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“You helped me get to him to see his birth. Here.” Conner hands his son to his brother. Riley’s motions are stiff at first until the baby settles in the crook of this arm, his hand supporting the head.
Slowly, I watch as his muscles start to relax, his shoulders dropping from where they were bunched around his ears as he gazes down at Charlie in his arms, with a look of awe.
“He’s small,” he says, not looking up from Charlie, his voice small, almost a whisper, and I understood what he's feeling all too well.
“It sure didn’t feel like it,” Ava comments, and I can’t help but use this opportunity to shit-stir, so I reply, “It took you an hour to give birth. I don’t know a lot, but I know that some people go through that shit for days.”
She sits up, instantly on the defensive. “Hey, I still gave birth, and I will complain because I’ve earned it.”
I give her a wink, and she registers that I wasn’t serious before shaking her head at me and lying back, leaving me to admire this big guy with a tiny baby. I would be lying if I said my ovaries aren't exploding, but no way am I admitting that.
“It’s okay if he doesn’t warm up to you straight away. Not everyone can be his favorite aunt.” I give Riley a smug smile, and only then does he look away from the baby to furrow his brows at me again.
Conner moves to look over Riley’s shoulder with a shit-eating grin. “I don’t know, Mia. He keeps staring at him.”
“What?!” I exclaim, feeling a wave of betrayal but not wanting to believe that I’ve been replaced so easily. I spring from my place on the bed to stand before Riley and see that, yes, Charlie is indeed focused solely on Riley’s face.
I breathe through my nose before narrowing my eyes at Riley, who now wears a triumphant smile of his own. “He probably thinks you look funny.”
He cocks his head. “Then why isn’t he wanting to go to you.”
“He just doesn’t know that’s an option. Come on, baby.” I move to stand in Charlie’s line of sight, clapping my hands and holding them out to him, expecting him to want to ditch this big giant for my loving arms. I’m a woman with the breasts. The kid should want to come to me, right? Breasts equal milk! But instead, the kid angles his body away from me, to get closer to Riley.
Keeping his eyes on mine, he leans down to the kid to whisper, “Don’t worry, I got you, kid.”
The need to smack this guy starts taking over every thought, and if he wasn’t holding Charlie, I might have. The betrayal burns, and I hiss, “Traitor” at Charlie before storming out, needing space, but not before I hear Riley’s deep chuckle follow me out the door.
You want a competition, Riley… it’s on.
My body craving sugar,I find myself at the nearest soda machine, perusing the limited options, when my phone chimes in my pocket. I frown, wondering who could be calling, when my eyes land on the words.
My shoulders deflate and I want to roll my eyes as the name ‘Cynthia’looks up at me from the phone.
I rack my brain, trying to think of why my mother would be calling me in the middle of the night. Coming up short, and after receiving a few death stares from passing nurses at my incessant phone, I decide to bite the bullet.
Expelling a tired breath, I brace myself as I answer, putting the phone to my ear. I don’t even get to say a simple greeting before my mother is barking at me.
“What is this I hear about you walking out on the McCormick boy?” Hearing the displeasure in her words, I’m reminded of a date I was roped into by one of Mom's friends to date her son the other night. Usually, I avoid set-ups like the plague, unless forced upon me by Mom, but I knew if I refused one of her friends, she would have my head. I just didn’t want to deal with that. One bad date for a lifetime of peace.
Sounded like an easy trade until I found the guy hooking up with our waitress in the bathroom. I guess the golden boy forgot to mention that.
I groan, “Mom, it’s not like that.”
I don’t even get to finish because she starts barking again, “Do you have any idea how much you have embarrassed me!”
I flinch as if I had been slapped at her words, trying to suppress the urge to bite back, but I can only hold on for so long.
Squaring my shoulders, I stare at the soda machine as if it's her standing in front of me. “But, Mom, you knew I didn’t want to go out with that guy.”
“He is a lovely boy from a good family.”
I run my fingers through my hair. “I don’t give a fuck about his family!”
“Now, you watch your language with me,” she hisses with controlled anger. She always hated swearing, saying it is how stupid people communicate because they haven’t got a big enough vocabulary to do it properly.
Knowing swearing and getting angry won’t get anywhere with her, I decide to take a breath and try again. “Mom, I went on the date, and I wasn’t interested.”
Mom cuts me off again, sounding frustrated. “Then what do you want? Some of the most handsome men from great families have been presented to you. You have opportunities most don’t, yet you don’t want them. So what do you want, Mia? Because sooner or later, you will need to start figuring it out. You don’t stay young forever.”
