
“I saw a big ceramic pot filled with plants we can get to improve curb appeal.”
They got out of the car, Annie unbuckling Stevie and Chris opening the back to get her bags. Then his sons came out, acting like they were excited to see her and to help with the suitcases and boxes, and their enthusiasm made all the difference.
“Wasn’t that nice,” Annie whispered. And then as they entered the house, she exclaimed louder, “Something smells delicious!”
“It’s the pizza. Almost done,” Ben said.
Annie introduced Stevie to Ben and Joel. “Ben and Joel are Chris’s sons, Stevie.”
“Do you want to ride?” Joel asked, pointing to his back. Stevie hopped on and Annie no longer worried about how Stevie would react to the new house and new people. He jumped right in.
Once inside the house, Annie did a quick survey of its condition and possibly the bag of trash explained why the kitchen had been spotlessly cleaned. Chris caught her eye and winked, and she gave him the thumbs-up. So far, so good.
At Creole Cottage, after Annie and Maggie left with their children, Davie and Katrina cuddled on the couch together while Dave was at his father’s house, eventually falling asleep. It was a first for Davie who had stopped napping months earlier. She’d lain on her side on the couch and he crawled into the space behind her knees when she said get in the nest. She must have fallen asleep right away, and he never moved, running a little car up and down her leg.
An hour later, Dave came in through the kitchen and found them sleeping together on the couch. It was so sweet, he teared up and quickly took a picture of it before Davie moved.
Bags of food from his father and Rose would ensure that they’d eat without having to cook. He quietly unpacked them and put away what needed to be refrigerated. Katrina lifted her head, realizing that her son had actually fallen asleep, and saw Dave watching.
“Can you believe this?” she whispered.
“I wonder if it’s a stage.”
“He was so good at the park. The sitter yelled at him when he took off for the river and he came right to her. Something clicked, I think. He isn’t worried about missing out.”
He stirred and seconds later, his little head popped up. “Dada!”
“That’s what they call me,” Dave said, swooping him up into his arms. “You were a good boy today! Did you just take a nap?”
“Nest,” he said, pointing to the space behind Katrina’s knees.
“Maybe from now on I’ll just lie on the couch with him. I never thought it would get easy with him. Maybe I was wrong.”
“He’s growing up,” Dave said.
“Well, we need to talk! Can you see if he needs to be changed? I have to visit the ladies’ room.”
They went their separate ways and when they returned, it was time for a snack. Davie got buckled into his high chair and favorite snacks were piled on the tray.
“I have news,” Katrina said, winking at him. “Annie’s pregnant.”
“Wow! That was fast,” Dave said with a slightly confused look. “The last I heard, things were not going well with them.”
“Well, evidently, even when people are struggling, they still have sex. And sperm met egg. Justin had given Annie a drug to help with a skin thing she picked up from a sick dog and it made her birth control ineffective.”
