AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Twenty minutes later, Minty wandered into the kitchen looking like a lost soul, though it was hardly noticeable to the undiscerning eye.
“You look like you’ve been pulled through a hedge backwards,” Hope greeted her.
I laughed and held out my arm, pulling Minty onto my lap. Apparently, Hope’s eye was discerning. “She looks perfect,” I protested, pressing my lips to her hair.
“Objectively, she does,” Hope continued, waving her donut. “But look at her eyes. Was the diaper really that bad?”
Minty jerked in my arms. “What?”
Hope’s smile faltered. “Lucky said Brayleigh exploded last night.”
Minty looked at me, her eyebrows knitting together. “How did you know?”
“The smell hit me about halfway up the stairs.”
“Ah, yes.” She nodded and smiled at Hope. “It was nuclear. How was your business trip?”
“Good. There was this one asshole…”
I tuned out the conversation, my attention focused on the woman sitting stiffly in my arms. She made no move to get away from me, neither did she melt against me. I wondered if she even knew how keyed up she was.
“Hi, sparky.”
“Hello, dolly,” Minty murmured. “You happy Mama is home?”
“Mine mama,” Brayleigh intoned.
“Yes, darling. Your mama.”
“Mine Dada,” she continued, her eyes darting between Minty and me.
“Yes, darling dolly. Your dada.”
She pointed her chubby finger at Minty’s bottom in my lap. “Your dada?”
Hope barked out a laugh. “Welp! On that note, I’ll be going.”
Minty laughed and approached Hope, reaching out a hand to gently cup the back of Brayleigh’s head.
“Bye, dolly.”
“Luck, can you put her in the car seat for me? I can’t fight her this morning,” Hope asked, turning away from Minty.
“Sure, I can do that.” I squeezed Minty’s waist and pulled Brayleigh from Hope’s arms. “Say bye to Minty.”
“Bye Minnie.” Brayleigh lunged toward Minty, pressing a wet kiss to Minty’s pale cheek. I headed for the door. The sooner I got Brayleigh into the car, the sooner I could get back to Minty.
Minty
Hope studied me.
“Are you going to hurt him?”
“Hm?”
I mentally reviewed the events of the night before, picking apart each interaction for evidence that I hurt that baby. I’d been doing it since I first woke up but had come no closer to any kind of conclusion.
“Are you going to hurt him?”
