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“How’s Asher?” she asked as I sat on the couch and laid baby Dani down beside me.
“He’s grouchy and acting like an ass.”
“So, nothing unusual?” Giselle said sarcastically and I snorted.
“That’s the truth.”
“How long are they holding him?” she asked, stuffing the clean clothes into one of Dani’s bags.
I shrugged my shoulders and undid Dani’s towel. If I didn’t dress her soon, she’d need another bath. “Hopefully he sees the judge today. If not, tomorrow for sure.” I opened the diaper and slid it underneath Dani’s tiny booty.
A quiet knock sounded at the door.
“It’s probably Mr. Howard wanting sugar and milk again,” she said, moving toward the door. And she was right, it likely was. He showed up at least twice a week for both items. Or, it could be one of the neighbors around us.
We were all close on this block.
If someone needed sugar or coffee, or a shoulder to lean on, our door was always open—and so were theirs.
“Don’t be so goofy,” I said with a giggle, wrestling a twisting baby while I put on her diaper. “Would you stop?” I tickled her belly, then under her chin.
She chortled and grabbed onto my hand which completely melted my heart. “Aw, you love me, right? I missed you, too.” I crooned, finishing up with her diaper.
I yanked her onesie on next, overtop of her still wet hair. Or more like baby fuzz. She complained bitterly but I managed. “Shh, shh, shh, almost done,” I said, sticking her pudgy hands through the arm holes, one at a time, then kissing them.
“Look at this chub,” I said, lightly pinching her belly before I did the snaps up on her onesie. Daniella laughed and kicked her legs. I picked her up and kissed her cheeks while I inhaled. “You smell so good. Why do babies smell so good? Hmm?”
Again, she laughed and hit my head with her hands.
That made me start laughing, too. So, I kept kissing her, making her chuckle even more.
“Eve,” I heard my name called. I tried to look toward the door, but Dani had two handfuls of my hair in her tiny fists.
But I knew that voice.
It made my heart jump every time he said my name.
Giselle came to my rescue, managing to get my hair out of Dani’s fists with a minimum of pain. “Oh, you stinker,” she said when I was finally free.
I gave the baby one last kiss before I handed her back to Giselle. “I’ll be right back,” I said, looking into Giselle’s surprised face as I stood.
“Are you okay?” she whispered to me, widening her eyes, and nodding toward the door.
I gazed over to Nick. He had his mirrored sunglasses on, and he looked hot. “Probably not.” I sighed quietly and gave her arm a squeeze.
“Let’s go outside,” I said to him, barely acknowledging his presence while I slipped past him and out the door.
As soon as I was in the middle of the yard, I turned around and said, “What are you doing here?” I crossed my arms and glared at him. How he figured out where I lived, I had not one idea. But he had to know that this crossed a line.
“Who’s the father?” was all he said, hands on his hips like he was ready to fight.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips now.
He pointed toward the house. “The—father. The baby’s father, Eve,” he snarled back at me.Why was he so mad?
“I don’t know!” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. “Who cares?” I shook my head, not knowing why he wanted to know who Dani’s father was.
“You don’t know?” His eyebrows raised, then he ripped off his glasses. “It’s not that hard of a question, is it?” He leaned in, squinting his eyes in an intimidating manner.
