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“Don’t worry, I’ll come knocking at your door when I need you to babysit my kid.”
Holt’s eyes widen.
“What?” I ask.
He squints at me. “What did you just say?”
I replay my words in my head.
Shit.
“I don’t remember.” Blatant lie.
“Are you going to be a daddy?” Noni asks. She continues before I can answer, “Luna, Uncle Beckett has a girlfriend, and he’s going to have a baby. We’re going to be big cousins!” She’s already jumping up and down. “When are you getting married, Uncle Beckett?”
Wait. What?
“Luna and I are going to be flower girls! Yay!”
No, no, no!
Holt’s face contorts in myriad expressions. “Is there something I need to know?”
I shake my head. “Absolutely not!”
He leans into me and whispers in my ear. “Did you knock up a woman?”
“No! I didn’t!” I take a step back. “I just said that in passing.”
He studies me.
“Beckett, you’ve never alluded to having kids before… even in the very, very, very distant future.”
“It was just a figure of speech,” I say.
“Words like babies, toddlers, kids, and children frighten you.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Why does everybody keep asking me that?”
“Maybe because what’s coming out of your mouth is so out of character, it’s worrisome,” Holt says.
“Please…” I roll my eyes.
“Seriously, Beckett, if you fell and hurt your head, I need to know. I’m about to fly across the country and leave you in charge of my only child. If you’re suffering from a concussion or temporary insanity, you’re in no position to take care of my daughter.”
“Get off it! She’s in good hands and you know it.”
“So, Uncle Beckett, you’re not going to have a baby with your girlfriend and you’re not getting married?” Noni asks.
“No, sweetie. There’s no girlfriend, no baby on the way, and I’m most certainly not getting married.”
“Oh.”
I’m ecstatic my bachelor status remains intact. My niece, on the other hand, is quite disappointed. She’ll get over it.
